Apology letters sent to 531 patients after MaineHealth declares them dead
A large nonprofit health system in Maine blames a computer error for the institution's mistakenly informing 531 patients that they were dead. The recipients of the condolence letters, all very much alive, were wrongly instructed in how to best notify their next of kin.
MaineHealth confirmed in a statement to WMTW News that it has already sent follow-up apology letters, explaining that the initial correspondence was a result of an IT system malfunction that occurred Oct. 20.
“At no time were these patients listed as deceased in their medical records, and the issue has been fully resolved,” a hospital spokesperson told the outlet, adding that leadership “sincerely regrets” the mishap.
The unknown issue that put a chain of events into motion that resulted in the death notices being mailed out is reported as “fully resolved,” recipients of the apology letters were told.
MaineHealth confirmed that no patient care appointments were impacted.
Northern New England’s largest health system
The health system runs eight hospitals in Maine and New Hampshire, along with three specialty care facilities—one of which is used for training clinicians and medical students.
According to its website, the organization employs more than 20,000 people at its hospitals and provider offices, 2,000 of whom are doctors or advanced patient care practitioners.
MaineHealth sees approximately 1.1 million patients each year.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.