Maine’s largest healthcare provider has accidentally sent more than 500 living patients letters saying that they are dead.
The 531 letters were sent to patients on October 20, ”indicating they were deceased and providing information to their next of kin about resolving their estate,” a MaineHealth spokesperson told The Independent.
The spokesperson blamed an “error in MaineHealth’s computer system.”
One Sanford woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told CBS 13 she received one of these letters Thursday.
The letter obtained by the local outlet starts by MaineHealth extending its condolences to the woman’s family.
“We are reaching out to keep you informed about next steps related to the account(s) referenced above,” the letter read. MaineHealth added that the family assisting with the estate is “not personally responsible for this debt.”
The woman, who said she does have an outstanding bill from the healthcare provider, told the outlet, “It was pretty upsetting to open that.”
"Why would they say I was dead?” the woman said, adding, “I haven't even been in the hospital for anything serious that I could have died from.”
The Sanford woman had called Patient Financial Services to notify them that she was not dead.
The man on the phone said “he was aware of the issue,” the woman explained. "And he's like, 'I'm glad to hear that you're still alive and well.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, me too.’”
The MaineHealth spokesperson assured the public that the affected patients were never listed as dead in their medical records and shared the healthcare provider's regrets for the incident.
“MaineHealth sincerely regrets this error and has sent apology letters to all patients who have been affected,” the spokesperson said. “At no time were these patients listed as deceased in their medical records and the issue has been fully resolved.”
