- Hundreds of patients in Maine received incorrect letters stating they had died
- The error was limited to MaineHealth's automated estate-notification process
- No patients were listed as deceased in their actual medical records
Hundreds of patients in Maine received letters from a healthcare system incorrectly stating they had died, prompting the organisation to apologise and provide guidance for their next of kin on managing estates, reported Newsweek.
A woman who received one of these letters described the experience as shocking. She said she had undergone some medical tests and her doctor is affiliated with MaineHealth, but she was not seriously ill and did not understand how such information appeared in the letter.
MaineHealth clarified that none of the patients were listed as deceased in their medical records. The error was limited to the automated estate-notification process used at MaineHealth's Portland headquarters, which operates Maine Medical Centre and eight other hospitals in Maine and New Hampshire. The error occurred on October 20, reported Newsweek.
The health system also stated that no patient's personal medical information was leaked. One letter begins by expressing condolences to the deceased and providing information about the next steps for their estate. It is signed by MaineHealth Patient Financial Services. MaineHealth recently updated its digital records system and is reviewing the automation tool that sent these letters.
