Healthcare System Apologizes After System Malfunction Sends Out Letters Telling Living Patients They Were Dead

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00:00Healthcare system apologizes after system malfunction sends out letters telling living patients they were dead.

00:07The letters which were sent out on October 20th came from an automated system that allegedly malfunctioned,

00:12leading to a major communication error that the hospital network has since admitted and apologized for.

00:18According to a statement released by MaineHealth, a total of 521 letters were mistakenly generated and mailed through a third-party vendor.

00:27MaineHealth sincerely regrets this error.

00:30The organization said in its statement.

00:32We have since resolved the issue and sent apology letters to every affected patient.

00:38The error was reportedly tied to a single automated tool used in an estate notification system,

00:43which is based out of MaineHealth's Portland headquarters.

00:47However, in this case, the system glitched and sent out letters to hundreds of living individuals instead.

00:53Officials say they are now reviewing the automation process that triggered the incident

00:57and are taking steps to ensure it doesn't happen again.

01:00A 2022 report from Pew Charitable Trusts pointed to common errors in electronic medical records as potential risks for patient safety.

01:09MaineHealth sent more than 500 living patients' letters indicating that they were dead as a result of a computer system error,

01:15the state's largest health care provider says.

01:18One woman who spoke with local Maine outlet WGME described her reaction when she opened the letter.

01:25It was pretty upsetting to open that, she said.

01:28I haven't even been in the hospital for anything serious that I could have died from, she said.

01:33MaineHealth confirmed that no private health information was leaked or exposed in the process.

01:38Patients who received the incorrect letters have been encouraged to contact the hospital network's patient relations department

01:44to confirm their status and verify the accuracy of their health records.