A major health care system in Maine has apologized after mistakenly sending condolence letters to hundreds of patients, informing them of their own deaths.
MaineHealth, a nonprofit organization that operates hospitals, clinics, and other health facilities across Maine and New Hampshire, said the letters were sent to 531 patients. The letters included guidance for next of kin on settling estates.
A MaineHealth spokesperson told ABC News the error was caused by a glitch in the system used to generate estate vendor letters. The spokesperson emphasized that none of the patients were actually listed as deceased in their medical records.
“The issue has been fully resolved, and MaineHealth sincerely regrets this error,” the spokesperson said. “Apology letters have been sent to all affected patients.”
This incident is not unprecedented. In January 2021, Idaho-based Saint Alphonsus Health System mistakenly informed patients they were dead following a cyberattack. The system said a “mail merge issue” triggered the erroneous letters, which were intended to alert patients about a potential email security breach. Saint Alphonsus apologized for the confusion, confirming all patients’ statuses were accurately recorded in their electronic medical records.