531 Living Patients Declared Dead in MaineHealth’s Jaw-Dropping Tech Meltdown
It sounds like a dark comedy, but it’s real. Over 500 MaineHealth patients opened their mail last week to find a letter announcing their own deaths.
On October 20, MaineHealth, one of New England’s largest non-profit health systems, sent out 531 condolence letters to living, breathing patients. The letters even included instructions for their “next of kin” on how to settle their estates.
“I thought it was a scam at first,” said one woman from Sanford, who asked to remain anonymous. “Then I realized it was from my actual doctor’s office. They were literally telling me I was dead. It was really shocking and upsetting.”
The stunning mix-up has ignited outrage and disbelief. MaineHealth blames what it calls a “computer system error,” insisting that no one’s medical records were altered and that the situation has been “fully resolved.”
In a follow-up apology letter, the organization said it “sincerely regrets this error.” But for hundreds of patients who had to process their own “death,” the reassurance rings hollow.
Imagine checking your mail, expecting a bill or an appointment reminder, and instead, finding out you’ve apparently ceased to exist.
MaineHealth’s glitch didn’t just break a system. For 531 people, it momentarily broke reality.
