Yes. It is very upsetting. I got it stopped by contacting our social worker. You are on the right track. They should be able to help.

I have had similar things happen to me three times that come to mind. Shortly before Roxanne passed we had started taking her to a neurology specialist to explore the possibility of brain damage. The doctor there confirmed that she had brain damage. In the first weeks after she was gone I sent letters out to the different doctors so they could close her records or whatever they needed to do. I was called at home by the neurologist himself because he was concerned about me and had some questions about the nature of her death.

Several months later I received a letter addressed to her informing us that the neurologist was leaving the practice to relocate.

Just last week I received a letter addressed to her telling us that her doctor at the Cleveland Clinic was leaving to go into private practice. She had not been to see him for 5 months prior to her death.

At Christmas time she received a card from a lawyers office to whom I had mailed a copy of her death certificate.

I believe these things are because of the way information is stored in computer data bases. While her medical files may be removed from an active status to inactive, the non medical things like addresses and insurance information wouldn't be updated during that process. When a doctor is leaving or a change is taking place in the practice copies of the letter would be sent to every address still stored in the "business related" database.

They trouble me and make me feel sad when I see her name on mail so I can certainly understand how you feel. The problem is that the information is stored in different computers to keep clerical staff from being able to access medical information and all to often one hand doesn't know what the other is doing.

In hindsight I would have known to send a letter addressed to the business office as well as the medical records department. In your case again the questionnaire was likely generated by a computer and envelope stuffed by someone in an office. Automated tasks like these questionnaires and business notifications are contracted out to third party companies rather than being handled by hospital staff. Contacting the hospital via your facilitator friend may be an approach that could help. It all depends on how the hospital handles records and information.

I will warn you though the experience may be more frustrating than it's worth just because getting them to make a change in the way their information is routed and handled can be problematic. Most individuals resist change and getting a corporation the make any change can be a monumental task.

In my experience the bigger the hospital is the worse time I have getting information into or out of it. While they may offer better medical care than a smaller hospital their clerical workers and information handling systems leave much to be desired.

After Roxanne passed I was trying to get a handle on what the medical bills looked like because I had been overwhelmed by them for a long time. I sent letters to all her medical care facilities explaining that she had passed and requesting they send me any information about outstanding bills etc.

All of the smaller hospitals, clinics and doctor's offices replied and gave me updated information. I feared that a letter sent to a larger place might not find it's way into the correct helpful hands so I sent letters addressed to the physician, the business office, the billing office, accounts receivable and every other possible avenue I could think of. I was contacting them to pay off any debts we owed but I did not receive any information or contact of any kind. I waited three months and sent another batch of letters and again no response. The second month I made a phone call and after being transferred 4 or 5 times gave up.

Good luck, I certainly wish you better luck than I had.
Hugs,
Matt

This happens a lot. I have received mail addressed to Todd from the military. WTF.....they are the ones that should be getting this right. Kaaren

My favorite to date, is the letter to my husband threatening to turn him over to a collection agency if he didn't pay his copay on a hospital stay. I was VERT tempted to return with the forwarding address "Heaven".

Very dark humor on my part. But that's where my head was at that point.

Not for my husband, Richard, but I did after my mother died.

She received a bill notice from the emergency physicians' group. It was the third notice of collection for a mere $30 something dollar balance. Keep in mind she never received notice one or two. It stated that she had X amount of days to pay or the matter would be turned over to a collection agency.

I called the group office, introduced myself, and reported that my mother had passed. Of course the rep was sorry and requested that I send a copy of the death certificate and they would close the account.

Hey, wait a minute! In my calmest, no nonsense voice, I asked what happened to Notice 1 and 2, for the estate never received it. She obviously can't give me an answer. I then say there is something I don't understand. If my mother were alive, you would go to the enth degree for a mere 30-something dollars, even to the length of a collection agency, but because she is dead you'll close her account? Explain that one to me.

Dead silence on the other end. After a few minutes, she takes a deep breath and tells me she fully sympathizes and relates to my statement for her office can't be that hard up for that amount of money.

It has been almost 9 years since that incident, and it still makes me fume.

Good post!! I have received calls from my husband's medical supplier asking me if he needs this or that I just am tired of going through telling people especially ones that should know, another one that really really has gotten to me is Relay for life they send out every year a reservation for survivors and their caretaker, well the first year I kindly ignored it and just walked as we usually did but this year I got one again COME ON REALLY!!!!! they of all people should know he is not nor has been a survivor for a couple of years now, last I checked a survivor was someone who had not succumb to this horrible disease!!!!!

My experience wasn't a letter, it was a phone call. A short bit of background is needed. The hospital where Arlene eventually died discharged her to a rehab facility for physical therapy at the beginning of February. She was only at the rehab for a little over a week, and about halfway through that week she was brought back to the hospital as an outpatient for an exam. I accompanied her on the ambulance ride and while we were at the hospital that day, I was asked to make a $20.00 co-pay to the doctor.

Arlene returned to the rehab, she didn't do well there and she ended up back in the hospital. She passed away in late March.

About a month after Arlene died, the hospital called asking to speak to Arlene. I explained that she had died and the caller asked to speak to "the person handling her affairs." I said that would be me. It turned out the person was calling to follow up on the $20.00 co-pay from the outpatient visit. Fortunately, I still had the receipt and I faxed it to the hospital. That still wasn't the end of the story. I got an almost identical call weeks later...again starting out by asking for Arlene, etc. The caller said ANOTHER $20.00 should have been collected for a hospital co-pay...what I had paid was the doctor's co-pay and they still wanted payment. By then I was angry enough to relate my story to someone in patient care services who said she was appalled at the insensitivity. I eventually got a letter of apology and the fee was waived.

The mail is whole other minefield. I never know what's going to come addressed to Arlene.

Wendy, I hope for both our sakes that things become more bearable with the passage of time. I wish you the best.

Jeff

I still get stuff 2 years after the fact. It has been made painfully obvious that grief is an unrelenting beast. I have had to choose to now pick my battles since my sanity is the most important.

When you call to complain you will be told that the correct info must not have been entered in the computer. Computers are only as smart as the people that use them. Kaaren

After three months i asked my mom (84 years old and dads been gone for 24 years) how long is the mail and phone calls going to continue she kinda laught and told me she still get them.. so much for technology

I'm new here. Just lost my dear hubby 2 weeks ago to copd. About 3 days later, I get a bill from the hospital for a TV for $212.00 - which he never turned on!! Never even used! I called the accounting department and left a calm, but forceful message about their gd TV bill (no I did not swear).
They never called back, so I sent the bill to the social worker with a letter of complaint.
Stay tuned...

I've received all sort of mail similar to this and my husband worked at the place he passed. I used to be in IT so I know that it's computer generated and the departments are not linked. I'm so sorry this happened to you, but until there is a link between the departments it will continue to happen.

Recently Barry received a letter from his insurance saying how much they paid hospice. It was addressed to him not to the estate or anything just him.
When my dad died the nursing home called my mom 9 months after he died to try to collect 900 they said they owed. I talked to them and said report him to the credit bureau or if they really want to talk to him and they had a direct line to heaven feel free and let me know what he said. This stuff makes me so angry