[Date]
Dear [name of patient or representative]:
As you are aware, during your [procedure/hospitalization] at [facility name], you experienced a [specify event, e.g., fall, pressure ulcer, etc.].
This letter is a follow-up to your earlier conversation with [name of provider or administrator who informed patient verbally]. What happened to you is a medical event that meets the Serious Reportable Event criteria as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). [Facility name], as part of a statewide effort by all [hospitals or ambulatory surgery centers] in Massachusetts and following state law, has been tracking such events and reporting them to the DPH in an effort to help health care providers continuously improve internal practices and patient care. We would be happy to share a copy of the report we filed with DPH if you would like to read it.
On behalf of our staff I regret the inconvenience and stress that this caused you [and your family]. [Facility name] is committed to providing our patients with quality care. As part of the [hospital’s or surgery center’s] policies and in keeping with state law, we are conducting an internal review of what occurred, what potential changes to our practices may be needed, and whether the event was preventable.
We will follow-up with another letter in the next 30 days to let you know what we learn from our internal review of what happened to you and how we might best modify our work to ensure another patient does not experience the same thing.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call [appropriate contact, e.g., health care quality team, patient representative, individual] at [direct phone number].
Sincerely,
[Name, Title]