The Montana State Hospital is tens of millions of dollars over budget as it prepares to apply for federal recertification with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). State health officials said they are making progress.
State Health Department Director Charlie Brereton said his office plans to apply for recertification of the state hospital by the end of the year.
CMS pulled certification in 2022 due to patient deaths and dangerous conditions at the facility. That means the state hospital can no longer receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
According to documents given to state lawmakers this week, the state hospital is over budget in part due to spending about $46 million on contract staff this past fiscal year.
Brereton said the health department is working to boost pay for staff in order to reduce reliance on contract workers.
The state is also working with contractors to review infrastructure improvements, has hired more administrative staff to improve patient safety and the facility is searching for a new CEO.
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Permitting for fast-tracked mining project in the Bitterroot moves forward; Trump AI order could undercut state regulations; Health Department applies for federal recertification of Montana State Hospital. -
Montana Health officials have selected Laurel as location for a new $26.5 million state mental health treatment facility. The health department was looking for a location in the eastern portion of the state. The facility is intended to help address a backlog at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs. -
The state psychiatric hospital has a new CEO. This will be the fifth leader of the embattled facility in the past four years. -
State lawmakers have overridden Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto of a bill that will pay county jails for holding inmates awaiting space at the state psychiatric hospital. -
The state health department is offering $6.5 million in grant funds to help county jails offer mental health evaluations, medication and stabilization services to inmates. The hope is that inmates on the waiting list for care at the Montana State Hospital can get that care in jail instead.
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The state health department could be split in half under a bill that would break up the state’s largest agency.
