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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A disability rights watchdog group is suing Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, saying it violated a Montana State Hospital patient’s right to vote.
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The state’s only psychiatric hospital for adults won’t apply for federal recertification for at least another year. Construction at the Montana State Hospital is holding up the process.
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State lawmakers declined to support two bills that would fundamentally change how Montanans are committed to the state psychiatric hospital.
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There is more turnover among Montana State Hospital leadership. This comes as the state prepares to apply for federal recertification. The state’s psychiatric hospital for adults has gone through a handful of leaders since it lost federal certification in 2022 due to patient deaths.
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Nearly two years after losing federal certification, the state’s adult psychiatric hospital in Warm Springs is facing leadership shakeups and turnover of medical providers and key staff.
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State health officials said they will pay community providers to do court-ordered mental health evaluations. Scam artists are trying to trick Montanans out of their money or sensitive personal information.