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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Montana Free Press reporter Mara Silvers joined MTPR's Austin Amestoy with details about the Montana Health Department hiring a New York based consulting firm to guide the state as it undergoes a multiyear overhaul of its behavioral health services.
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Health department officials are asking legislators to change criminal commitment laws amid a bottleneck at the Montana State Hospital.
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Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is recommending construction resumes on a project updating the wastewater treatment facility at the Montana State Hospital. The state issued a stop work order earlier this month, after learning that 3 million gallons of partially treated wastewater had leaked into Warm Springs Creek.
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Three million gallons of partially treated wastewater has leaked into Warm Springs Creek. The spill happened during upgrades to the water treatment plant at the Montana State Hospital.
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A state commission will spend the next year working to overhaul Montana’s behavioral health and disability services system.
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State lawmakers this week voted to override vetoes of two bills aimed at improving care at the Montana State Hospital. A watchdog group says conditions at the hospital aren’t improving.