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The staffing shakeup comes almost a year after Carter Anderson’s appointment.
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Patient injuries, abuse, and neglect have continued at the Montana State Hospital since the state-run psychiatric facility lost its federal certification due to preventable patient deaths. But state officials won’t release details, citing laws making those reports confidential.
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State health officials Thursday updated lawmakers on their plan to improve care at the Montana State Hospital and to apply for federal recertification in roughly 18 months. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pulled certification following patient deaths, blocking Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements from flowing to the state hospital.
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The state’s only psychiatric hospital for adults has been discharging patients to homeless shelters with no plan for care and sometimes without medications, according to a report from a designated watchdog group.
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The Montana state health department has expanded its contract with a private consulting group hired to oversee the struggling Montana State Hospital and other public health care facilities. The amended agreement with Alvarez & Marsal went into effect Oct. 1.
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Health officials estimate the state will lose $25 million if the state hospital doesn’t receive federal certification within the next two years.
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The Montana State Hospital’s top administrator will no longer oversee operations starting May 9. The change comes after federal officials pulled funding at the Warm Springs facility due to patient safety issues.
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State health officials say they have signed a contract with a Helena-based consulting firm to address patient safety issues at the Montana State Hospital. The federal government pulled funding for the hospital this week citing safety problems that resulted in patient deaths.
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The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in February warned the state it could lose funding after they found that the Montana State Hospital didn’t have measures in place to prevent COVID-19 infections and serious falls among patients, which led to four deaths.
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The state hospital in Warm Springs is seeing a 72% vacancy rate for registered nurse positions, 62% for psychiatric technicians and 54% for forensic mental health technicians. The hospital has been relying on higher-paid contract workers to help fill the void.