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Montana State Hospital could be placed on 'immediate jeopardy' after federal inspection

Seaborn Larson Feb 16, 2022



One of the older buildings on the campus of the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs.
Meagan Thompson, The Montana Standard

Seaborn Larson

Federal inspectors could be preparing to place the state psychiatric facility on "immediate jeopardy" status, the most serious deficiency designation that carries serious sanctions for facilities receiving federal reimbursement dollars.

While details of what raised flags for federal inspectors have not yet been released, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revisited the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs last week after the Montana State News Bureau questioned how the federal agency approved an inspection of the facility in September that found staffing numbers were below the level needed to prevent patients from falling. Inspectors found patients had fallen 113 times between June and August 2021, and employees told inspectors staffing documentation had been altered to not list patients whose needs required one-on-one attention from staff.

The state health department on Thursday said CMS inspectors preliminarily indicated that findings might reach immediate jeopardy status. The department is "proactively working toward corrective action as if that is the case," spokesperson Jon Ebelt said in an email.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services has time to furnish its plan to correct the situation before the full survey is complete and becomes public. The department already has one plan underway: In late November, in partial response to the state hospital's needs, DPHHS put out a request for proposal seeking a third party to fill a "temporary management" role at the state's medical facilities and to help stabilize the workforce. The submission period for contract bids has closed, and DPHHS said last week it was reviewing the proposals. Last month DPHHS Director Adam Meier said the incoming contractor would first examine the state hospital, which has the most acute needs of all the state's health care facilities.

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By Seaborn Larson
State Reporter

Capitol bureau reporter Seaborn Larson covers justice-related areas of state government and organizations that wield power.