Montana News
State Hospital won't apply for federal recertification this year
With Montana News, I'm Eleanor Smith. The state's only psychiatric hospital for adults won't apply for federal recertification for at least another year. Montana Public Radio's Erin Bolton reports construction at the Montana State Hospital is holding up the process. The hospital lost certification from the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid services in 2022 due to patient deaths. That means the state has been unable to bill Medicaid or Medicare. That has cost the state tens of millions of dollars. State Health Department Director Charlie Breartin had previously said the state hospital would apply for recertification by the end of this year. But he told state lawmakers this week the hospital can't apply until remodeling projects at the facility are done sometime in 2025. In Columbia Falls, I'm Erin Bolton.