Plains hospital ends home health services

Clark Fork Valley Hospital will close its Medicare certified home health agency at the end of the year.

According to a press release from the hospital, hospice services will not be affected and will continue unchanged. 

Hospital officials cited ongoing labor shortages, financial losses and regulatory burdens of operating Home Health organizations as reasons for the closure.  

"These burdens have been particularly difficult for rural agencies given the low population density and broad areas that are served," the press release stated.

Clark Fork Valley Hospital is the last remaining critical access hospital in western Montana to operate home health and hospice services.

 “We try to offer every service possible for Sanders County residents, but the obstacles of operating a certified home health program have grown more challenging in recent years,” said hospital CEO Dr. Greg Hanson.  

Hanson said Clark Fork Valley Hospital is making every effort to maintain as many services offered by home health agencies as possible.  

For homebound patients, physical therapy treatment can now occur at home through the hospital’s rehabilitation department, and Clark Fork Valley Hospital has obtained approval from Medicare to provide home nurse visits through its Family Medicine Clinic. 

The hospital has contacted patients to explain the changes and has reached out to providers who regularly use the current home health agency.

“This is another unfortunate change that is increasingly common in rural areas of our country,” said Hanson. “Our governing board struggled, but in the end we believe this was the best decision that would allow us to retain the majority of home based services for Sanders County residents in a sustainable manner well into the future.”