Missouri River Medical Center
A critical access hospital in Fort Benton, Montana 59442
1501 St Charles St, Fort Benton, Montana 59442. (406) 622-3331.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 20, 2026.
- Not rated CMS’s overall rating
- Not rated patient survey rating
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years
- 25 beds
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean2
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
The last inspection on record was on May 8, 2025: a complaint inspection.
1 deficiency cited in the last three years.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those deficiencies happened
1 deficiency in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited May 2025. Most serious: Standard-level. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dec | |||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each deficiency, as cited
Rule titles as CMS’s inspectors cite them, set in sentence case.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
May 8, 2025: complaint inspection1 deficiency
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Nursing Services
The inspectors’ words, 903 words
“NURSING SERVICES CFR(s): §485.635(d)(3) All drugs, biologicals, and intravenous medications must be administered by or under the supervision of a registered nurse, a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, or, where permitted by State law, a physician assistant, in accordance with written and signed orders, accepted standards of practice, and Federal and State laws. This Standard is not met as evidenced by: 45448 Based on observation, interview, and record review, facility staff failed to document dispensing a narcotic in the narcotic logbook and failed to identify the narcotic count was incorrect within the narcotic logbook prior to dispensing a narcotic for 1 (#8) of 8 sampled patients; facility staff failed to review a patient’s medication order prior to overriding a warning message for medication dosing for 1 (#2) of 8 sampled patients; and the facility failed to implement a process for verification of physician orders accuracy within the electronic medical record (EMR). These deficient practices had the potential to affect all patients’ receiving medication at the facility. Findings include: 1. During an observation and interview on 5/5/25 at 2:48 p.m., staff member D unlocked the medication cart narcotic drawer. Staff member D stated a narcotic count was done twice a day at shift change. Staff member D stated the night nurse was responsible for removing the narcotic medication and dispensing it to the appropriate medication carts. Staff member D began counting narcotics as the surveyor confirmed the counts were correct within the narcotic logbook. Staff member D noted the narcotic count was incorrect for patient #8’s Tramadol 50mg tablets. The narcotic count sheet indicated the count should have been 62 tablets and the pill count was 61. The last dose of Tramadol 50 mg was given on 5/5/25 at 2:44 p.m. by staff member E. Staff member D said she had given patient #8 his dose of Tramadol 50 mg for his 8:00 a.m. medication pass. She then took the narcotic logbook and entered the dose she had missed. Staff member D did not confirm the dose was documented in the EMR. During an interview on 5/6/25 at 9:08 a.m., staff member B said the missed narcotic count would have been caught with the change of shift count and no one would have been allowed to go home until the medication was accounted for and documented. During an interview on 5/6/25 at 9:23 a.m., staff member C said it was her expectation that medication would be recorded when it was removed, prior to use. Staff member C stated the medication should have been documented in the narcotic log. During an interview on 5/6/25 at 3:46 p.m., staff member E said she usually would check to see if the narcotic count was correct prior to dispensing medication. She stated she must not have checked. 2. During an observation and interview on 5/7/25 at 11:34 a.m., staff member K removed patient #2’s gabapentin pill card from the locked narcotic drawer. Staff member K then scanned the medication into the EMR. A large yellow triangle with an exclamation sign appeared on the screen indicating that the medication timing was too soon after the previous dose was administered. Staff member K then proceeded to override the system and was about to dispense a second dose of gabapentin 600 mg. Staff member K was asked when the last dose of gabapentin was administered. The EMR indicated the previous dose of gabapentin 600 mg was administered at 9:18 a.m. Staff member K said patient #2 was to receive the medication three times a day. Staff member K was asked if two hours between doses would be correct for a three-times daily order. Staff member K cancelled the administration for patient #2. During an interview on 5/7/25 at 1:48 p.m., staff member C said patient #2 was transferred from another facility. The EMR system would usually transfer over the orders for the patient’s medication, but because their facility does not supply the medication and it is supplied by a local outpatient pharmacy, the patient was discharged from care and the EMR transferred the medication orders as a prescription to the outpatient pharmacy. The medication order was transcribed incorrectly, and the transcription did not get the original prescription by the provider correct. The information was never relayed to be specific for a morning dose, evening dose and bedtime dose. It was sent and was written as three times a day. Staff member C said the facility had noted similar errors in the past and the process was being “worked on”. Record review of patient #2’s EMR showed an order for gabapentin 300mg, take 2 capsules by mouth in the morning, 2 capsules in the evening, and 2 capsules before bedtime, with a start date of 3/25/25. Record review of patient #2’s medication administration record showed an order for gabapentin 300mg, 2 capsules, three times daily. Review of a facility document, “Medication Administration”, dated 11/2016, showed: “ ...Policy The focus of medication administration is to ensure the process is performed correctly, safely and without errors while maintaining the security of the medications. Medications pass process will focus on the established standard of practice that includes the Seven Rights of Medication Administration: -Right Resident -Right Drug -Right Dose -Right Route -Right Time -Right Documentation -Right Evaluation of Efficacy of the medication ... ...Before medications are administered, they are to be signed off immediately prior to giving-not at the end of the medication pass. ...””
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2025 | Complaint inspection | 1 deficiency cited |
How do patients fare?
- CMS gives no overall CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.: “There are too few measures or measure groups reported to calculate a star rating or measure group score.”
- CMS gives no CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.: “The number of cases/patients is too few to report a star rating.”
- Emergency department patients spent a median of 106 minutes there before leaving (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025).
CMS, Hospital General Information, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital and Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Complications and Deaths - Hospital and Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital. Released Sep 30, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall ratingCMS’s overall hospital quality star rating, 1 to 5 | Not rated |
| Patient survey ratingCMS star rating from its survey of the hospital’s patients (HCAHPS), 1 to 5 | Not rated |
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Medicare-certified critical access hospital since Oct 1, 1999.
- Ownership: government - hospital district or authority.
- It is not accredited by a private organisation, so the state carries out its routine inspections for Medicare.
- No For hospices, home health agencies, hospitals and dialysis facilities, CMS writes deficiencies at two levels. Standard is the usual one; condition-level is the more serious, when a problem is serious enough that the provider doesn’t meet a whole condition of taking part in Medicare. Source: CMS, State Operations Manual. deficiency on record in the last three years.
- Government - Hospital District or Authority.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been penalized?
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals.
- CMS’s HAC Reduction Program file has no result for it: the program covers general acute care hospitals Medicare pays under its inpatient prospective payment system.
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years came from an inspection that included a complaint investigation.
CMS, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated yearly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies. Released Oct 20, 2026. Updated monthly.
What do patients say about their care?
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
- 69% of its health care workers got a flu shot (Oct 1, 2024 to Mar 31, 2025).
CMS, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital and Timely and Effective Care - Hospital. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Who owns it?
- Benefis Health System, Inc. runs it.
- 14 owners or officers are people: Rayn M Ginnaty (corporate officer); Rayn M Ginnaty (corporate director); Bruce Houlihan (corporate officer); Bruce Houlihan (managing employee (on the payroll)); Louie W King (corporate officer); Louie W King (corporate director); John H Goodnow (corporate officer); John H Goodnow (corporate director); John H Goodnow (managing employee (on the payroll)); Dale M Hanson (corporate director); Susan Murphy (corporate officer); Susan Murphy (managing employee (on the payroll)); Michael V Ohara (corporate director); Ronald M Dauwalder (corporate director).
- CMS’s Provider of Services file records no change of ownership.
- No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
- No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
CMS, Hospital All Owners and Hospital Enrollments. Released Sep 29, 2026. Updated monthly.
CMS, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities. Released Oct 14, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Organisation | Role | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benefis Health System, Inc. | Runs it (operational or managerial control) | 100% | Mar 5, 2015 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 2 hospitals CMS lists in Chouteau County, none has an overall star rating from CMS.
- CMS gives this hospital no overall star rating to compare.
CMS, Hospital General Information. Released Aug 13, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Place | Overall star rating |
|---|---|
| Big Sandy Medical Center | Not given |
What the record doesn’t say
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospitals, so none are shown. The one payment cut CMS publishes for each hospital, under its Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, is shown where it applies.
- Only complaints that led to a citation appear; complaints that didn’t aren’t published.
- Most hospitals are accredited by a private organisation (The Joint Commission, DNV and others) whose routine inspections stand in for the state’s; those reports aren’t public, and QCOR holds only the state’s surveys: no inspection on record here doesn’t mean none took place.
- QCOR says its hospital inspection data are complete only through September 17, 2026, while it moves to a new system.
- CMS doesn’t publish staffing levels for hospitals.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information (xubh-q36u).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Patient survey (HCAHPS) - Hospital.
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Healthcare Associated Infections - Hospital (77hc-ibv8).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Complications and Deaths - Hospital (ynj2-r877).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Unplanned Hospital Visits - Hospital (632h-zaca).
Released Sep 30, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Timely and Effective Care - Hospital (yv7e-xc69).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary - Hospital (rrqw-56er).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program (yq43-i98g).
Released Aug 13, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated yearly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Provider of Services File - Hospital & Non-Hospital Facilities (Hospital_and_other.DATA.Q3_2026.csv).
Released Oct 14, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, QCOR Hospital 2567 statements of deficiencies (Hospital_2567s_2010_to_2026YTD.xlsx).
Released Oct 20, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital All Owners (Hospital_All_Owners_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital Enrollments (Hospital_Enrollments_2026.09.29.csv).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: CMS. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.
From the hospital
The public record above comes first. Anything the hospital adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the hospital will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the hospital”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.