Blackfeet Care Center
A nursing home in Browning, Montana 59417
728 S Government Sq, Browning, Montana 59417. (406) 338-2686.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 28, 2026.
- 1of 5 CMS’s overall rating
- 18 health citations at the latest inspection cycle Montana average: 10.9
- 4.53 nurse hours per resident per day Montana average: 4.02
- 4 fines in the last three years (needs attention)
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean8
- Star ratings
- 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.
- 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.
- Scope and severity (A to L)
- CMS grades each nursing home deficiency with a letter. A to C: no actual harm, with potential for minimal harm. D to F: no actual harm, but potential for more. G to I: actual harm. J to L: immediate jeopardy. Within each band, the letter rises as more residents were affected or could be: one or a few, a pattern, or widespread. Source: CMS, nursing home scope and severity grid (State Operations Manual, chapter 7).
- Nurse staffing hours
- The hours registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse aides worked, per resident per day, from the payroll records each home sends CMS. Source: CMS, Payroll-Based Journal.
- Fines and payment denials
- A fine (civil money penalty) is money CMS makes a nursing home pay when it falls short of federal rules. A payment denial means Medicare and Medicaid stop paying for new admissions until the home meets the rules again. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.430 and 488.417.
- Immediate jeopardy
- CMS’s most serious finding: the place’s failure to meet a rule caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment or death to someone in its care. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 489.3.
- Capacity
- The most people the licence or certification lets the place care for at once: residents, children, beds or apartments, as the state counts them. It isn’t how many are there now. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
18 health citations at the latest inspection cycle
The Montana average is 10.9.
Last standard inspection Mar 26, 2026.
Most serious in three years: immediate jeopardy to health or safety (J), at a complaint inspection on Jul 9, 2026
CMS, Provider Information, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
When those citations happened
38 citations in 6 months of the last 36. Last cited Aug 2026. Most serious: immediate jeopardy to health or safety (J). 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.
All 38 citations in the last three years
Grouped by inspection, newest first. Each carries CMS grades each nursing home deficiency with a letter. A to C: no actual harm, with potential for minimal harm. D to F: no actual harm, but potential for more. G to I: actual harm. J to L: immediate jeopardy. Within each band, the letter rises as more residents were affected or could be: one or a few, a pattern, or widespread. Source: CMS, nursing home scope and severity grid (State Operations Manual, chapter 7)., from A, the least serious, to L, the most. 17 came from complaint inspections.
CMS, Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
Aug 20, 2026: complaint inspection1 citation
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Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
Jul 9, 2026: complaint inspection5 citations
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Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
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Honor the resident’s right to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal and the facility must establish a grievance policy and make prompt efforts to resolve grievances.
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Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
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Provide care or services that was trauma informed and/or culturally competent.
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Develop, implement, and/or maintain an effective training program for all new and existing staff members.
Mar 26, 2026: standard inspection10 citations
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Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
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Honor the resident’s right to receive visitors of his or her choosing, at the time of his or her choosing.
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Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
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Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
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Ensure the resident’s doctor reviews the resident’s care, writes, signs and dates progress notes and orders, at each required visit.
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Ensure that the resident and his/her doctor meet face-to-face at all required visits.
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Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
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Designate a physician to serve as medical director responsible for implementation of resident care policies and coordination of medical care in the facility.
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Electronically submit to CMS complete and accurate direct care staffing information, based on payroll and other verifiable and auditable data.
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Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Mar 26, 2026: standard and complaint inspection2 citations
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Ensure each resident’s drug regimen must be free from unnecessary drugs.
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Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Jun 18, 2025: complaint inspection3 citations
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Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
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Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
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Provide the appropriate treatment and services to a resident who displays or is diagnosed with dementia.
Jan 30, 2025: standard inspection3 citations
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Honor the resident’s right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
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Provide appropriate colostomy, urostomy, or ileostomy care/services for a resident who requires such services.
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Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Jan 30, 2025: complaint inspection2 citations
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Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
-
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Jan 4, 2024: standard inspection8 citations
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Honor the resident’s right to request, refuse, and/or discontinue treatment, to participate in or refuse to participate in experimental research, and to formulate an advance directive.
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Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
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Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
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Ensure that feeding tubes are not used unless there is a medical reason and the resident agrees; and provide appropriate care for a resident with a feeding tube.
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Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication; and PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary and PRN use is limited.
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Provide or get specialized rehabilitative services as required for a resident.
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Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
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Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Jan 4, 2024: standard and complaint inspection3 citations
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Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
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Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals.
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Give their staff education on dementia care, and what abuse, neglect, and exploitation are; and how to report abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Jan 4, 2024: complaint inspection1 citation
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Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
Is it certified, and in good standing?
- Certified for Medicare and Medicaid since Jul 20, 1989.
- Not on CMS’s special focus list.
- No abuse icon from CMS.
- No change of ownership in the last 12 months.
- CMS lists its ownership as for profit, individual.
- 47 certified beds.
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
Has it been fined or penalized?
- 4 fines in the last three years, $176,965 in all.
- 1 Medicare payment denial in the last three years.
- 17 citations in the last three years came from complaint inspections.
CMS, Penalties and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Date | Kind | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2026 | Fine | $23,520 |
| Jul 9, 2026 | Fine | $22,205 |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Medicare payment denial | Not given |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Fine | $102,325 |
| Jan 30, 2025 | Fine | $28,915 |
Who does the caring?
4.53 nurse hours per resident per day
The Montana average is 4.02.
CMS publishes staffing about four months after the fact.
CMS, Provider Information and State and US Averages. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Measure | This home | Montana average |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse hours per resident per day | 4.53 | 4.02 |
| Of which registered nurses | 0.87 | 0.92 |
| At weekends | 4.25 | 3.53 |
| Nursing staff turnover | Not given | 54.6% |
| Registered nurse turnover | Not given | 48.9% |
| Administrators who left | Not given | Not given |
Who owns it?
- CMS’s ownership file has no owners listed for this home.
CMS, All Owners. Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly.
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
How do residents fare?
- CMS rates its quality measures 4 of 5 (Montana average 3.2).
CMS, Provider Information and State and US Averages. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 1 of 5 |
| Health inspections | 1 of 5 |
| Staffing | 4 of 5 |
| Quality measures | 4 of 5 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Among the 12 nearest homes, within 86.0 miles, this one had the 3rd most health citations at the latest inspection cycle (18; the middle value was 5).
CMS, Provider Information. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.
| Place | Miles away | Citations, latest cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Blackfeet Care Center This nursing home | 18 | |
| Northern Pines Rehabilitation and Nursing | 40.4 | 9 |
| Montana Veterans Home N H | 47.1 | 2 |
| Whitefish Care and Rehabilitation | 52.6 | 32 |
| Lakeview Rehabilitation and Nursing LLC | 53.0 | Not given |
| Immanuel Skilled Care Center | 56.7 | 5 |
| Kalispell Rehabilitation and Nursing LLC | 56.9 | 30 |
| Brendan House | 57.0 | 7 |
| Logan Health - Conrad | 63.6 | 4 |
| Polson Health & Rehabilitation Center | 75.4 | 3 |
| St Luke Community Nursing Home | 83.1 | 1 |
| Mountain View of Cascadia | 86.0 | 4 |
What the record doesn’t say
- Complaints that didn’t lead to a citation aren’t published.
- Inspections reach CMS’s data about six weeks after they happen, and staffing about four months after.
- CMS publishes the inspectors’ full written findings in a separate monthly file, which isn’t loaded yet.
- Fines and Medicare payment denials are the only enforcement CMS publishes; state licence actions aren’t included.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Provider Information (4pq5-n9py).
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Deficiencies (r5ix-sfxw).
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Penalties (g6vv-u9sr).
Released Oct 28, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, All Owners (afe44b85-cc6d-40d7-b5df-00ae8910d1d2).
Checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated monthly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, State and US Averages (xcdc-v8bm).
Released Oct 28, 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 home
The public record above comes first. Anything the home adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the home 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 home”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.