Montana Veterans Home Nursing Home
400 Veterans Dr, Columbia Falls MT 59912 · (406) 892-3256 · 87.33% estimated occupancy 1Updated: Aug 1, 2020 · By Sara Levinsohn
With an address in Columbia Falls, Montana, Montana Veterans Home Nursing Home is the sole nursing home we were able to find in the city. This turns out to be an A+ facility, which is our very best grade. In fact, we ranked this nursing home in the top ten percent of all nursing homes in the United States. If you look further down this page, you will see this nursing home's category scores, which look to be equally impressive as its overall score.
Additional Details:
Accepts Medicare 1 :
Accepts Medicaid 1 : 105 Beds
CCRC :
Government - State
Resident Council:
Family Council:
Medical Staff Hours Per Patient (2019)
Nurse Quality
In addition to a phenomenal overall grade, this facility also received A+ nursing grade. There are a variety of subcategories included in this grade. Most of these criteria relate to levels of nurse staffing. This nursing home provided 4.6 hours of nursing care per resident each day, which is among the highest figures in the country. A significant portion of those hours were provided by registered nurses, which are one of the more skilled levels of nurses. We were very impressed by both of these statistics. On top of providing impressive levels of nursing care, this place also excelled in several of the quality-based metrics we looked at. With below 5 percent of its patients suffering from pressure ulcers, it fared as well as any place Montana in this category. This is generally a good indicator that a facility has reliable quality controls in place. Many pressure ulcers can be prevented by offering better nursing care and a policy of turning patients more frequently.
Long-term Care Quality
Among its many high-end scores, this nursing home received a top-shelf long-term care grade. In fact, we awarded it a grade of A in that category. When facilities receive this kind of grade in long-term care it is typically a good sign for resident care and indicates that the place is well-staffed with nurses aids. One of the factors we considered in addition to this nursing home's above average nursing hours is vaccinations. This nursing home provided the pneumonia vaccination to 99.73262 percent of its patients. Vaccines are a great way to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations for the elderly. Lastly, this nursing home was able to limit hospitalizations. With just 1.17 hospitalizations per 1,000 long-term resident days, this nursing home had fewer hospitalizations than the majority of nursing homes.
Facility Inspections
We awarded this facility an A for inspections. Arguably the most significant factor we consider in computing our inspection ratings is deficiencies. These deficiencies can be found on a facility's recent inspection reports. Places with better grades in this area most likely avoided the most severe deficiencies involving patient abuse or death. Although this facility had a few deficiencies on its inspection report, none of them were severe based on CMS' deficiency scale. Finally, this facility had no substantiated complaints this year from residents, which is an excellent sign.
Short-term Care Quality
In the final area, we awarded this facility an A for our short-term care score. This rounded out a first-rate report card. In the area of short-term care, we try to evaluate indicators of a nursing home's rehabilitation. We look at the nursing home's skilled nursing services, such as the ones performed by registered nurses and physical and occupational therapists. One of this nursing home's strengths is registered nurse hours. We found that it offers more care from registered nurses to its residents than most facilities. The last measure we assessed in this category is the percentage of residents who were able to leave the facility and return home. We found that 0 percent of this facility's residents were able to return home.
Overall Rating Over Time
Compared to national and state averages across all facilities.
Montana Veterans Home Nursing Home Quality Metrics
Minimizes Pressure Ulcers
This is the percent of patients that sustained a pressure ulcer. Pressure ulcers are considered to be a measure of nursing care at a nursing home. Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, are routinely the result of residents not being moved frequently enough.
Percent of Patients with Pressure Ulcers
Lower is Better
Minimizes Serious Falls
This indicates the percent of residents that suffered from a fall which caused serious injury.
Percent of Patients with Serious Falls
Lower is Better
Minimizes Urinary Tract Infections
This gauges the percentage of long-term care patients which have sustained UTI's. While more of these infections could reflect poorly on a facility's cleanliness, it is problematic to compare between facilities due to facilities having varying reporting standards.
Percent of Patients with UTIs
Lower is Better
Appropriately Uses Anti-Psychotic Medication
This indicates the percentage of patients given antipsychotic medications. While antipsychotic medications may be vital to many residents, it is important to make sure these drugs are being used appropriately. In some situations, increased usage of these drugs may suggest a facility is using these medications to subdue residents.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Appropriately Uses Anti-Anxiety Medication
This indicates the percentage of residents who were prescribed antianxiety medications. These drugs are typically prescribed to patients suffering from anxiety or depression.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Managing Depression Among Residents
This datapoint measures the percentage of long-term stay patients who are demonstrating symptoms of depression.
Percent of Patients
Lower is Better
Appropriate Vaccine Usage
This datapoint is a measure of the percentage of long-term care residents who received the flu and pneumonia vaccines.
Percent of Patients
Higher is Better
Residents Maintain Autonomy
This is the percentage of patients that required additional assistance with activities of daily living over time.
Percentage of Patients
Lower is Better
Ability to Keep Residents Mobile
This is the percent of patients that retained mobility levels over time. Preserving mobility is often a great sign for residents' well-being.
Percentage of Residents
Higher is Better
Hospitalizations
This is the number of times residents are hospitalized per thousand days of care.
Hospitalizations per 1,000 resident days
Lower is Better
Short-term Care: Rehospitalizations
This indicates the number of rehospitalizations per thousand days of short-term care.
Percentage of Residents Rehospitalized
Lower is Better