Big Sky Blog

Despite the fact that Great Falls is only the 2nd or 3rd largest city in Montana, it is home to the largest hospital in the state: Benefis Healthcare. I’ve been in there a few times: several friends’ have had babies, and I underwent the only surgery of my life at Benefis in October 2002 (out, cursed appendix!). My experience was actually quite pleasant — or at least the parts that I remember. The nurses, the techs, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist (Dr Wu – who plugged me into what he called “Wu’s Brew”) — they were all incredibly nice and considerate, and considering that I lived to tell the tale and had no complications, I’d have to give a Two Thumbs Up to Benefis Hospital. So it was quite nice to read that Benefis has been recognized for the outstanding care that it provides.

Overall, Benefis was placed in the top 5 percent of hospitals in the country for overall clinical outcomes. It also received a HealthGrades award for excellence in lung care, making it number one in Montana for pulmonary care and placing it among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide. Benefis also received a HealthGrades award for excellence in orthopedic care, placing it in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide, and rating it the top hospital in Montana for joint replacement surgery…Benefis also received a five-star rating for its stroke treatment, the highest rating in its rating system…and also received five-star ratings for treating bowel obstructions and for treating sepsis.