Health department vows changes to avoid delayed contracts 

The head of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services said the agency has nearly cleared its backlog of incomplete contracts that risked people’s access to health services.  This story also appeared in KFF Health News Even so, some organizations say the state still owes them tens of thousands of dollars for services already provided. Director Charlie Brereton told state lawmakers during a Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee meeting on Jan. 18 that the agency had nearly finished finalizing overdue