PBJ Data Goes Public

Sep 30, 2017 | CMS' PBJ Policies, Rules for PBJ Reporting

News Digest: PBJ Data Goes Public

The payroll based journal program shifted into a higher gear with the publication of a new CMS Survey and Certification letter. PBJ data is now publicly available and visitors to Nursing Home Compare will start seeing icons describing levels of PBJ compliance for every facility.

CMS to Share PBJ Data

In a recent Survey and Certification Letter (S&C: 17-45-NH), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they will begin publishing public use files containing some nursing staffing data submitted through the Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) system on Nov. 1, 2017. The data will be posted here for viewing by long term care facilities, stakeholders, or the general public.

While CMS intends to start using the PBJ data to calculate and report staffing levels, tenure, and turnover measures in 2018, at this time, the 5-Star system continues to rely on staffing data collected on form CMS-671 at the time of a facility’s survey.

READ FULL ARTICLE

“CMS to Share PBJ Data.” LeadingAge New York, www.leadingageny.org/providers/nursing-homes/survey-clinical-and-quality/cms-to-share-pbj-data.

CMS announces date for PBJ public use files to be made public

In a memo published earlier this week, CMS announced that they will begin posting PBJ public use files for viewing by LTC facilities, stakeholders, and the general public at https://data.cms.gov/ on November 1, 2017.

The first public use file posted will include data submitted by facilities for the reporting period of calendar quarters 1 and 2, which had deadline submissions of May 15 and August 14 2017. CMS will continue to post subsequent quarters of data as they become available.

The data will include the total number of hours submitted for nursing services job categories (e.g., registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, and nurse aides) for each day in the quarter, in addition to each facility’s census for each day in the quarter as calculated using minimum data set (MDS) submissions.

Hurlburt, Amanda. “CMS Announces Date for PBJ Public Use Files to Be Made Public.” The Post-Acute Advisor, 27 Sept. 2017. No longer available.

Related CMS and PBJ Resources

To learn more about the details, policies and information in these articles, please review these CMS and PBJ publications.

PBJ News Topics

PBJ News Tools

PBJ Policy Library

More News in this PBJ Topic

CMS' PBJ Policies, Rules for PBJ Reporting

CMS should be careful in what it asks for

Dec 23, 2022

CMS should be careful in what it asks for Those in the nursing home sector are worried a potential staffing mandate imposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could be the ruination of a reeling sector. However, there is an...

Ask the payment expert …. about the total nurse staffing measure

Nov 11, 2022

Q: What is the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Payment Total Nurse Staffing Measure?
A: The Total Nursing Hours Per Resident Day Measure uses auditable electronic data reported to the Payroll-Based Journal system to calculate total nursing hours per resident day. It is one of two new measures that will begin affecting payments in the FY 2026 SNF VBP program year, the other being SNF Healthcare Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization.

CMS to ‘Crack Down’ on Troubled Nursing Homes Through Special Focus Facility Program Changes

Oct 30, 2022

In its latest move to increase scrutiny of the skilled nursing industry, the Biden administration is toughening requirements for nursing homes that fall into its Special Focus Facilities (SFF) program.

Specifically, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making completion requirements more challenging and increasing enforcement actions if SNFs fail to show improvement, according to a statement issued by the federal agency on Friday.

States get needed nurse aide waiver relief but workers’ fates uncertain

Oct 7, 2022

Skilled nursing providers in at least 15 states averted the loss of thousands of frontline workers Thursday, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services let expire a blanket national waiver allowing the use of non-certified nurse aides. Those states had been awarded new waivers through an application process, meaning they demonstrated testing backlogs or other delays that kept providers from converting a large share of temporary nurse aides into permanent certified nurse assistants.

3 Nursing Home Legal Issues to Watch in 2022 and Beyond

Oct 6, 2022

As a flurry of regulations and mandates descend upon the nursing home sector, such changes could create legal obstacles, and suggest yet another difficult and onerous year for providers.

Staffing mandates, the aftermath of the end of the public health emergency (PHE), Covid liability and the PREP Act, all create “existential threats” for skilled nursing operators, at a time when so many are still attempting to recover from the last two and a half years.

CMS reveals differing opinions on minimum staffing approach

Aug 10, 2022

A study meant to underpin a new federal nursing home staffing minimum will last about seven months and end in December, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official said Thursday.

That confirmation came during an Open Door Forum conference call Thursday, and amid a fierce, ongoing debate how mandated staffing levels can be equitably determined at all.

CMS Issues Significant Updates to Improve the Safety and Quality Care for Long-Term Care Residents

Jun 30, 2022

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued updates to guidance on minimum health and safety standards that Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities (often called “nursing homes”) must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid.

CMS also updated and developed new guidance in the State Operations Manual (SOM) to address issues that significantly affect residents of LTC facilities.

CMS Releases Skilled Nursing Facility PPS Proposed Rule for FY23

Apr 30, 2022

CMS is also seeking feedback on including a Nursing Home Staff Turnover measure in the VBP program. The measure uses data from the CMS payroll-based journal system and reports annual turnover for nurses.

State of Skilled Nursing Facilities Today, Planning for the Future

Mar 28, 2022

What are the four key findings and what can nursing home leaders do today to put themselves on the path of recovery? Some of the answers include strategic planning, operational assessments, and self-evaluation.

Nursing facilities should work now to determine changes that can be made – clinically, operationally, and financially – for better or more strategic outcomes.

CMS offers leniency to Kronos users impacted by ransomware attack

Feb 3, 2022

Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG), a software used by SNFs for PBJ submission, was the victim of a ransomware attack on December 11, 2021. CMS announced it will not downgrade affected facilities that miss the February 14, 2022 PBJ submission deadline or submit incomplete information.

Impacted Kronos users need to contact CMS by March 1, 2022 with specific requested information as noted in the CMS memo below.

Importance of the human touch

Oct 13, 2021

Everyone falls into auto-mode now and then. While SimplePBJ continues to discover and add new verification checks for potential issues, the human touch is still needed to confirm the PBJ data you’re submitting is accurate.

Don’t get lulled into thinking the data from your payroll or timekeeping system is 100% PBJ ready. Many times that ends up not being the case.

U.S. Bill Would Require More Staffing And Curtail Arbitration In Nursing Homes

Sep 21, 2021

Nursing homes would face minimum staffing requirements and a prohibition on pre-dispute arbitration agreements, among other significant potential changes included in legislation introduced last week by a group of Democratic senators.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »