Skilled nursing facilities should expect changes to their Health Inspection and Quality Measure ratings when CMS unfreezes and recalculates all three domains on January 27, 2021, with Staffing Ratings now reflecting Q2 2020 PBJ data.
QSO Memo 21-06-NH
Technical Users’ Guide – October 2020
Updates to the Nursing Home Compare Website and Five Star Quality Rating System (QSO-21-06-NH)
CMS will resume calculating nursing homes Health Inspection and Quality Measure ratings on January 27, 2021. CMS is completing its transition to the new Care Compare website.
— Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, December 04, 2020
CMS Announces Updates to Five Star Quality Rating System
Due to the public health emergency (PHE) first issued in March 2020, the 3 domains of the rating system had previously been held constant at varying times throughout the past 9 months as a result of changes to health inspections and certain temporary regulatory waivers. During this time, CMS also unveiled the new Care Compare site, which officially replaced all legacy sites, including Nursing Home Compare, on December 1, 2020. Complete updates to the Five Star Quality Rating system will be available at the new Care Compare site on January 27, 2021.
— LeadingAge, December 04, 2020
Five-Star Ratings Updated and Second Quarter PBJ Staffing Data Released
Staffing Ratings were updated and reflect Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) data for Q2 2020 (April – June 2020). Previously, Staffing Ratings were based on Q4 2019 PBJ data because Q1 2020 data submission was optional due to COVID-19. Nationally, the direct care staff (Nurse Aides, LPN/LVN, and RN) hours per resident day (HPRD) went from an average of 3.87 in Q4 2019 to 4.06 in Q2 2020. As a result, a quarter of nursing homes saw an increase in their Staffing Five-Star Rating.
— AHCA/NCAL, November 12, 2020
Tips for the PBJ Pro — Get Ready for the Feb. 14 Deadline!
Hard to believe that 12 quarters (3 years!) of PBJ data submission are under our belts. We’re often asked, “What are the biggest mistakes facilities make when completing their PBJ reports?” Here are the top 5 — based on thousands of facility implementations, consultations, and audit reviews.
— SimpleLTC, January 13, 2021
