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Latest PBJ News

Medical Director compliance under increasing federal and state scrutiny

February 23, 2026

Our Take: Federal regulators and state lawmakers are intensifying scrutiny of SNF medical directors. OIG is actively reviewing whether PBJ-reported hours reflect actual engagement and whether existing oversight is sufficient. A Maryland bill…

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SNF benchmarking report points to value based care, Medicare Advantage, and PBJ scrutiny

January 30, 2026

Our Take: Plante Moran’s 2025 SNF Benchmarking Report analyzes data from over 12,000 skilled nursing facilities. They highlighted trends in Medicare Advantage enrollment, value-based purchasing, I-SNPs, and labor costs that are reshaping reimbursement…

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PBJ data driving increased scrutiny of nursing home staffing

November 1, 2025

Our Take: A growing ecosystem of tools and research are used by external stakeholders to evaluate nursing home staffing. Some recent uses include a new publicly available PBJ dashboard, updated U.S. News nursing…

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White House order aims to tie nursing home Medicare payments to worker retention

April 18, 2023

Our Take: President Biden signed an executive order directing HHS to build on minimum staffing standards and condition a portion of Medicare payments on how well nursing homes retain workers. Industry associations expressed…

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News Roundup: Plaintiffs’ lawyers gaining edge against nursing homes with staffing issues, plus SNF VBP & PHE waiver wind down

March 29, 2023

Our Take: Rising plaintiff litigation using publicly available staffing data creates compliance and legal exposure for SNFs. A new Total Nurse Staffing measure tied to PBJ data will begin affecting SNF VBP payments…

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State CNA waiver decisions, Federal TNA workforce legislation, and OIG’s escalating focus on nursing home compliance

January 25, 2023

Our Take: Federal and state actions reflect ongoing efforts to address staffing shortages in skilled nursing facilities. Meanwhile OIG has elevated nursing home oversight to the top of its enforcement agenda, specifically citing…

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CMS nursing home ratings and staffing enforcement face national media scrutiny; Industry groups respond

November 23, 2022

Our Take: Investigations by USA Today and U.S. News & World Report in late 2022 revealed significant gaps between CMS star ratings and actual staffing levels at nursing homes. Reporters claimed federal enforcement…

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How to boost your nursing home star rating

November 2, 2021

Our Take: As operations settled back into a routine, the industry again turned to managing their staffing and quality levels against CMS compliance thresholds. Strategies to managed five star ratings, health inspections, staffing,…

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PBJ news digest: CMS enforcement focus, census reporting changes, and data validation best practices

October 13, 2021

Our Take: CMS has sharpened its enforcement posture around SNF staffing, while simplifying PBJ file submission specifications. Accurate, human-reviewed quarterly submissions remain essential as regulatory pressures translate directly into Five-Star staffing ratings. ▼…

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Maggots, rape and yet five stars: how U.S. ratings of nursing homes mislead the public

March 16, 2021

Our Take: The payroll-based journal data collection is a new playground for journalists and researchers. The more data you have, the more you can analyze and interpret it. The New York Times claimed…

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PBJ News Topics

Read about PBJ regulations, research & news impacting SNFs

Most Recent PBJ News

New Administration signals repeal of staffing mandate

April 1, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: From election night through early 2025, the Trump administration has consistently signaled that repealing the Biden-era…

Democratic bills revive minimum staffing debate

March 25, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: CMS repealed the nursing home minimum staffing rule in early 2026 following court defeats. Key provisions…

CMS nursing home funding campaign grows to $200 million

March 16, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: CMS has expanded its nursing home staffing campaign from $75 million to $200 million. Proposed with…

The effects of labor unions on nurse staffing ratios

March 2, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A Health Affairs study of 321 newly unionized nursing homes from 2013 to 2021 found that…

Did state staffing mandates add direct care staff or hurt SNF finances?

March 2, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A study of 6,849 nursing homes in 22 states found that state minimum staffing mandates raised…

SNF benchmarking report points to value based care, Medicare Advantage, and PBJ scrutiny

January 30, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: Plante Moran’s 2025 SNF Benchmarking Report analyzes data from over 12,000 skilled nursing facilities. They highlighted…

AHCA: Nursing homes added 40,700 jobs in 2025 as turnover, agency use declined

January 28, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: AHCA/NCAL’s January 2026 Nursing Home Workforce Report shows that the nursing home sector added 40,700 jobs…

CMS Special Focus Facility program ‘crack down’ on troubled nursing homes ends use of staffing

January 28, 2026

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

Our Take: A CMS memo originally added staffing to the Special Focus Facility program but later shifted away…

Medicaid staffing bonus increases nurse levels

January 26, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A study found that an Illinois Medicaid bonus program increased nurse staffing by 12.2% and reduced…

Changes in US SNF capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic

January 12, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A JAMA study using 2018–2024 PBJ data found that U.S. SNF operating capacity declined 5% between…

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