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The Latest PBJ News

cms-monitor-nursing-home-performance
Nov 16 2023

β€˜Only the Beginning’: Staffing Mandate Assessments May Push Operators to the Brink

β€˜Only the Beginning’: Staffing Mandate Assessments May Push Operators to the BrinkBeyond minimum staffing requirements, operators may need to prepare for updated assessment requirements, which leaders say will be a β€œcore” aspect of the mandate,...
LPN-Exclusion-Confusing
Nov 14 2023

LPN Exclusion Triggers Confusion & Questions

News Digest: Mandated Nursing Minimums Ignores Key Nursing Role CNA's, LPN's and RN's form the backbone of skilled nursing facilities.Β  All three roles are used in calculating and determining a facility's Five Star staffing rating.Β  Yet the...
cms-crackdown-staffing
Nov 13 2023

Understanding Staffing Compliance Issues & Exemptions

News Digest:Β Proposed Rule Includes More than Minimum Staffing Lost in the uproar over minimum staffing requirements for RN's and CNA's are a number of additional provisions in CMS' Proposed Minimum Staffing Rule.Β  A delayed rollout and provisions...
ready-for-pbj-report-submission
Nov 12 2023

How Can Facilities Get Ready for Minimum Staffing Requirements?

News Digest: Resolving Staffing Shortages Is Key to Compliance with Mandate PBJ data and labor force participation data illustrate the challenge for the senior care industry to add staff to the required levels.Β  Various studies and interpretations...
comments-minimum-staffing-proposals
Nov 06 2023

Comments on Staffing Rule Pour in to CMS

News Digest: Overwhelming Response to CMS' Proposed Rule on Minimum Staffing The 60 day comment period for the Proposed Minimum Staffing Rule ended November 6, 2023.Β  AHCA and Leading Age associations led efforts to generate industry response.Β ...
proposed-rule-snf-pps-2023
Nov 04 2023

Plans to Defeat CMS’ Proposed Minimums Rule

News Digest: Various Strategies Floated to Avoid Proposed Minimum Staffing Rule With widespread opposition to CMS' Proposed Rule, a variety of tactics are under consideration to overcome the potential regulations.Β  Both a Congressional over ride...
cms-launches-review-nursing-homes-regulation
Nov 02 2023

Congress Weighs in on Proposed Staffing Rule

News Digest:Β Legislative branch questions proposed executive rule Federal legislators in Congress vocally responded to CMS' proposed rule.Β  While CMS considers public comments and works on the Final Rule in 2024, the congressional push back can...
changes-to-staffing-measures
Oct 31 2023

Ideas Emerge to Overcome Workforce Shortages

News Digest:Β Minimum Staffing Rules Incent Plan to Hire More Nurses As some view a minimum staffing requirement as almost an inevitability, strategies begin to emerge to accomplish tactics such as increasing the available pool of nursing, lowering...
New-Staffing-Measures-Posted-Care-Compare
Oct 25 2023

Supporters of Staffing Mandate Speak Out

News Digest:Β Consumer Advocates, Unions and Some Congressman Support the Staffing Mandate With the loud and consistent negative reaction to CMS' proposed minimum staffing standards, one could fail to recognize that supporters of the new rule...
nursing-home-staffing-headed-for-scrutiny
Oct 20 2023

Scrutiny on Private Equity & REIT Staffing Performance

News Digest: How does private equity investment affect nursing home staffing and minimum staffing requirementsOnly 6% of real estate investment trust (REIT) assets are in compliance with the federal minimum staffing proposal for nursing homes,...

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Minimum Staffing News
LPN Exclusion Triggers Confusion & Questions

News Digest: Mandated Nursing Minimums Ignores Key Nursing Role CNA's, LPN's and RN's form the backbone of skilled nursing facilities.Β  All three roles are used in calculating and determining a facility's Five Star...

read more
Comments on Staffing Rule Pour in to CMS

News Digest: Overwhelming Response to CMS' Proposed Rule on Minimum Staffing The 60 day comment period for the Proposed Minimum Staffing Rule ended November 6, 2023.Β  AHCA and Leading Age associations led efforts to...

read more
Plans to Defeat CMS’ Proposed Minimums Rule

News Digest: Various Strategies Floated to Avoid Proposed Minimum Staffing Rule With widespread opposition to CMS' Proposed Rule, a variety of tactics are under consideration to overcome the potential regulations.Β ...

read more
Five Star Staffing News
CMS Updates Staffing & Turnover Measures

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 β€œnursing 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.

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

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.

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Thousands of nursing homes face lower Five-Star ratings

New Five-Star scoring metrics could penalize an estimated 10% to 16% of providers who have relied on staffing strengths to drive their overall ratings.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday published new guidance for calculating staffing stars in the public-facing rating system. It incorporates total nurse staffing on weekends; annual RN and total nurse turnover; and administrator turnover.

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How to Boost Your Nursing Home Star Rating

For the administrator looking to improve an overall quality score quickly, the staffing score is a good place to start.

The staffing score will boost a facility’s overall score by one star if it: exceeds the health inspection score, and is either four or five stars.

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