PBJ Research & Analysis

PBJ News Topic

PBJ Research & Analysis

The effects of labor unions on nurse staffing ratios

March 2, 2026

Our Take: A Health Affairs study of 321 newly unionized nursing homes from 2013 to 2021 found that unionization increased LPN staffing by roughly 2.7 hours per day while decreasing RN staffing by…

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

March 2, 2026

Our Take: A study of 6,849 nursing homes in 22 states found that state minimum staffing mandates raised direct care staffing by roughly 5% without harming facility finances or increasing closures. Industry advocates…

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

January 28, 2026

Our Take: AHCA/NCAL’s January 2026 Nursing Home Workforce Report shows that the nursing home sector added 40,700 jobs in 2025, with agency staffing declining 44% and nursing turnover falling nearly 11%. PBJ data…

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Medicaid staffing bonus increases nurse levels

January 26, 2026

Our Take: A study found that an Illinois Medicaid bonus program increased nurse staffing by 12.2% and reduced 90-day hospitalization rates by 0.51 percentage points. The bonus paid up to $38.68 per resident-day…

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Changes in US SNF capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic

January 12, 2026

Our Take: A JAMA study using 2018–2024 PBJ data found that U.S. SNF operating capacity declined 5% between 2019 and 2024, twice the rate reflected in licensed bed counts alone. Staffing shortages were…

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A look at nursing facility characteristics in 2025

December 17, 2025

Our Take: KFF’s 2025 data analysis reports that nursing facility deficiencies rose 40% over the past decade as staffing hours per resident declined. 27% of SNFs are now cited for serious deficiencies for…

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Analysis of selected nursing facilities’ use of Medicaid reimbursement for direct care compensation

August 1, 2025

Our Take: An HHS OIG data brief analyzed 26 nursing facilities and found that 17 increased spend on direct care compensation between 2018 and 2021 as a share of Medicaid reimbursement. Yet 12…

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Unraveling the impact of agency nursing staff on nursing home quality

July 1, 2025

Our Take: A peer-reviewed study found that increasing reliance on agency nursing staff is associated with lower CMS Five-Star quality ratings. Each 10% increase in agency hours linked to a 4–5% reduction in…

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OIG looks at CMS use of staffing data to inform state oversight of nursing homes

May 29, 2025

Our Take: A May 2025 OIG evaluation found that CMS is not fully using PBJ data to help states identify nursing homes falling short of the required 8 hours of daily RN coverage.…

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COVID-19 public funding’s impact on nursing homes

November 4, 2024

Our Take: A 2024 Health Affairs study found that COVID-19 public health emergency funds masked declining nursing home finances. Nonprofit facilities lost $31.18 per resident day by 2022 once PHE funds were reduced.…

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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…

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…

Medical Director compliance under increasing federal and state scrutiny

February 23, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: Federal regulators and state lawmakers are intensifying scrutiny of SNF medical directors. OIG is actively reviewing…

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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