PBJ update: Goodbye, self-reported census!

When CMS first implemented PBJ, facilities self-reported their census data for Five-Star staffing calculations. Since April 2018,  CMS has automatically calculated the census instead. While facilities could still report their census, CMS did not use the data in its Five-Star staffing calculations.

A January 9 update to PBJ Data Submission Specifications now states CMS will no longer accept any census data in PBJ file submissions. The new Version 4.00.0 removes all census tags and will be the required format for XML submissions beginning June 2. After this date, files using the older 2.00.0 and 2.00.3 versions will be rejected by CMS.