PBJ News Topic

Minimum Staffing Roundup

LPN exclusion triggers confusion & questions

November 14, 2023

Our Take: The CMS minimum staffing rule sets minimum RN and CNA hours but excludes Licensed Practical Nurses. This gap drew widespread criticism from providers, industry associations, and policy experts warning that sidelining…

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Opposition has plans to defeat CMS’ proposed minimums rule

November 4, 2023

Our Take: As the 60-day public comment period closed November 6, AHCA/NCAL and major provider associations formally called on CMS to rescind its proposed federal staffing mandate. Bipartisan senators, former House Speaker Paul…

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Congress has thoughts about the proposed minimum staffing rule

November 2, 2023

Our Take: Throughout fall 2023, a broad and bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators, House members, governors, MedPAC commissioners, and long-term care organizations called on the Biden Administration to withdraw its proposed minimum nursing…

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Analyses predict high annual cost of staffing mandate

October 10, 2023

Our Take: Multiple independent analyses released in fall 2023 estimate the cost of the proposed nursing home minimum staffing mandate. From CMS’ estimate at $4.1 billion to Leading Age’s $7.1 billion, providers warn…

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CLA analysis: Federal nursing home staffing mandate projected to cost $6.8B to $11.7B annually, require more than 100,000 new hires

September 30, 2023

Our Take: CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), on behalf of the American Health Care Association, published a series of cost analyses between July 2022 and September 2023 estimating that compliance with proposed federal minimum staffing requirements…

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AHCA & CLA: High costs to comply with potential minimum staffing rule

September 20, 2023

Our Take: An analysis by CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), commissioned by AHCA, projects that a staffing minimum of 4.1 hours per resident per day will require SNFs to spend over $10 billion more annually. Providers…

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CMS issues proposed minimum staffing rule

September 1, 2023

Our Take: On September 1, 2023, CMS issued its first-ever proposed federal minimum nurse staffing rule for long-term care facilities, establishing thresholds of 0.55 hours per resident day (HPRD) for registered nurses and…

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AHCA lobbies against potential minimum staffing regulations

July 25, 2023

Our Take: Trade associations, and provider groups mounted a sustained campaign against an expected minimum staffing mandate. Citing a workforce more than 200,000 jobs below pre-pandemic levels, AHCA, LeadingAge, and the AHA consistently…

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Leaked CMS study finds no single staffing level guarantees quality care in nursing homes

June 30, 2023

Our Take: A comprehensive report prepared under contract to CMS by ABT Associates was inadvertently published in August 2023. The report found no single staffing level that would guarantee quality care in nursing…

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Proposed rule digest: Feds’ value-based changes present ‘long overdue’ opening for SNFs

April 6, 2023

Our Take: CMS finalized the FY 2024 SNF Prospective Payment System rule, delivering a 4.0% payment increase of approximately $1.4 billion while overhauling the Value-Based Purchasing program. VBP sees new measures tied to…

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PBJ News Topics

Read about PBJ regulations, research & news impacting SNFs

Most Recent PBJ News

Staffing lawsuits increase scrutiny on employment levels & wages

July 1, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: Multiple lawsuits all turn on the same underlying evidence: payroll-based journal hours, timecards, and staffing schedules…

PBJ Reporting Moving to iQIES System

June 30, 2026

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

Our Take: CMS is retiring “QIES,” its first PBJ submission system. Starting August 17, 2026, all staffing data…

New US DOL joint employer rule impacts senior care

June 26, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a new joint employer rule under the Fair Labor Standards…

SCOTUS Upholds Administration’s Decision to Strip TPS From Haitian & Syrian Immigrants

June 25, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal courts cannot block the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary…

OIG Audit Finds CMS’s PBJ Oversight Fell Short: 5% of RN Staffing Hours Unsupported

June 18, 2026

Our Take: A new HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit found that CMS was not effective in…

Tort Immunity and Nursing Home Staffing

June 1, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A study of 13,205 nursing homes found that states giving SNFs immunity from COVID-19 liability reduced…

Is minimum staffing at play in the mid-term elections?

May 20, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: Senate Democrats outlined plans to revive nursing home staffing standards, expand Medicare-covered home care, and tighten…

NJ SNF sues CMS over PBJ audits, citing no appeal rights

April 22, 2026

Latest PBJ News

Our Take: A New Jersey skilled nursing facility filed a federal lawsuit on April 21, 2026, alleging that…

Invisible staffing churn in nursing homes: CMS turnover metrics miss a growing short-term workforce

April 18, 2026

PBJ Research & Analysis

Our Take: A Health Affairs Scholar study found that CMS’ turnover metric is likely understating real facility churn…

SNF pay rate proposals bring heightened CMS enforcement

April 10, 2026

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

Our Take: CMS has proposed a 2.4% Medicare rate increase for SNFs in FY 2027 while simultaneously expanding…

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