JAMA Network Archives

PBJ News Topic

PBJ Research & Analysis

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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Top factors in nurses ending health care employment between 2018 and 2021

April 9, 2024

Our Take: A cross-sectional study of 7,887 nurses found that after planned retirement, burnout (26%), insufficient staffing (21%), and family obligations (18%) were the top reasons nurses left healthcare employment. Critically, 41% of…

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High staff turnover linked to decreased quality of care in SNFs

October 9, 2023

Our Take: Two October 2023 JAMA studies show that increases in nursing staff turnover is connected to higher citation counts and lower CMS quality measure scores. The second study associated labor union presence…

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Research shows impact of PPP loans on staffing in US nursing homes

July 27, 2023

Our Take: A JAMA Network study found that nursing homes receiving Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans – which required 60–75% of funds be directed to staffing- experienced significant increases in CNA and LPN…

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Study suggests staffing shortages during the pandemic strained nursing homes

July 27, 2023

Our Take: A study in JAMA Network Open used PBJ data from eight U.S. markets to document how COVID-19-era staffing shortages drove administrators to adopt agency staffing, overtime, and admission reductions to maintain…

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Research finds staffing stability is marker of better quality of nursing homes

January 10, 2023

Our Take: A JAMA study found that day-to-day staffing instability for LPNs and CNAs – measured using PBJ data – is independently associated with worse performance across the majority of standard CMS quality…

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Research shows COVID-19 vaccination mandates don’t negatively affect nursing home staffing

July 29, 2022

Our Take: A cohort study published in JAMA Health Forum found that state-level COVID-19 vaccine mandates increased nursing home staff vaccination rates without worsening reported staffing shortages. Researchers concluded the findings support extending…

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Research on COVID staffing finds policy action can stabilize staffing levels

July 22, 2022

Our Take: A cohort study published in JAMA Health Forum found that severe COVID-19 outbreaks caused lasting declines in nursing staff levels, with total staffing hours falling 5.5% below pre-outbreak levels 16 weeks…

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Study shows weekend and daily variation in nursing home staffing led to poorer clinical quality

March 14, 2022

Our Take: A 2022 study in JAMA Network Open analyzed PBJ data from 13,339 nursing homes and found that daily variation in RN and CNA staffing levels was significantly and negatively associated with…

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PBJ News Topics

Read about PBJ regulations, research & news impacting SNFs

Most Recent PBJ News

Industry analyses project $6.5B annual cost and widespread compliance gaps

April 18, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: Multiple analyses drawing from AHCA/NCAL, Altarum, and independent consultants project that CMS’s minimum staffing mandate will…

Democratic bills revive minimum staffing debate

March 30, 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…

PBJ technical specifications changed

March 16, 2026

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

Our Take: CMS made minor updates to the PBJ data specification for uploaded PBJ files. Users can no…

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…

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…

State Attorneys General ask CMS for staffing rule on for-profit SNFs

February 1, 2026

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Our Take: Following CMS’s repeal of a federal staffing mandate, attorneys general from 18 states are urging the…

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…

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