LeadingAge Archives | PBJ Central

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PBJ Policy & Enforcement

CMS Special Focus Facility program ‘crack down’ on troubled nursing homes ends use of staffing

January 28, 2026

Our Take: A CMS memo originally added staffing to the Special Focus Facility program but later shifted away from staffing. SNFs in the SFF program face escalating civil monetary penalties beginning at program…

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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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Do Medicaid payment rates cover the costs of care in nursing homes?

October 11, 2024

Our Take: A October 2024 ASPE report analyzed 13,285 nursing homes across 44 states and found that Medicaid reimbursement covers just 82 cents per dollar of actual care cost. 40% of SNFs are…

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CMS updates staffing & turnover measures on Care Compare

October 4, 2024

Our Take: CMS issued memo announced updates to Nursing Home Care Compare staffing ratings and quality measures driven by the MDS transition from Section G to GG. Updates to the case-mix methodology came…

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Ideas emerging to help SNFs overcome workforce shortages

October 31, 2023

Our Take: The CMS minimum staffing rule moved through its fall 2023 comment period. Operators, advocates, and analysts shared strategies to increase staffing levels such as increasing the available pool of nursing, lowering…

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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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CMS reveals differing opinions on minimum staffing approach

August 10, 2022

Our Take: CMS issued the FY 2023 SNF proposed rule and included a formal Request for Information on establishing federal minimum staffing requirements for long-term care facilities. The rule drew more than 3,000…

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Study: Nursing home staffing in disadvantaged neighborhoods

August 8, 2022

Our Take: A study found that nursing homes located in severely disadvantaged neighborhoods had RN staffing rates 30% lower and PT/OT staffing 38% lower than facilities in less deprived areas. This analysis used…

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CMS issues significant updates to improve the safety and quality care for long-term care residents

June 30, 2022

Our Take: Effective with the July 2022 refresh, CMS added six staffing measures to the Five-Star Quality Rating System, incorporating weekend staffing levels and annual staff turnover, while limiting the overall star bonus…

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To advance information on quality of care, CMS makes nursing home staffing data available

January 30, 2022

Our Take: CMS began publicly posting nursing home staff turnover rates and weekend staffing levels on Care Compare in January 2022, using PBJ data since 2016. These turnover and weekend measures will be…

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PBJ News Topics

Read about PBJ regulations, research & news impacting SNFs

Most Recent PBJ News

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…

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…

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