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Minimum Staffing Roundup

Democratic bills revive minimum staffing debate

March 30, 2026

Our Take: CMS repealed the nursing home minimum staffing rule in early 2026 following court defeats. Key provisions like updated facility assessments and Medicaid transparency reporting requirements remain in effect. Democratic lawmakers have…

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CMS nursing home funding campaign grows to $200 million

March 16, 2026

Our Take: CMS has expanded its nursing home staffing campaign from $75 million to $200 million. Proposed with the minimum staffing rule, the funding campaign survived and is expected to launch summer 2026. …

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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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Medical Director compliance under increasing federal and state scrutiny

February 23, 2026

Our Take: Federal regulators and state lawmakers are intensifying scrutiny of SNF medical directors. OIG is actively reviewing whether PBJ-reported hours reflect actual engagement and whether existing oversight is sufficient. A Maryland bill…

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

February 1, 2026

Our Take: Following CMS’s repeal of a federal staffing mandate, attorneys general from 18 states are urging the agency to adopt a replacement rule applied only to for-profit nursing homes with related-party financial…

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SNF benchmarking report points to value based care, Medicare Advantage, and PBJ scrutiny

January 30, 2026

Our Take: Plante Moran’s 2025 SNF Benchmarking Report analyzes data from over 12,000 skilled nursing facilities. They highlighted trends in Medicare Advantage enrollment, value-based purchasing, I-SNPs, and labor costs that are reshaping reimbursement…

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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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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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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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PBJ News Topics

Read about PBJ regulations, research & news impacting SNFs

Most Recent PBJ News

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…

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…

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