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Latest PBJ News

News Roundup: Plaintiffs’ lawyers gaining edge against nursing homes with staffing issues, plus SNF VBP & PHE waiver wind down

March 29, 2023

Our Take: Rising plaintiff litigation using publicly available staffing data creates compliance and legal exposure for SNFs. A new Total Nurse Staffing measure tied to PBJ data will begin affecting SNF VBP payments…

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Study shows that higher spending on nursing home staff is not tied to better staffing levels

February 6, 2023

Our Take: A Health Affairs study found that nursing homes with higher Medicaid resident shares spent more of their revenue on nursing staff, yet still had lower staffing levels. The findings demonstrated that…

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State CNA waiver decisions, Federal TNA workforce legislation, and OIG’s escalating focus on nursing home compliance

January 25, 2023

Our Take: Federal and state actions reflect ongoing efforts to address staffing shortages in skilled nursing facilities. Meanwhile OIG has elevated nursing home oversight to the top of its enforcement agenda, specifically citing…

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Study shows that REIT ownership linked to decline in RN staffing, increases in LPN, CNA use

January 25, 2023

Our Take: A 2023 study in Health Affairs found that REIT investment in nursing homes is associated with a statistically significant decline in registered nurse hours per resident day and increases in LPN…

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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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CMS should be careful in what it asks for: providers, consumer groups, and legal analysts weigh in on minimum staffing mandate

December 23, 2022

McKnights

Our Take: Discussions around a federal minimum staffing mandate for skilled nursing facilities intensified waiting for a CMS announcement. Responses from industry leaders, consumer advocates, and legal experts evaluated its feasibility, the reality…

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CMS nursing home ratings and staffing enforcement face national media scrutiny; Industry groups respond

November 23, 2022

Our Take: Investigations by USA Today and U.S. News & World Report in late 2022 revealed significant gaps between CMS star ratings and actual staffing levels at nursing homes. Reporters claimed federal enforcement…

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MedPAC’s recommendations: state staffing policies could hamper federal mandate

September 30, 2022

Our Take: MedPAC analysts used PBJ data at the Commission’s September 2022 meeting to show staffing shifts in SNFs, including a near-tripling of contract staff hours between 2019 and 2021. The Commission declined…

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CMS starts study to inform minimum staffing rules for nursing homes

August 30, 2022

Our Take: In August 2022, CMS launched a four-part staffing study that included a literature review, site visits to 75 nursing homes across 15 states, quantitative analyses using PBJ data, and cost analyses.…

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CMS directs states to strengthen nursing home staffing and quality through Medicaid

August 25, 2022

Our Take: On August 22, 2022, CMS issued a CMCS Informational Bulletin directing states to use existing Medicaid authority and payment tools to improve nursing home staffing levels, worker compensation, and quality of…

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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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