PBJ News Topic

PBJ Research & Analysis

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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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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A look at nursing facility characteristics in 2025

December 17, 2025

Our Take: KFF’s 2025 data analysis reports that nursing facility deficiencies rose 40% over the past decade as staffing hours per resident declined. 27% of SNFs are now cited for serious deficiencies for…

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CMS repeals minimum staffing mandate after legal challenges, lobbying

December 2, 2025

Our Take: The Biden-era federal minimum staffing mandate for nursing homes was officially repealed by HHS in December 2025, following a sequence of federal court losses and new Administration declining to continue legal…

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PBJ data driving increased scrutiny of nursing home staffing

November 1, 2025

Our Take: A growing ecosystem of tools and research are used by external stakeholders to evaluate nursing home staffing. Some recent uses include a new publicly available PBJ dashboard, updated U.S. News nursing…

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Iowa court vacates nursing hours per resident day requirements

August 27, 2025

Our Take: Federal courts in Iowa vacated the Biden-era nursing home staffing mandate’s most costly provisions that required 24/7 RN coverage and a minimum hours-per-resident-day of nurses. The court found that CMS exceeded…

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Analysis of selected nursing facilities’ use of Medicaid reimbursement for direct care compensation

August 1, 2025

Our Take: An HHS OIG data brief analyzed 26 nursing facilities and found that 17 increased spend on direct care compensation between 2018 and 2021 as a share of Medicaid reimbursement. Yet 12…

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Unraveling the impact of agency nursing staff on nursing home quality

July 1, 2025

Our Take: A peer-reviewed study found that increasing reliance on agency nursing staff is associated with lower CMS Five-Star quality ratings. Each 10% increase in agency hours linked to a 4–5% reduction in…

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CMS updates PBJ Policy Manual after three years with no changes

June 30, 2025

Our Take: CMS released PBJ Policy Manual Version 2.7 in June 2025. Updates include explicitly requiring that nursing hours be worked on-site to be included in PBJ, establishing a 22.5-hour daily maximum per…

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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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