McKnights Archives | Page 4 Of 10

PBJ News Topic

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Congress wants a say in Biden minimum staffing regulation

September 25, 2024

Our Take: Federal lawmakers advanced a bipartisan campaign to stop the CMS staffing mandate – but ultimately did nothing. Committee markups, hearings with HHS Secretary Becerra, a Congressional Briefing by AHCA/NCAL, and floor…

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Medical director presence and time in US nursing homes

September 2, 2024

Our Take: A peer-reviewed study found that 36.1% of U.S. nursing homes reported zero medical director presence in Q1 2023, based on federal PBJ data from 2017–2023. The findings raise compliance and PBJ…

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CMS summer 2024 roundup: Star ratings unfreeze, MDS guidance and Appendix PP Update

August 14, 2024

Our Take: CMS updates in June/July included an unfreezing of Five-Star staffing measures, publication of facility ownership data and a revision of Appendix PP around the new Facility Assessment rule. ▼ These updates…

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Nursing Home Compare star ratings before versus after a change in nursing home ownership

July 29, 2024

Our Take: A study of 15,471 SNFs found that CMS Five-Star ratings declined slightly following ownership changes between 2016 and 2022. The primary driver is lower staffing ratings, with RN hours per resident…

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Operators and chains seek effective response to minimum staffing mandate

July 25, 2024

Our Take: Operators and trade associations cited limited labor supply, agency dependence, and admission restrictions as the operational realities in a minimum staffing world. These solutions emerged as the most likely near-term compliance…

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The relationship between nursing home staffing and health outcomes revisited

July 16, 2024

Our Take: A JAMDA study using 2017–2019 PBJ data found that staffing type, not just total hours, produces meaningfully different and sometimes opposite quality outcomes. RNs are linked to fewer hospitalizations and ER…

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FY 25 SNF Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule

May 1, 2024

Our Take: CMS issued the FY 2025 SNF Prospective Payment System proposed rule, which includes a 4.1% payment rate increase, expanded civil monetary penalties and updates to the SNF Value-Based Purchasing program. A…

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CMS finalizes minimum staffing rule, elicits strong reactions

April 22, 2024

Our Take: On April 22, 2024, CMS issued the first-ever federal minimum nurse staffing standards for Medicare & Medicaid-certified long-term care facilities. The rule requires 3.48 total nursing hours per resident day (HPRD),…

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Minimum staffing rule advances toward finalization despite opposition

April 16, 2024

Our Take: The proposed minimum staffing rule moved steadily from proposal through OMB review in April 2024. The Biden Administration publicly committed to finalizing despite widespread provider opposition and having to review 46,000…

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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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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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