PBJ News Topic

PBJ Policy & Enforcement

OIG digest: an escalation of nursing home oversight in 2024

December 3, 2024

Our Take: The OIG issued a series of reports and guidance documents throughout 2024 calling on CMS to address nursing home workforce shortfalls, develop a compliance program guide, and target “tunneling” – concealing…

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Media assesses impact of federal minimum staffing mandate on their states’ nursing homes

November 20, 2024

Our Take: Media analyses reveal that the vast majority of nursing homes currently fall short of the new minimum staffing thresholds. State associations, operators, and industry groups across Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, New…

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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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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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Industry analyses project $6.5B annual cost and widespread compliance gaps

August 26, 2024

Our Take: Multiple analyses drawing from AHCA/NCAL, Altarum, and independent consultants project that CMS’s minimum staffing mandate will cost the industry at least $6.5 billion annually and require more than 102,000 additional clinicians.…

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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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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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