PBJ News Topic

Minimum Staffing Roundup

Analyses predict high annual cost of staffing mandate

October 10, 2023

Our Take: Multiple independent analyses released in fall 2023 estimate the cost of the proposed nursing home minimum staffing mandate. From CMS’ estimate at $4.1 billion to Leading Age’s $7.1 billion, providers warn…

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High staff turnover linked to decreased quality of care in SNFs

October 9, 2023

Our Take: Two October 2023 JAMA studies show that increases in nursing staff turnover is connected to higher citation counts and lower CMS quality measure scores. The second study associated labor union presence…

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Unions play a role in the minimum staffing push

October 6, 2023

Our Take: Organized labor has been a central force in advancing the Biden administration’s proposed minimum staffing rule for nursing homes. HHS Secretary Becerra publicly credited union pressure for the regulation. The proposal…

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Roundup: Strong pushback to just announced proposed staffing rule

September 30, 2023

Our Take: Following the September 1, 2023 release of CMS’s first-ever proposed federal minimum staffing mandate for nursing homes, skilled nursing providers, financial analysts, and industry advocates responded with near-universal concern. Common issues…

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CLA analysis: Federal nursing home staffing mandate projected to cost $6.8B to $11.7B annually, require more than 100,000 new hires

September 30, 2023

Our Take: CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), on behalf of the American Health Care Association, published a series of cost analyses between July 2022 and September 2023 estimating that compliance with proposed federal minimum staffing requirements…

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AHCA & CLA: High costs to comply with potential minimum staffing rule

September 20, 2023

Our Take: An analysis by CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), commissioned by AHCA, projects that a staffing minimum of 4.1 hours per resident per day will require SNFs to spend over $10 billion more annually. Providers…

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CMS issues proposed minimum staffing rule

September 1, 2023

Our Take: On September 1, 2023, CMS issued its first-ever proposed federal minimum nurse staffing rule for long-term care facilities, establishing thresholds of 0.55 hours per resident day (HPRD) for registered nurses and…

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OIG: Nursing homes reported widespread barriers to emergency preparedness

September 1, 2023

Our Take: A September 2023 HHS Office of Inspector General report found that 77% of nursing homes in high-risk natural disaster areas faced challenges with emergency preparedness activities. Staffing shortages were identified as…

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Study recommends adding measures of staffing instability to Care Compare

August 15, 2023

Our Take: A peer-reviewed study of 11,840 nursing homes found that staffing instability and staffing turnover are weakly correlated and independently associated with nursing home quality. Researchers recommend CMS add staffing instability as…

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Federal and state minimum staffing mandates create PBJ reporting and compliance pressures for skilled nursing operators

August 3, 2023

Our Take: Most SNFs fall below proposed staffing minimums, and operators must prepare for both Federal and state mandates. ▼ Meeting state minimums does not guarantee federal F725 compliance, meaning facilities must evaluate…

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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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