Importance Of The Human Touch

Ask the payment expert …. about the total nurse staffing measure

Nov 11, 2022

Q: What is the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Payment Total Nurse Staffing Measure?
A: The Total Nursing Hours Per Resident Day Measure uses auditable electronic data reported to the Payroll-Based Journal system to calculate total nursing hours per resident day. It is one of two new measures that will begin affecting payments in the FY 2026 SNF VBP program year, the other being SNF Healthcare Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization.

States get needed nurse aide waiver relief but workers’ fates uncertain

Oct 7, 2022

Skilled nursing providers in at least 15 states averted the loss of thousands of frontline workers Thursday, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services let expire a blanket national waiver allowing the use of non-certified nurse aides. Those states had been awarded new waivers through an application process, meaning they demonstrated testing backlogs or other delays that kept providers from converting a large share of temporary nurse aides into permanent certified nurse assistants.

CMS offers leniency to Kronos users impacted by ransomware attack

Feb 3, 2022

Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG), a software used by SNFs for PBJ submission, was the victim of a ransomware attack on December 11, 2021. CMS announced it will not downgrade affected facilities that miss the February 14, 2022 PBJ submission deadline or submit incomplete information.

Impacted Kronos users need to contact CMS by March 1, 2022 with specific requested information as noted in the CMS memo below.

5 Star, QMs, and PBJ Data Updates

Jul 27, 2021

5 Star, QM’s and PBJ data updates have been released. Last week, we shared that QRP’s were released for review. All are critical reporting which impacts our 2022 FY reimbursement and our publicly displayed information on Care Compare. There are a few small windows of time for review and correction if needed.

Tips for the PBJ pro — Top 5 PBJ Mistakes

Jan 13, 2021

We’re often asked, “What are the biggest mistakes facilities make when completing their PBJ reports?”

Here are the top 5 — based on thousands of facility implementations, consultations, and audit reviews.

Cutting through the COVID staffing star confusion

Oct 14, 2020

COVID-19 has dominated the news — and the senior care industry. Over the past few months, CMS has issued waivers, updated waivers, and repealed waivers. Amidst this COVID chaos is confusion over what PBJ Staffing data is currently posted on Nursing Home Compare. Is it Q1?…Q2? When do you see Q3? What about Q4?

CMS UPDATE: Q2 2020 optional PBJ data due November 14

Sep 23, 2020

CMS has announced that Q2 2020 data (January 1 – March 31) is due no later than November 14. The alert was posted on the CMS PBJ portal and reads:

New Q2 Deadline: CMS has established November 14, 2020 as the new deadline for the Q2 2020 data.

CMS announces end of emergency blanket data waiver for nursing homes

Jun 30, 2020

Federal officials said Friday that they are ending an emergency blanket waiver intended to reduce administrative burden on nursing homes amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) said that effective August 14, nursing homes nationwide will again be required to submit staffing data through the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system, which allows the agency to collect “staffing information which impacts the quality of care residents receive,” CMS said in a press release.

Things to remember when submitting PBJ data

Apr 23, 2020

CMS will provide further information as soon as possible but are encouraging facilities to still report data as they are able. There will be no penalties or negative impacts to staffing ratings for not submitting by May 15.

As facilities work to gather the necessary information, here are some reminders to help perform a successful submission:

Top 9 Things to Remember About PBJ

Feb 5, 2020

Accurate PBJ reporting can impact your Five-Star rating, referral patterns, census stability and overall long-term viability.

PBJ update: Goodbye, self-reported census!

Jan 17, 2020

When CMS first implemented PBJ, facilities self-reported their census data for Five-Star staffing calculations. Since April 2018, CMS has automatically calculated the census instead. While facilities could still report their census, CMS did not use the data in its Five-Star staffing calculations.

A January 9 update to PBJ Data Submission Specifications now states CMS will no longer accept any census data in PBJ file submissions.

PBJ audits: Why me?

Oct 22, 2019

We often get asked the “Why Me?” question when a facility gets audited. Unfortunately, there’s very little disclosure from CMS on the triggers and reasons for PBJ audits. Even the associations are unable to learn much about PBJ audits.