PBJ 2.0 and Nursing Home Compare

Here it is February, 2017 and the second mandatory reporting date for Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) data is almost upon us. Skilled Nursing Facilities have until February 14, 2017 to submit their staffing data covering the period Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2016 (facilities must electronically submit their data within 45 days of the end of the reporting period). If you haven’t already, work toward submitting your data regularly in advance of the deadline and then check in the Casper system to make sure that your submissions were accepted.  OnShift is here to help if you need help with the submission process.

If you haven’t recently looked at your facility’s information as reported on the CMS website, Nursing Home Compare, you should do so. On the website, you will now see an icon beside your facility name. The color of the icon indicates if your facility electronically submitted the required PBJ staffing data during the first reporting period (July 1 – Sept. 30, 2016).  A green icon means that the information was submitted. A gray icon means that information was not submitted. Here’s what the icons look like:

If you hover your cursor over the icon it displays the following information:

“This nursing home participates (or, if gray, doesn’t yet participate) in the Payroll-based Staffing Reporting program run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This new staffing program will be on Nursing Home Compare by early 2018. The program aims to improve the accuracy and timeliness of the staffing data.”

This information can be easily accessed by potential and current residents, their family members, HMO’s, ACA’s, etc., so it is in your best interest to have registered and be submitting the data. In addition, participation in PBJ is a requirement of participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and facilities that fail to submit data are subject to penalties. 

CMS also indicates that they will be publishing the submitted staffing data for each facility early next year. This will include staffing hours and tenure (staff retention and turnover percentages) so you want to make sure that the information you are submitting is accurate and thorough.

To put your best foot forward, manage your staffing hours daily. This will help you meet your budget requirements and ensure you’re in compliance with CMS’ staffing requirements. Also, consider implementing processes to engage and retain your staff to provide great care and achieve a competitive advantage. OnShift’s Schedule and Engage software can help you to achieve both goals. Ask us to show you how.