Nursing Home PBJ Data Due May 15th
Nursing homes must finalize their Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data reporting covering Jan. 1st through March 31, 2024 by May 15th. We remind members that in addition to informing the Five-Star rating system, PBJ data are used to monitor compliance with State staffing level requirements. We urge members to double-check that discharge assessments are being filed in a timely manner to ensure that the Minimum Data Set (MDS)-based daily census that is used in computing staffing levels is not overstated. An overstated census artificially decreases staffing levels, putting a facility at risk of a lower star rating and potentially causing it to be out of compliance with staffing requirements. Questionable data also increase the likelihood of a PBJ audit.
We remind members that as of April 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has changed how missing data are considered when calculating staff turnover. The new approach will have a lasting negative impact on a facility’s Five-Star calculation if data are not submitted. Providers will receive the lowest possible score on their staffing turnover measures if data for one of the six quarters used in the calculation are missing.
The PBJ Policy Manual, along with related resources including a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), can be downloaded at the bottom of the dedicated CMS PBJ webpage here. Information from CMS describing the various PBJ reports that providers may access, including general and detailed MDS census reports that should be used to verify that discharged residents are not reflected in the census, is available here. Providers are urged to submit data and run and review the various reports with sufficient time to make any necessary corrections prior to the final May 15th due date.
Contact: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8841