PBJ Coming to Five-Star in April

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted notice that it will use the 2017 Q4 Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data to replace the existing staffing measures posted on the Nursing Home Compare website. 2017 Q4 submissions are due on Feb. 14, 2018. CMS is planning to introduce PBJ-based staffing measures in April 2018. Together with ezPBJ, LeadingAge NY will be providing an audio conference on this issue once more definitive information is obtained. More details on this will be provided next month.

The initial data from one quarter will be reported. Data from other quarters may be added later; however, CMS has not given a timeline. There is discussion about discontinuing the 671 around the same time. LeadingAge NY will report any updates as they arise.

Overall, 95 percent of nursing homes in the country submitted data for 2017 Q3. CMS states that the number of nursing homes submitting data has increased steadily from the initial submission period in 2016.

Contact: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8841