Update on New Nursing Home Staffing Oversight Measure

In a memo released last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began informing state survey agencies of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) with potential staffing issues – specifically, facilities identified through Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) data that have significantly low nurse staffing levels on weekends. In response to LeadingAge NY questions, CMS clarified that they are flagging the bottom decile (10 percent) in each state based on total reported weekend nurse staffing.

LeadingAge NY analyzed PBJ data from the second quarter of 2018 to identify member facilities in the bottom decile. These members were notified via letter of the increased likelihood of a weekend survey so they can prepare.

We encourage members to be sure that PBJ data is accurate and submitted timely. If you would like assistance in reviewing or assessing your staffing patterns or to discuss survey preparation, please contact Mary Wassel, Director of ProCare, at mwassel@leadingageny.org.

Contact: Susan Chenail, schenail@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 116