Valentine's Day is Also PBJ Day
With the deadline for submitting staffing data through the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system approaching, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is encouraging homes to submit early to avoid system delays. Heavy use of the system near last quarter’s deadline slowed it down considerably, resulting in a frustratingly slow upload process. Feb. 14, 2017 is the deadline for submitting data for the quarter covering Oct. 1st through Dec. 31, 2016. PBJ submissions are mandatory for all nursing homes. They may be made at intervals chosen by the home, but all quarterly data must be in by 45 days after the quarter ends.
CMS has added an indicator to the Nursing Home Compare website that shows whether a facility has complied with the PBJ reporting requirement. If the indicator is green, the facility has submitted data through PBJ. If the indicator is gray, the facility has not submitted any data through PBJ.
Both the PBJ Policy Manual and the PBJ FAQ document have been updated since the November submission cycle, with changes shown in red. The PBJ website is here. CMS fields PBJ policy questions at NHstaffing@cms.hhs.gov, while technical questions should be addressed to NursingHomePBJTechIssues@cms.hhs.gov.
Contact: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8841