The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has ended an emergency waiver and is requiring nursing homes to submit staffing data through the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system by Aug. 14, according to a memo released by the agency in late June.
Also, on July 29, staffing measures and star ratings will be held constant and be based on data submitted by Dec. 31, 2019, the memo said. The systems are used for the consumer-facing Nursing Home Compare website and Five-Star Quality Rating System.
Moreover, CMS said that it will remove a one-star staffing downgrade for applicable facilities; those facilities will have their measures and ratings temporarily suppressed.
Those facilities “now will not have the opportunity to correct and improve their staffing rating since the ratings will be held constant,” CMS said.
From the July/August 2020 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
