CMS has issued a waiver for PBJ Reporting this quarter (Jan. 1 – Mar. 31 staffing data due May 15) to provide relief to facilities during the COVID-19 crisis. The waiver reads:

“Staffing Data Submission: CMS is waiving 42 CFR 483.70(q) to provide relief to long term care facilities on the requirements for submitting staffing data through the Payroll-Based Journal system.”

You can read the full alert containing the PBJ waiver here (the PBJ waiver is one paragraph on page 2 listed as Staffing Data Submission).

What does this mean?  Do I have to submit PBJ reporting this quarter?

You are not required to submit staffing data for PBJ this quarter (Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, due May 15).

What don't we know yet?

Because the CMS announcement is so brief, there are still questions left unanswered regarding PBJ processes. For example:

• • Can / should a facility voluntarily submit PBJ data for this quarter?
  • How will CMS calculate the Five-Star Staffing rating for this quarter?
  • Will facilities need to submit staffing data for next quarter (Apr. 1 – June 30)?

ezPBJ has reached out to CMS for further details. CMS has told us that it expects to post additional guidance in the near future. We will share the answers as soon as we receive them.

So, should I still work on PBJ this quarter?

Bottom line: You don’t have to submit PBJ this quarter. Are there situations where it might still benefit you? Perhaps.

• If you are unhappy with — or unsure of — your projected Five-Star Staffing rating for the previous quarter, working on your PBJ data now means you will be ready should CMS decide it will allow facilities to submit their data this quarter for use in the Five-Star Staffing calculation.
• If CMS decides to collect this quarter’s data at a later point in time, working on your PBJ now means you will be ahead of the game.

About SimplePBJ

SimplePBJ is your one-stop shop for Payroll-Based Journal compliance – allowing you to assemble PBJ reports from all staffing data sources, identify and fix errors, submit PBJ reports to CMS, and predict your expected Five-Star Staffing rating.