As a Skilled Nursing Facility or care provider, it’s important that you meet government deadlines. If you file required reports late, you are subject to additional fines. Add these important dates to your calendar.
Staffing Data Submission Payroll Based Journal (PBJ)
Staffing is a vital component of a nursing home’s ability to provide quality care according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS utilizes staffing data in an effort to accurately and effectively gauge its impact on the quality of care in nursing homes. CMS uses staffing information on the CMS Care Compare website and it is used in the Nursing Home Five Star Quality Rating System to help consumers understand the level and differences of staffing in nursing homes.
Section 6106 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires facilities to electronically submit direct care staffing information (including agency and contract staff) based on payroll and other auditable data. The data is combined with census information and is used to report the level of staff in each nursing home, employee turnover, and employee tenure, which can impact the quality of care delivered.
CMS requires Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) to submit staffing information through a Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) report.
What happens if quality data isn’t reported?
Facilities that do not meet these requirements will be considered non-compliant and subject to enforcement actions by CMS.
While SNFs are allowed up to 45 days to submit reports for the previous quarter, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) strongly encourages submitting quality data prior to the deadline to ensure the data are complete and accurate and to allow SNF providers an opportunity to address any submission issues.
Who can see the reported data?
CMS uses staffing data to report a rating on the Care Compare website. To ensure the accuracy of this publicly reported data, CMS gives SNFs the opportunity to validate the report before it is considered finalized to CMS.
When are the reports due?
SNF QRP submissions must be received by the end of the 45th calendar day (11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time) after the last day in each fiscal quarter to be considered timely.
Please note, that once the final data file is uploaded, the facility must check its Final File Validation Report to verify that the data was successfully submitted. It may take up to 24 hours to receive the validation report, so facilities should submit reports prior to the deadline to allow time to correct any errors and resubmit, if necessary. The PBJ system will not accept any submissions after the deadline.
Below are the deadlines for each reporting period:
| FISCAL QUARTER | REPORTING PERIOD | DUE DATE |
| 1 | October 1 –December 31 | February 14 |
| 2 | January 1 –March 31 | May 15 |
| 3 | April 1 –June 30 | August 14 |
| 4 | July 1 –September 30 | November 14 |
Learn more about the CMS PBJ reports:
Never miss a deadline again.
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