It’s been less than three years since our “Falling Stars” blog post announced that CMS Five-Star ratings were dropping industry-wide. Get ready — it’s about to happen again and at a larger scale. Read on to learn what CMS just changed and how you can take proactive measures to maximize … Read More
QIES maintenance right before PBJ deadline
CMS announced QIES will be down three consecutive weekends. This impacts both MDS and PBJ submissions and comes right before the Feb 14 PBJ deadline. The QIES maintenance will happen over the next three weekends: Friday, 1/25 (6 PM ET) – Sunday, 1/27 (6 PM ET) Sunday, 2/3 (6 AM-6 … Read More
Weekends are now made for PBJ
In its recent letter to State Survey directors, CMS announced an increased focus on nurse staffing levels and sharing of Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data with state survey agencies. States will be notified of underperforming facilities, for issues including: Facilities with “low” nurse staffing on weekends Facilities showing days without an … Read More
Meal breaks eating away at Star ratings
With the latest update to the PBJ Policy Manual, CMS makes very clear its rules on removing meal breaks from Payroll-Based Journal reports. Take note: ALWAYS remove 30 minutes for lunch in your PBJ reports. Even when your staff works through lunch, those 30 minutes CANNOT be reported. CMS explicitly details the PBJ meal … Read More
SimpleLTC parent company, Briggs Healthcare, acquires ezPBJ
Software acquisition simplifies PBJ compliance for skilled nursing providers and expands Briggs’ post-acute digital offerings WEST DES MOINES, IOWA, Aug. 1, 2018 – Today Briggs Healthcare announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ezPBJ. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Briggs, ezPBJ will continue to expand its software … Read More