In a new S&C memo, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that a public-use data file containing the raw data submitted to the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system will be available beginning November 1, 2017. The file will contain submitted staffing hours as well as daily resident census information. An updated Payroll-Based Journal Manual will be published in the next few days on the PBJ webpage, by October 1 at the latest. CMS notes that the PBJ data will eventually replace the CMS-671 form that is used during survey to capture recent staffing data.
The public use file will include:
- Facility-submitted data for the reporting period of calendar quarters 1 and 2, 2017 that were submitted by their respective deadlines for the file available November 1. CMS will post subsequent quarters of data as they become available.
- The total number of hours submitted for nursing services job categories for each day in the quarter.
- The facility’s census for each day in the quarter as calculated using minimum data set (MDS) submissions.
CMS indicates that the data posted on the Nursing Home Compare site and the data in this file are not expected to match, as they capture different periods of data (2-week look-back for NHC vs. daily for the PBJ data). The Agency notes that the public use data file may contain errors as providers work through the submission process and that this file should not be used to identify noncompliance issues by surveyors and other stakeholders.
As part of our “Ftag of the Week” blog series, CMSCG looked at Ftag 851 Payroll-Based Journal last week, which you can view here if you missed it. Additional information on the history of the PBJ and its requirements can be found on the CMSCG Blog by checking out the Payroll-Based Journal tag.
View the September 25, 2017 CMS S&C memo, “Electronic Staffing Submission – Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) Public Use File” (Ref: S&C: 17-45-NH) here.