Posted by
Viventium
| January 25, 2021
After last year, I think I’m far from the only one happily welcoming in 2021. Often times that means reflecting on what we did right in 2020, but also what we may have looked over and need to focus our efforts on in 2021. As a Skilled Nursing Facility, you may want to add PBJ to the list to ensure you remain in compliance this year. Now, if you’re wondering why a payroll software company is writing about PBJ, believe me, as much as I love peanut butter and jelly, I’m not referring to the sandwich. In the administrative departments of skilled nursing facilities, PBJ takes on a whole other meaning – which you may know all too well – especially now, when we are still recovering from year-end, as the upcoming filing deadline for the quarter that ended on December 31, 2020, is February 14, 2021.
This information is for educational purposes only, and not to provide specific legal advice. This may not reflect the most recent developments in the law and may not be applicable to a particular situation or jurisdiction.
What is a PBJ, and What Are PBJ Reporting Requirements?
PBJ stands for payroll-based journal, an electronic report that was mandated in July 2016 for all nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The report contains the number of hours every staff member worked for each day of the quarter, including the job title code for each hour worked. Reports must be submitted on a quarterly basis to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).What’s the Point?
CMS has a rating system for long-term care facilities to give the public an easy way to access information when they are looking for a facility for themselves or a loved one. The rating system also allows for easy comparison between facilities during consideration. There are 3 areas each facility is graded on – health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. These qualities combined result in an overall rating for the facility. The staffing rating is particularly based on PBJ reporting, so it’s essential that skilled nursing facilities have complete and accurate reporting so they can hopefully have the best rating possible. As you can see, understanding payroll-based journal reporting is a big deal, especially now, after CMS upended the staff star rating calculations as a result of COVID-19. Getting it done can be a challenge, as identifying mission-critical steps to achieve compliance can be daunting and time-consuming. Skilled nursing facilities not only have to record accurate timekeeping but also ensure detailed recordkeeping, and the ability to produce compliant, XML formatted files are a must.How Can Viventium Help?
While PBJ reporting can be difficult, it doesn’t have to be. Partnering with a provider who has the right technology and expertise is key. A robust business intelligence software tool – like Viventium’s – will be able to track anything that you get asked to present. Our BI tool can help provide you insights on any aspect of your payroll and employee data, such as your facility’s direct care staff hours or figures for any facility or contract staff that were hired for direct care from outside your organization. With Viventium’s custom reporting, you’ll be able to include data from every direct care worker, including hours worked by Job Title Code, the dates each employee worked, whether they are exempt, non-exempt, or contract, and the number of hours worked on that day. With just the click of a button, you’ll be able to create your PBJ (again, not the sandwich) report in a matter of minutes so you can get back to what’s most important. To learn more about Viventium’s Business Intelligence software or the other HCM software solutions we provide for skilled nursing facilities, visit our Business Intelligence or Skilled Nursing pages.This information is for educational purposes only, and not to provide specific legal advice. This may not reflect the most recent developments in the law and may not be applicable to a particular situation or jurisdiction.