Stay ahead in your career by avoiding common pitfalls in PBJ reporting.

Here is a summary of the article "Avoid these ‘gotchas’ in PBJ reporting" by Don Feige:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has indicated that mandatory Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) submission will not be delayed, with the first submission due on November 14. To ensure compliance, skilled nursing facilities must navigate several complex rules and definitions outlined in the CMS PBJ Policy Manual. One of these "gotchas" is the "Midnight Split," which requires direct care hours to be recorded on the calendar day they occurred, even if a shift spans multiple days.

Another challenge is ensuring that staffing data includes pay type and job title for each employee, rather than just listing the employee's name. Facilities must also capture all direct care hours, including those provided by agency or contract staff, and use a reasonable, auditable methodology to calculate these hours. Tracking agency and contract hours can be particularly difficult, but options include obtaining data from vendors, capturing it in timekeeping systems, or using vendor management software.

To stay PBJ compliant while managing costs, facilities must evaluate their current systems and processes, make necessary changes, and potentially invest in workforce software that can create PBJ reports. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of staying on top of compliance deadlines, with key milestones including July 1 (start of data collection for 4th quarter reporting) and September 30 (last day of collecting 4th quarter reporting data).