Last month we reported information on weekend staffing numbers being tracked by CMS through PBJ data. Many questions arose from this information. LeadingAge NY, who prepared the report for us asked CMS for clarification on how they are going to calculate low nurse staffing on the weekend. They suggested a methodology that would take into account case mix. The following was CMS’s response: “It is not risk-adjusted. We are simply flagging the bottom decile (10%) in each state for total reported weekend nurse staffing.”
LeadingAge NY ran the bottom 10% for average weekend nurse staffing, by state, which you can find here. The higher a provider is on the list, the lower their weekend nurse staffing. CMS will send these names to the states and states are expected to do weekend and off hour surveys for a portion of these providers. If you are on this list, it is advised to be prepared for a weekend or off hour survey when your next annual survey is due.
Several members contacted us that they were on the list and didn’t feel like their data should have been. These reports are run through publicly published data. If there is a discrepancy, we suggest checking your records to see what was submitted. You can update your information but there is a lag time before the correction will appear in a public format.