A recent report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) calls for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to strengthen oversight of nursing home staffing levels, particularly facilities failing to meet the eight-hour RN requirement. However, CMS responded that additional analysis and reporting would be too burdensome for state surveyors.
While CMS acknowledged potential for increased citations, it emphasized recent updates already made to improve the use of Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data. The debate highlights the tension between regulatory enforcement and resource constraints.
Ohio was among the states with a higher rate of flagged facilities, though CMS says further training may result in more citations moving forward.