CMS: Don’t wait on submitting staff data

Skilled nursing facilities should start submitting electronic staffing data as soon as possible for the best results, federal officials said during a September conference call.

Lorelei Chapman, a health insurance specialist with the Division of Nursing Homes, Survey & Certification Group, encouraged providers to use the voluntary submission period to test their data submission processes to prepare for the mandatory filing period, which begins July 1, 2016.

She clarified it’s acceptable if facilities submit partial data to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or cannot begin at this time.

To begin submitting data, providers should obtain a CMSNet user ID for the individual corporate and third party PBJ users. CMS noted many users may already have an ID for other applications or MDS submissions.

Those registering also have to obtain a PBJ QIES provider ID for CASPER Reporting and PBJ system access. PBJ training modules and registration instructions are available on QTSO e-University.