What is PBJ?

PBJ (Payroll-Based Journal) is the federal reporting system that tracks staffing in U.S. nursing homes. Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities must submit quarterly payroll-based data showing who worked, in what role, and for how many hours. The dataset is public and covers more than 15,000 facilities nationwide.

Why does it matter?

Staffing levels are one of the strongest predictors of nursing home quality. More staff per resident generally means more time for care.

What is HPRD?

HPRD (hours per resident day) is the standard metric. It answers: On average, how many hours of nursing staff time did each resident get per day? For example, 4.0 HPRD means each resident had the equivalent of 4 hours of nursing care per day. Higher numbers usually mean more staffing; benchmarks often cite 3.5 or 4.1 HPRD as a recommended minimum for direct care.

Key positions in PBJ

PBJ tracks several nursing roles:

• RN — Registered nurses; includes administrative and direct-care hours.
• LPN/LVN — Licensed practical or vocational nurses.
• Nurse Aides — Certified nurse assistants and aides; hands-on daily care.

PBJ also records non-nursing roles (administrators, medical directors, therapists, dietary, housekeeping, etc.) and whether hours are from facility employees or contract staff.

What PBJ doesn't tell you

PBJ reports paid staffing hours only. It doesn't include wages, volunteer time, resident complexity, or overall care quality. It shows staffing levels — not care outcomes.

More hours doesn't necessarily mean better care. PBJ doesn't tell you how skilled or experienced the staff are, only how many hours were reported. Staffing can vary significantly by shift and by day. Facilities can also make reporting mistakes, so the data may not be perfect. Use PBJ alongside other information about a facility when making decisions.