Provider Says New PBJ System Access ‘Night and Day’ Improvement

The Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) transition to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) that went live on Aug. 17 is a “night and day” improvement as far as accessibility is concerned, says a leading provider.

John Seib, director of operations and systems implementation for Journey, speaking on PBJ said there have been challenges in meeting the new system, namely the requirement to create access in IQIES for individuals who had not previously been part of that system.

“But the first submission into IQIES will be for the fourth quarter and we are optimistic that this will be an upgrade overall,” he said.

Journey has used the Simple PBJ platform for most of its education. “They have done a great job keeping us informed of the new process and some of the problem areas that are normal with any roll out,” Seib said.

The new system, he noted, has been needed for a long time. “Submission through the QIES platform was not user-friendly and we are looking forward to the accessibility presented in the PBJ module in iQIES. I also anticipate a more responsive platform,” Seib said.

Reporting Remains Same

Amy Greer, director of quality innovations, Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, said the transition is primarily a system change to the PBJ process. “All other reporting requirements remain, and all quarterly deadlines are unchanged, but they are still firm on penalties for missed submissions, such as the staffing Star rating dropping to 1 for a quarter,” she said.

The main takeaway from the transition, Greer noted, is to ensure “whoever is responsible for submitting PBJ data has the correct access, whether it be a third-party vendor or an employee within your facility. They need to request iQIES access NOW in order to submit, and each facility’s Provider Security Official [PSO] should be ensuring the proper personnel have access to upload the data.”

The benefit from the switch to iQIES is “now all those main targeted reports for your facility are all accessible in one area, and it should reduce any risk of missed deadlines as many facilities are used to pulling CMS reports in the iQIES site.”

Access a Strong Point

On the issue of access, Seib said since CMS chose to roll out the platform midway through the quarter and after all submissions for the prior quarter were final, the timing allowed for “plenty of time to manage any access issues and stay current with reporting obligations. We are also months away from next submission deadline which will allow for any unforeseen issues.”

He said “the accessibility in this system is night and day with the old system. I look forward to having more real-time access to data to drive processes and care for our staff and residents.”

Sector Focus

When the transition neared, the following benefits of iQIES for PBJ were mentioned by sector experts:

Key Benefits of iQIES for PBJ

• Single system access for PBJ submission and reporting

• Access to iQIES anywhere within the United States

• Tips and guidance within iQIES to assist with uploading PBJ files and accessing reports

• Familiar submission process, with file uploads similar to QIES

What Providers and Vendors Should Expect

• Beginning Aug. 17, PBJ submissions for Quarter 4 must be submitted through iQIES.

• PBJ submissions for Quarter 4 will not be accepted in QIES or iQIES from July 1, through Aug. 16.

QIES / iQIES Report Information

• Beginning Aug. 17, users will be able to access and run PBJ reports in iQIES.

• Ten years of PBJ data will be migrated into iQIES, allowing users to run reports for both QIES and iQIES submissions (except the Submitter Final Validation Report).

• CMS has provided a list of PBJ reports available in iQIES, including corresponding CASPER and iQIES report names and any differences users should be aware of.

• Following migration, PBJ reports in the CASPER application will be decommissioned, with two exceptions for a limited time:

- System-generated final validation reports for submissions completed in QIES

- User-requested PBJ Submitter Final Validation Report

Comments? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.