PBJ reporting without the headache.
Turn payroll and time data from any system into a validated, CMS-ready Payroll-Based Journal file. Fix issues before CMS sees them, then download and submit.
- 4×PBJ files due every year, each 45 days after the quarter closes.
- 92days of hours and census to reconcile in a single quarter.
- 1rejected or late file can lower your Staffing Five-Star rating.
From payroll export to CMS-ready file in four steps.
Bring hours from any time clock or payroll system. PBJ Ready handles the mapping, the checks and the file.
- 01
Import
Upload payroll and time exports from any system, with census and agency hours alongside.
- 02
Map once
AI suggests the CMS labor code for every job title and pay type, with a confidence score. Approve once and every quarter reuses it.
- 03
Validate
Every hour and census day is checked against CMS rules. PBJ Ready's AI Assistant explains each issue and suggests the fix.
- 04
Download & submit
Download the XML and upload it to CMS, or on the Pro plan our team submits it. Add the CMS validation report to close the quarter.
Catch audit triggers before CMS does.
Every file is checked against CMS rules before it leaves the building. PBJ Ready's AI Assistant explains each issue and suggests the fix, and every change is logged, so you have an audit trail if anyone asks.
Shifts split at midnight
PBJ counts hours by calendar day. AI spots overnight shifts and splits them at midnight, so every hour lands on the right date.
CMS rules, built in
- HRS_20 · Staff over 20 hours in a day
- Staff over 22.5 hours in a day (fatal)
- NMB-8 · No meal break over 8 hours
- RN hours less than 8 a day
- No RN hours (job codes 5–7)
- Jobs not mapped to CMS (1–40)
- NO_ROSTER · Missing hire dates
AI mapping
AI reads your job titles and pay types and maps them to CMS labor codes automatically. Our PBJ team reviews anything it isn't sure of, then the mapping is reused every quarter.
Audit trail
Every change records who made it, when, and why.
Every quarter, filed
XML files and CMS validation reports are kept together by quarter.
See your Staffing rating before it's published.
AI projects your Staffing Five-Star rating from the quarter you're working on and recommends the staffing changes that would move it. Look up your facility to start from its latest CMS figures, then move the sliders.
- Daily HPRD and RN coverage as the quarter runs
- Turnover tracked from payroll data
- Plan schedules around the projected result
Every building, one deadline view.
Operators see status, open issues and projected ratings for every facility. Each building keeps its own job and pay-type map, so one site's titles never overwrite another's. Blank file templates are shared, which means a new building starts from formats your team already uses.
| Facility | Status | Predicted |
|---|---|---|
| Maple Grove Care Center | Ready to convert | 4 ★ stars |
| Riverside Health & Rehab | 2 fatal | 3 ★ stars |
| Cedar Hills Nursing | Submitted | 5 ★ stars |
| Oak Park Senior Living | Ready to convert | 4 ★ stars |
| Lakeview Manor | Not started | 3 ★ stars |
| Willow Creek Care | 1 fatal | 4 ★ stars |
| Brookside Rehab Center | Ready to convert | 4 ★ stars |
Built for PBJ, not bolted on.
Drag to compare the same quarter in a spreadsheet and in PBJ Ready.
- 01 · BEFORERebuild the spreadsheet every quarterAFTERImport from any payroll system
- 02 · BEFOREMap job codes by hand each timeAFTERMapped once, reused every quarter
- 03 · BEFOREFind errors after CMS rejects the fileAFTERChecked before you submit
- 04 · BEFOREReports scattered across inboxesAFTEREvery file kept with its quarter
Choose how much we take off your plate.
Every plan includes validation and a submission-ready XML file. Each tier adds to the one before it.
Essentials
We give you back a validated, submission-ready file, plus a dashboard that shows how staffing is tracking before the quarter closes. You upload it to CMS.
- Import from any time clock or payroll
- Job-code mapping, saved every quarter
- Validation against CMS rules
- Submission-ready XML download
- CMS reports stored by quarter
- Daily HPRD and RN coverage
- Projected Staffing Five-Star rating
- What-if planning
- Multi-facility overview
Pro
AI validation checks every file, as in Essentials. Pro adds AI analytics across your quarters and facilities. A named PBJ specialist works from the findings and submits to CMS for you.
- Everything in Essentials, plus:
- Quarterly submission by our team
- AI analytics that flag staffing trends and anomalies across quarters and facilities
- Specialist review of AI findings before each deadline
- CMS reports retrieved and filed
- Audit support: we are your point of contact with CMS and auditors
- Audit trail managed and kept ready
- A named PBJ specialist
| Compare plans | Essentials | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Import from any payroll or time system | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| Validation against CMS rules | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| Submission-ready XML file | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| CMS reports stored by quarter | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| Staffing dashboard and HPRD | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| Projected Five-Star rating | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| Multi-facility overview | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| AI analytics across quarters and facilities | —Not included | ✓Included |
| Submission to CMS by our team | —Not included | ✓Included |
| Audit support and liaison | —Not included | ✓Included |
| Audit trail managed for you | —Not included | ✓Included |
| Named PBJ specialist | —Not included | ✓Included |
Questions
Which time clock or payroll systems does it work with?
Any system that can export hours. Upload your payroll or time data, map it once for each facility, and reuse that mapping every quarter. Agency and contract staff can be added from a CSV or entered by hand.
Does it submit directly to CMS?
No. PBJ Ready produces a submission-ready XML file. Download it and upload it to CMS yourself, or choose the Pro plan and our team submits it for you.
What happens with the CMS validation report?
Download it from CMS after submitting and upload it to PBJ Ready. It is stored with that quarter alongside the XML file.
How are job titles mapped to CMS codes?
AI suggests the CMS labor category for each job title and pay type, and you approve it. The mapping is saved for that facility and reused every quarter.
What about shifts that cross midnight?
They are split at midnight automatically, so hours land on the correct PBJ day.
What happens if we are audited?
On the Pro plan, our team acts as your go-between. We respond to CMS and auditors, provide the audit trail for every change, and resolve issues on your behalf. On Essentials, the full audit trail is available for you to export.
How is AI used, and who checks it?
AI finds the right columns in your exports, suggests CMS job-code mappings and explains validation issues. Every suggestion shows a confidence score, low-confidence matches are reviewed by a person, and nothing is submitted without approval.
How long does setup take?
Most facilities finish mapping and run their first validation in a single session with our team.
Make this quarter's submission the easy one.
See PBJ Ready running on your own payroll data in a 30-minute demo.