What are best practices for completing the occupational mix survey?
The best practice a hospital can use is starting the process early. With proper planning and coordination, a hospital can successfully navigate the Occupational Mix Survey submission. In addition to planning, here are a few approaches that can assist hospitals:
Engage key stakeholders early
Coordinate and communicate with human resources, payroll, nursing leadership, and IT teams from the beginning. Clearly identify the information needed, explain that it’s required for federal reporting, and emphasize that accurate data impacts federal funding.
Assess and update job titles and descriptions
Work with HR and payroll leaders to review the full list of employee job titles and descriptions, focusing on primary and secondary duties within the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ SOCs and occupational mix categories required for the survey. Produce a preliminary list of any new positions that have been added since the prior reporting period.
Align payroll codes with SOCs
Update job descriptions and payroll codes to match the BLS SOC codes as closely as possible. If exact matches aren’t feasible, develop a cross-reference document that clearly maps your hospital’s internal codes to the appropriate SOCs to streamline reporting and review.
Review earnings codes and payroll data
Examine all earning codes and definitions within your payroll system, including shift differentials, overtime, holiday pay, and paid time off. Review current-year payroll files and compare them to those from three years ago, keeping in mind that the last survey period included the Public Health Emergency, which affected staffing and payroll differently.
Identify eligible staff and exclude non-eligible employees
Ensure that all eligible staff — full-time, part-time, employees, and contracted workers — are included in the survey. Pay close attention to the survey’s definitions and instructions to exclude any non-eligible personnel accurately.
Compile contract labor information
Gather and organize documentation for all contract labor agreements relevant to the occupational mix categories, such as RNs, LPNs, CNAs, aides, and orderlies. Prepare schedules from both the prior report and the current period to ensure completeness.
Calculate average hourly wage tests
Produce or compute an average hourly wage test for the current period. This can help identify which payroll data is allowable and which should be excluded from the survey.
Account for home office and related organization employees
Prepare an updated list of employees from your health system’s home office or related organizations who provide services to the hospital and may be allocated through Home Office Cost Reporting guidelines.
Review prior surveys and audit adjustments
Analyze previous OMS submissions and any audit adjustments to identify trends or necessary changes that can improve accuracy in the current reporting cycle.
Maintain thorough documentation
Throughout the process, keep organized and accessible records of all resources, data sources, and decisions made. This documentation will be invaluable for internal reviews and potential audits.
