Smartlinx

What Is Smartlinx?

Smartlinx is a cloud-based workforce management software built for senior care and healthcare staffing organizations. The platform brings scheduling, time and attendance, payroll, HR, recruiting, and workforce analytics into one system. Its healthcare-specific tools include PBJ reporting and the CMS Five-Star Predictor, which connects staffing decisions with regulatory reporting.

It also covers agency and vendor staff management. This gives senior care providers and healthcare staffing organizations one place to manage both permanent and contingent workers.

What Is Smartlinx Best For?

One of Smartlinx’s standout features is its ‘Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) Reporting’. It collects staffing data for employees, agency workers, and contractors, then checks the data against CMS rules. The system prepares the required XML file and flags issues such as missing hire dates, incorrect shift times, or formatting errors before submission. This also lets facilities keep timesheets and past submissions in one place for quarterly reporting and CMS audits.

How Much Does Smartlinx Cost?

Smartlinx pricing is estimated to start at $3/user/month for the basic plan. The final cost may vary based on the selected modules and organization requirements.

Users may also need to budget for the following costs beyond the subscription fee:

• Implementation / Onboarding: $1,000 – $5,000 (one-time/facility)
• Biometric Time Clock Hardware: $300 – $900/unit
• Add-On Modules: $2 – $5/employee/month/module

Disclaimer: Pricing references are based on publicly available third-party information and industry benchmarks. Actual costs may vary.

Smartlinx Integrations

Smartlinx supports integration with Rain platform

How Does Smartlinx Work?

Once you've logged in using your credentials, follow these steps to manage workforce activities:

• Configure your workforce setup according to the organizational needs
• Create staff schedules based on shift requirements, credentials, and labor regulations
• Track time and attendance through clock-ins, including mobile access via the ‘Smartlinx Go’ app
• Manage payroll using recorded work hours and pay data.
• Generate ‘Payroll-Based Journal Reporting’ files and check projected ratings in the ‘CMS Five-Star Predictor’
• Manage contingent and agency staff through ‘Vendor Management’
• Review workforce analytics to track labor costs and staffing trends across facilities

Who Is Smartlinx For?

Smartlinx is designed for senior care settings and healthcare workforce providers, including:

• Skilled nursing
• Assisted living
• Senior living
• Continuing care
• Post-acute care
• Healthcare staffing agencies
• Managed service providers

Smartlinx Use Cases

Based on our analysis of user reviews and existing Smartlinx features, we have identified key scenarios where this software is a suitable option:

Senior Care Providers Managing Multiple Facilities

As senior care providers expand across locations, comparing staffing activity can become challenging when each facility works from separate reports. Smartlinx offers ‘Workforce Analytics’ to show staffing levels, overtime, labor costs, and coverage across facilities in one view. This gives management a clearer picture of workforce performance across the business.

Skilled Nursing Facilities Meeting PBJ Requirements

Smartlinx fits skilled nursing facilities that need a more structured way to prepare quarterly PBJ submissions. Its ‘Payroll-Based Journal Reporting’ checks staffing data against CMS rules and prepares it for submission. Reviewers also highlight the CMS PBJ reporting capability as very helpful.

Facilities Working With Contingent and Agency Staff

Facilities can use Smartlinx to coordinate contingent and agency staff alongside their internal teams. It supports this setup by bringing external workers into the same staffing process. This use case suits facilities that regularly rely on outside staff to cover workforce needs.

Healthcare Staffing Agencies Coordinating Client Assignments

Smartlinx supports healthcare staffing agencies that place workers across several client facilities. With ‘Agency Staff Management’, agencies can match qualified staff to open shifts and connect assignment activity with payroll and billing. This suits teams handling frequent placements across multiple clients.

Is Smartlinx Right For You

Smartlinx is a suitable option for skilled nursing, assisted living, and senior care providers that need workforce management across one or several locations. As these providers grow, the platform can apply location-specific labor policies and give managers a broader view of labor costs across facilities.

That multi-location setup also increases the need for consistent compliance processes. ‘Intelligent Compliance’ tracks workforce policy issues across locations, and ‘ACA Director’ handles eligibility tracking and ACA reporting, such as Forms 1094-C and 1095-C.

In the same way, protecting employee records, payroll data, and workforce information becomes more important as these records are handled in one system. Smartlinx uses ‘Next-Generation Security’ for this purpose. It follows the SOC 2 framework, runs on Microsoft Azure infrastructure, and uses multi-factor authentication, SSO, access controls, data encryption, and regular penetration testing.

This focus on compliance remains relevant as CMS updates its reporting process. Since August 17, 2026, CMS has moved PBJ reporting from the old QIES system to iQIES. It requires skilled nursing facilities to submit their staffing reports through the new system. Smartlinx supports this transition by updating its PBJ guidance and continuing to prepare and validate staffing data for submission.

The platform gained recognition in 2025 when its StafferLinkVMS was named the top healthcare-specific Vendor Management System in Staffing Industry Analysts' 2025 report.

Still deciding if Smartlinx is the right system for your facility? Call us at (661) 384-7070 and we'll help you figure out if it's fit.