What was the most common nursing home citation in this report?

F0880 was the most common citation in this report, appearing 24,296 times in the latest CMS data used for this article.

What does actual harm or immediate jeopardy mean?

These are the most serious CMS severity levels. They mean inspectors found that a violation harmed a resident or created an immediate threat to resident health or safety.

How can I check a nursing home inspection report?

Search the facility by name, city, or ZIP and compare its inspection history, deficiency citations, and safety signals before making a care decision.

Top 10 Nursing Home Deficiencies and Citations (May 2026 CMS Data)

Q: What is an F-tag in a nursing home?

An F-tag is the federal code inspectors assign when a nursing home violates a specific CMS care standard. Each tag represents a different issue, such as infection control, resident rights, or accident prevention.

Key Takeaways

F0880 infection control violations were found at 81.1% of nursing homes, making it the most common citation type
F0689 violations were more likely to cause actual harm to residents, affecting safety in 7,221 out of 21,911 cases
Most common violations (like F0880 and F0812) rarely resulted in actual harm to residents, with harm rates below 2%
Families should focus on violations that caused actual harm and whether facilities promptly corrected problems
With 628,761 total citations across 14,696 facilities, some violations are nearly universal and may reflect industry-wide operational challenges

Federal inspectors issued 628,761 citations to 14,696 nursing homes across the country as of April 2026, according to the latest data from CMS Nursing Home Compare. These citations represent violations of federal health and safety standards that facilities must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The most common violation was F0880, an infection prevention and control deficiency that appeared at 81.1% of all nursing homes. This single violation type accounted for 24,296 citations across 11,916 facilities. Understanding these common deficiencies can help families know what to look for when researching nursing home quality.

What is an F-tag in a nursing home?

An F-tag is a specific code that identifies different federal regulations nursing homes must follow. Each F-tag corresponds to a particular health, safety, or quality standard. When inspectors find a facility isn't meeting a standard, they issue a citation using the relevant F-tag code. For example, F0880 covers infection prevention and control requirements.

The "F" prefix indicates health-related deficiencies, while "K" tags typically relate to fire safety and life safety standards. In fact, about one in four citations nationally is a building or life-safety issue rather than a care problem — one reason the raw violation count can mislead. Facilities can receive multiple citations for the same F-tag if inspectors find the violation in different areas or during different inspection visits.

The Most Common Violations

Infection control problems (F0880) topped the list with 24,296 citations affecting 11,916 facilities. While common, most of these violations (23,957 cases) did not cause actual harm to residents, though 339 cases did result in actual harm or jeopardy to resident health and safety.

The second most frequent violation was F0689, which received 21,911 citations across 10,134 facilities, affecting 69% of all nursing homes. This deficiency resulted in actual harm or jeopardy in 7,221 cases, making it significantly more serious than the top violation despite being less common.

F0812 rounded out the top three with 20,409 citations at 11,115 facilities (75.6% of homes). Like F0880, this violation rarely caused actual harm, with only 77 cases resulting in harm or jeopardy to residents.

Understanding Severity Levels

Not all citations carry the same level of concern for families. The "actual harm or jeopardy" column shows which violations most often put residents at serious risk. F0689 stands out with 7,221 harm cases out of 21,911 total citations—meaning roughly one in three instances of this violation caused actual problems for residents.

In contrast, some common violations like K0353 (16,104 citations) and F0761 (13,856 citations) rarely resulted in actual harm, with only 11 and 18 harm cases respectively. Fire safety violation K0918 appeared in 51% of facilities but caused harm in just 8 instances.

How to read a nursing home inspection report

When reviewing a facility's inspection report, look for the F-tag codes and their descriptions. Pay attention to the "scope and severity" rating, which indicates how widespread the problem was and whether it caused harm. Citations marked as causing "actual harm" or "immediate jeopardy" should be red flags for families.

Check how recently violations occurred and whether the facility has corrected them. Repeated violations of the same F-tag may indicate ongoing management problems. Also note that some violations are more serious than others—a few minor paperwork issues are different from infection control problems that harm residents.

Geographic and facility patterns

The data shows that certain violations appear almost universally across nursing homes. F0880 infection control citations affected 81.1% of facilities, while F0812 violations appeared at 75.6% of homes. This widespread pattern suggests these may represent common operational challenges rather than isolated problems at specific facilities.

However, families should still investigate what specific infection control or other problems occurred at facilities they're considering. Even common violation types can vary significantly in their actual impact on resident care and safety.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean if a nursing home has many F-tag violations? Multiple violations don't automatically disqualify a facility, but they warrant closer investigation. Look at the severity, how recently they occurred, and whether the facility fixed the problems promptly.

Are some F-tags more serious than others? Yes. Violations that cause actual harm to residents (shown in the data) are more concerning than paperwork or minor operational issues. F0689 caused harm in about one-third of cases, making it particularly serious.

How often do nursing homes get inspected? Federal law requires annual inspections, but the timing can vary. Facilities with serious violations may receive more frequent follow-up inspections to ensure problems are corrected.

Should I avoid a nursing home with F-tag citations? Not necessarily. With 628,761 citations across 14,696 facilities, most nursing homes have some violations. Focus on the severity, the facility's response to fixing problems, and whether violations are part of a pattern of poor care.