Every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the United States is inspected annually by state health department surveyors working on behalf of CMS. The results — including every deficiency found — are public records, available free at Medicare Care Compare. Most families never look at them. You should.
Where to Find Inspection Reports
- Go to medicare.gov/care-compare
- Search for the facility by name or ZIP code
- Click on the facility’s profile
- Select “Health Inspections” tab
- Download the PDF of the most recent standard survey and any complaint investigations
Understanding the Report Structure
Inspection reports list “deficiencies” — violations of federal nursing home regulations. Each deficiency is tagged with an F-tag number (the specific regulation violated) and a scope/severity rating.
Scope and Severity Ratings (Most Important)
Each deficiency is rated on a grid measuring two dimensions:
Scope: How widespread is the problem?
- Isolated — affected 1 or a few residents
- Pattern — affected more than a few residents but not widespread
- Widespread — systemic problem affecting many residents
Severity: How harmful was the deficiency?
- A–C: No actual harm; potential for minimal harm
- D–F: No actual harm; potential for more than minimal harm
- G–I: Actual harm occurred
- J–L: Immediate jeopardy (risk of serious injury, harm, or death)
Red Flags in Inspection Reports
- Any G-level or higher deficiency — indicates actual harm occurred to residents
- J, K, or L (Immediate Jeopardy) citations — the most serious possible; trigger immediate regulatory action
- The same F-tag cited across multiple inspection cycles — indicates a persistent, unresolved systemic problem
- Citations related to abuse, neglect, or exploitation — F600-series tags; always a serious concern
- Widespread scope on any deficiency — a facility-level failure, not an isolated incident
Common F-Tags and What They Mean
- F689: Free from accident hazards / adequate supervision — fall-related deficiencies
- F686: Treatment and services to prevent pressure ulcers — bedsore prevention
- F600: Free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
- F758: Unnecessary medications / antipsychotic use without indication
- F684: Quality of care — broad deficiency covering overall care failures
- F842: Resident records — documentation failures
What a Good Inspection Report Looks Like
No facility has zero deficiencies — inspectors find something in nearly every facility. A good report shows only A–C level citations, no repeated patterns, no harm-level (G+) citations, and no abuse-related tags. Compare the report to the facility’s star rating — sometimes a 5-star facility has surprisingly low-level citations on inspection, and sometimes a 3-star facility’s report reveals the reason clearly.