What an F-tag is, and how scope and severity work
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An F-tag is the number of a federal requirement for nursing homes. Each health citation names one F-tag. So the F-tag shows which requirement the home did not meet.
CMS writes the tag with four digits, for example F0689. This site writes "F-tag 689". Each F-tag has a page with its text, its counts and its latest citations: see the list of F-tags.
Where the text of a tag comes from
The text on this site is the CMS summary of the requirement, from the CMS citation code file. CMS writes it as an instruction to the home. One example is the text of F-tag 880:
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program
For the tags with the most citations, the tag page also has one sentence in plain words. That sentence only says again what the CMS text requires.
Categories of F-tags
CMS puts each F-tag in one category. The table shows the categories of the F-tags that have a page on this site.
| Category (CMS text) | F-tags | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| Administration | 31 | 13,223 |
| Environmental | 15 | 11,575 |
| Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation | 11 | 31,629 |
| Infection Control | 9 | 32,018 |
| Nursing and Physician Services | 13 | 15,056 |
| Nutrition and Dietary | 15 | 37,733 |
| Pharmacy Service | 7 | 44,743 |
| Quality of Life and Care | 32 | 107,626 |
| Resident Assessment and Care Planning | 18 | 61,025 |
| Resident Rights | 41 | 64,531 |
F-tags are for health requirements. Citations from fire safety inspections have tags that start with K or E. This site does not show them.
How scope and severity work
The F-tag shows which requirement. The scope and severity letter shows how serious the deficiency was. Surveyors select one letter from A to L for each citation.
| Severity | Isolated | Pattern | Widespread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immediate jeopardy to resident health or safety | J | K | L |
| Actual harm that is not immediate jeopardy | G | H | I |
| No actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm | D | E | F |
| No actual harm, potential for minimal harm | A | B | C |
CMS gives points to each citation for its letter. The points go into the health inspection score of the home. A lower score gives a higher health inspection rating.
| Letter | Points | Points for substandard quality of care |
|---|---|---|
| A, B, C | 0 | |
| D | 4 | |
| E | 8 | |
| F | 16 | 20 |
| G | 20 | |
| H | 35 | 40 |
| I | 45 | 50 |
| J | 50 | 75 |
| K | 100 | 125 |
| L | 150 | 175 |
Source: CMS, Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical Users' Guide, July 2026, Table 1. CMS gives 20 points to a citation at J, K or L when its status is "past non-compliance".
The F-tags with the most citations
| F-tag | Requirement (CMS text) | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| F0880 | Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program. | 24,240 |
| F0689 | Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents. | 21,413 |
| F0812 | Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards. | 20,020 |
| F0684 | Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals. | 16,469 |
| F0656 | Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured. | 14,681 |
| F0761 | Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs. | 13,677 |
| F0677 | Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable. | 10,172 |
| F0695 | Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed. | 9,507 |
| F0550 | Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights. | 9,040 |
| F0755 | Provide pharmaceutical services to meet the needs of each resident and employ or obtain the services of a licensed pharmacist. | 9,024 |
| F0584 | Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely. | 9,024 |
| F0609 | Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities. | 8,854 |
| F0600 | Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody. | 8,730 |
| F0657 | Develop the complete care plan within 7 days of the comprehensive assessment; and prepared, reviewed, and revised by a team of health professionals. | 8,555 |
| F0686 | Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing. | 8,450 |
The number of citations for a tag does not show the level of harm. The page of each tag gives the number of its citations at actual harm or immediate jeopardy.