F540: Meet the legal definition of a skilled nursing facility or nursing facility
F540 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Meet the legal definition of a skilled nursing facility or nursing facility.
It sits in CMS's administration category.
CMS Health Deficiencies file, data as of September 1, 2026. The files hold each home's last three standard inspections and three years of complaint visits.
How seriously inspectors rate it
Every citation gets a letter for how much harm inspectors found and how many residents it touched (how to read the letters). 33.3% of F540 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: D 1, F 2.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F540 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, March 13, 2025, scope and severity FBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to adhere to the participation requirements for long-term care facilities, related to the lack of appointing a licensed Nursing Home Administrator, who has an active license for Montana. This failure did not allow the facility to maintain compliance for the Requirements of Participation, and may negatively affect all residents at the facility.
Faith Lutheran Home, Wolf Point, MT
Most recent F540 citations
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 13, 2025 | Faith Lutheran Home | Wolf Point, MT | F |
| September 22, 2023 | Medilodge of Sterling | Sterling, MI | D |
| May 23, 2022 | Lakeside Health & Rehabilitation | Richmond, VA | F |
Common questions
- What is F540 in a nursing home inspection?
- F540 is the federal requirement to "meet the legal definition of a skilled nursing facility or nursing facility". CMS files it under administration. A home cited under F540 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F540 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 3 F540 citations at 3 nursing homes, 0 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.0% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F540 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F540 citations (100.0%) were rated as potential for more than minimal harm, D to F. None in the current files is at the immediate jeopardy level.
The interpretive guidance inspectors use for each F-tag is CMS's State Operations Manual, Appendix PP. NursingHomeClear reports the citations as CMS records them and is not affiliated with CMS. All F-tags · Methodology