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F552: Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments

F552 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments. It sits in CMS's resident rights category.

1,948citations in the CMS files
1,655homes cited at least once
759in the 12 months to September 2026
0.5%rated actual harm or immediate jeopardy

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). 24.5% of F552 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.

  • Immediate jeopardy (J, K, L)2 (0.1%)
  • Actual harm (G, H, I)7 (0.4%)
  • Potential for more than minimal harm (D, E, F)1,930 (99.1%)
  • Potential for minimal harm (A, B, C)9 (0.5%)

By letter: B 8, C 1, D 1,598, E 319, F 13, G 7, J 1, K 1.

What inspectors wrote

Three recent F552 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.

Inspectors wrote, August 13, 2026, scope and severity DBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to ensure informed consent was obtained prior to the administration of psychotropic medications for 2 of 6 residents reviewed for psychotropic medication use. (Residents #4 and #11)

Shores Nursing and Rehab Center, Port Saint Joe, FL

Inspectors wrote, August 7, 2026, scope and severity DBased on review of facility policy, clinical records, and staff interview, it was determined that the facility failed to inform the resident and/or resident representative in advance of the risks and benefits of psychotropic medications (medications that affect the persons mental state, emotions and behavior) and the treatment alternatives prior to initiating the administration of the medication for one of five residents reviewed for unnecessary medications (Resident R11).

Rouse Warren County Home, Youngsville, PA

Inspectors wrote, August 5, 2026, scope and severity DBased on document review and interview, the facility failed to obtain informed consents including risk and benefit for 1 of 5 residents (R4) reviewed for psychotropic medications.

Good Samaritan Society - Pipestone, Pipestone, MN

Most recent F552 citations at the harm or jeopardy level

Newest first, all 9 in the current files. Each home's page shows the citation in full context, with its correction status.

InspectionHomeTownLetterVisit
April 18, 2026Vista Manor Healthcare and Rehabilitation CenterTitusville, FL JComplaint
March 12, 2026The JeffersonArlington, VA GComplaint
September 23, 2025Elevate Care North BranchNiles, IL GComplaint
September 11, 2025West Suburban Nursing & Rehab CenterBloomingdale, IL GComplaint
May 30, 2025La Bella of FreeburgFreeburg, IL GComplaint
August 13, 2024Ridgeway Post AcutePetaluma, CA GComplaint
March 29, 2024Avir at LongviewLongview, TX GStandard
March 18, 2024Uvalde Healthcare and Rehabilitation CenterUvalde, TX KStandard
November 27, 2023Moweaqua Rehab & HCCMoweaqua, IL GComplaint

Most recent F552 citations

InspectionHomeTownLetter
August 14, 2026Maple Springs of PalmerPalmer, AK D
August 13, 2026Shores Nursing and Rehab CenterPort Saint Joe, FL D
August 7, 2026Rouse Warren County HomeYoungsville, PA D
August 5, 2026Good Samaritan Society - PipestonePipestone, MN D
August 3, 2026Alpine Village Retirement CenterVerdigre, NE E
July 31, 2026Bradford Ecumenical Home, IncBradford, PA D
July 31, 2026Highland FarmsBlack Mountain, NC D
July 31, 2026Heritage ManorChisholm, MN D
July 31, 2026South Coast Post AcuteSanta Ana, CA D
July 30, 2026Santa Monica Rehabilitation CenterSanta Monica, CA D
July 30, 2026Azalea Health & Rehab CenterWilmington, NC E
July 29, 2026Aventura at PembrookeWest Chester, PA F
July 29, 2026Haven Health Sky Harbor, LLCPhoenix, AZ D
July 28, 2026Brookside Care CenterStockton, CA E
July 24, 2026The Grove Post AcuteGarden Grove, CA D
July 23, 2026Ballard CenterSeattle, WA D
July 23, 2026Heritage Rehabilitation CenterTorrance, CA D
July 23, 2026Alamitos West Health & RehabilitationLos Alamitos, CA D
July 23, 2026Rancho Seco Care CenterGalt, CA E
July 22, 2026Meadowbrook at Oconto FallsOconto Falls, WI D
July 22, 2026Parkside HomesHillsboro, KS D
July 22, 2026Astoria Healthcare CenterSylmar, CA D
July 22, 2026Seal Beach Health and Rehabilitation CenterSeal Beach, CA D
July 18, 2026Avir at CourtyardHouston, TX D
July 18, 2026John J Kane Regional Center-RoPittsburgh, PA D

F552 citations by state

Counts depend on how many homes a state has and how often its inspectors visit, so a larger number is not by itself a worse record.

StateCitations
California566
Texas181
Washington133
Massachusetts75
Pennsylvania70
Oregon64
Michigan52
Ohio47
Indiana43
Wisconsin40
Illinois39
Missouri35
Nebraska35
Florida34
Arizona33
Iowa32
Minnesota32
Colorado29
Nevada29
Maryland27
North Carolina27
New Mexico27
Kansas26
West Virginia24
Virginia21
Georgia17
Oklahoma17
Idaho16
New Jersey15
Montana14
New Hampshire14
Alaska13
Hawaii13
Louisiana13
Delaware10
Connecticut9
New York9
Rhode Island9
Maine8
Mississippi7
Tennessee7
Vermont7
Kentucky6
South Dakota5
Utah5
North Dakota3
Alabama2
Arkansas2
Puerto Rico2
South Carolina2
District of Columbia1
Guam1

By inspection year: 2018 4, 2019 16, 2020 4, 2021 18, 2022 56, 2023 208, 2024 466, 2025 586, 2026 590.

Common questions

What is F552 in a nursing home inspection?
F552 is the federal requirement to "ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments". CMS files it under resident rights. A home cited under F552 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
How often is F552 cited?
The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 1,948 F552 citations at 1,655 nursing homes, 759 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.5% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
Is a F552 citation serious?
It depends on the letter. Most F552 citations (99.1%) were rated as potential for more than minimal harm, D to F. 2 were immediate jeopardy, the most serious 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

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