F554: Allow residents to self-administer drugs if determined clinically appropriate
F554 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Allow residents to self-administer drugs if determined clinically appropriate.
It sits in CMS's resident rights 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). 16.2% of F554 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: B 8, D 2,149, E 142, F 6, G 2.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F554 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, August 6, 2026, scope and severity DBased on observation, interview, and document review, the facility failed to ensure self-administration of medications was assessed and determined to be appropriate for 1 of 1 resident (R59) reviewed for the self-administration of medications.
The Estates at Roseville LLC, Roseville, MN
Inspectors wrote, August 3, 2026, scope and severity DLicensure reference number 175 NAC 12-006.10(A)(i)Based on observations, record reviews, and interviews, the facility failed to ensure residents who self-administer medications were competent to do so for one resident (Resident 5). The Facility showed a census of 27.
Wauneta Care and Therapy Center, Wauneta, NE
Inspectors wrote, July 30, 2026, scope and severity DBased on facility policy review, clinical record review, observation, and staff interview, it was determined that the facility failed to assess a resident's capability to self-administer medications for two of 28 sampled residents. (Residents 5 and 10)
Complete Care at Lehigh LLC, Macungie, PA
Most recent F554 citations at the harm or jeopardy level
Newest first, all 2 in the current files. Each home's page shows the citation in full context, with its correction status.
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 22, 2025 | Waterview Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Cente | Rochester, NY | G | Standard |
| August 8, 2024 | McDonald County Living Center | Anderson, MO | G | Complaint |
Most recent F554 citations
F554 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.
By inspection year: 2018 11, 2019 34, 2020 16, 2021 54, 2022 136, 2023 403, 2024 662, 2025 614, 2026 377.
Common questions
- What is F554 in a nursing home inspection?
- F554 is the federal requirement to "allow residents to self-administer drugs if determined clinically appropriate". CMS files it under resident rights. A home cited under F554 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F554 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 2,307 F554 citations at 1,980 nursing homes, 510 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.1% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F554 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F554 citations (99.6%) 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