F579: Provide information about how to apply for and use Medicare and Medicaid benefits
F579 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Provide information about how to apply for and use Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
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). 31.0% of F579 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: B 2, C 10, D 9, E 3, F 5.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F579 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, July 1, 2026, scope and severity DBased on interviews, and record review, the facility failed to provide a contract that they provided Medicaid services as required for one of one resident (Resident (R) 9) reviewed for admission contract of 18 sample residents. The facility's contract, signed by residents and/or their representatives, stated The Facility does NOT participate in the Medicaid program. This failure had the potential to affect payor source.
Greendale Park Nursing and Rehab, Greendale, WI
Inspectors wrote, June 12, 2026, scope and severity DBased on record review and staff interview, it was determined that the facility failed to provide the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) within the required timeframe for one out of one residents reviewed (Resident #335).
Parkhouse Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Royersford, PA
Inspectors wrote, July 2, 2025, scope and severity DBased on record review, and family member and staff interviews, the facility failed to ensure one of one resident reviewed for billing (Resident (R) 3's) Family Member (F1) was provided with a timely refund for paying for a private room and failed to review the resident's billing for accuracy. As a result of this deficient practice, the resident was billed for excessive charges, and the bill was sent to collections for an unjustified charge.
Pruitthealth - Austell, Austell, GA
Most recent F579 citations
F579 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.
| State | Citations |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 15 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 |
| Georgia | 2 |
| Texas | 2 |
| Wisconsin | 2 |
| California | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
| Washington | 1 |
By inspection year: 2023 2, 2024 8, 2025 12, 2026 7.
Common questions
- What is F579 in a nursing home inspection?
- F579 is the federal requirement to "provide information about how to apply for and use medicare and medicaid benefits". CMS files it under resident rights. A home cited under F579 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F579 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 29 F579 citations at 28 nursing homes, 11 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.0% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F579 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F579 citations (58.6%) 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