F636: Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months
F636 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months.
It sits in CMS's resident assessment and care planning 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). 11.1% of F636 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: B 66, C 4, D 1,016, E 274, F 14.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F636 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, August 5, 2026, scope and severity DBased on observation, interview, and record review, the facility failed to complete comprehensive Minimum Data Set Assessment (MDS) for two Residents (R)67, regarding discharge and R10, regarding nutrition.
Shawnee Gardens Healthcare & Rehab Center, Shawnee, KS
Inspectors wrote, July 31, 2026, scope and severity DBased on record review and staff interviews, the facility failed to complete a comprehensive Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment no later than 14 calendar days of the Assessment Reference Date (ARD, referring to the last day of the assessment period) for 1 of 36 sampled residents (Residents #13).
Biltmore Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation, Arden, NC
Inspectors wrote, July 31, 2026, scope and severity DBased on review of facility reported incident 3094393, medical record review, and interview, it was determined the facility staff failed to conduct a complete and accurate assessment by failing to assess a resident's cognition, mood, and behavior on an annual assessment. This was evident for 1 (Resident #7) of 7 residents reviewed for facility reported incidents during a complaint survey.
Autumn Lake Healthcare at Glen Burnie, Glen Burnie, MD
Most recent F636 citations
F636 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 6, 2019 46, 2020 18, 2021 54, 2022 135, 2023 295, 2024 356, 2025 271, 2026 193.
Common questions
- What is F636 in a nursing home inspection?
- F636 is the federal requirement to "assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months". CMS files it under resident assessment and care planning. A home cited under F636 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F636 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 1,374 F636 citations at 1,266 nursing homes, 242 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.0% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F636 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F636 citations (94.9%) 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