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F837: Establish a governing body that is legally responsible for establishing and implementing policies for managing and operating the facility and appoints a properly licensed administrator responsible for managing the facility

F837 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Establish a governing body that is legally responsible for establishing and implementing policies for managing and operating the facility and appoints a properly licensed administrator responsible for managing the facility. It sits in CMS's administration category.

274citations in the CMS files
247homes cited at least once
56in the 12 months to September 2026
11.7%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). 62.4% of F837 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.

  • Immediate jeopardy (J, K, L)28 (10.2%)
  • Actual harm (G, H, I)4 (1.5%)
  • Potential for more than minimal harm (D, E, F)230 (83.9%)
  • Potential for minimal harm (A, B, C)12 (4.4%)

By letter: B 1, C 11, D 49, E 52, F 129, G 2, H 1, I 1, J 6, K 7, L 15.

What inspectors wrote

Three recent F837 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.

Inspectors wrote, July 27, 2026, scope and severity DBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to follow their policy and procedure when a refund was not issued to one of three sampled residents (Resident 1) within 30 days. This failure resulted in a delay in Resident 1's refund.

Westgate Gardens Care Center, Visalia, CA

Inspectors wrote, July 14, 2026, scope and severity FBased on observation, record review, and interview, the governing body failed to ensure measures were in place to prevent the facility from being without a licensed nursing home administrator who had an active license to practice in the State of Ohio following the resignation of the previous administrator to maintain uninterrupted administrative oversight. This had the potential to affect all 60 residents residing at this facility.

Kimes Nursing and Rehab LLC, Athens, OH

Inspectors wrote, July 8, 2026, scope and severity FBased on interview and document review the facility's governing body failed to appoint a licensed administrator to be accountable and manage the facility since 05/07/2026. The deficient practice had the potential to affect all residents residing in the facility.

Heritage Park, Bethany, OK

Most recent F837 citations at the harm or jeopardy level

Newest first, all 32 in the current files. Each home's page shows the citation in full context, with its correction status.

InspectionHomeTownLetterVisit
June 5, 2025Magnolia RidgeGardendale, AL LComplaint
April 25, 2025Grace Care Center of HenriettaHenrietta, TX LComplaint
December 13, 2024Mountain Ridge Health and RehabilitationMonticello, KY JComplaint
November 30, 2024Walker Rehabilitation Center, IncCarbon Hill, AL LComplaint
November 22, 2024Bourbon Heights Nursing HomeParis, KY LComplaint
November 18, 2024Church Hill Post-Acute and Rehabilitation CenterChurch Hill, TN LStandard
November 7, 2024Eaton Creek Post AcuteNashville, TN LComplaint
November 6, 2024Aventura at the BaySaint Petersburg, FL LComplaint
October 21, 2024Parkside CareUnion Gap, WA LComplaint
October 16, 2024Meadowview Healthcare and RehabHuntsville, AR LStandard
October 2, 2024Centro De Cuidado Prolongado San LucasRio Piedras, PR LStandard
September 26, 2024Tri State Health and Rehabilitation CenterHarrogate, TN KComplaint
September 17, 2024Waterview Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing CenteRochester, NY LStandard
August 22, 2024Rocky Top Care CenterRocky Top, TN LStandard
August 12, 2024Salem Rehab CenterSalem, MA KStandard
June 3, 2024Cumberland Health and RehabBridgeport, AL JComplaint
May 15, 2024Valley Healthcare CenterBakersfield, CA GComplaint
April 25, 2024Knollwood HealthcareMobile, AL LComplaint
April 11, 2024Beech Tree Health and RehabilitationJellico, TN KStandard
February 6, 2024Valhalla Post AcuteLouisville, KY JComplaint
December 19, 2023Adviniacare Newton WellesleyWellesley, MA IStandard
November 17, 2023Good Shepherd Health and RehabilitationPhelps, KY JComplaint
November 7, 2023Adviniacare NewburyportNewburyport, MA JStandard
October 29, 2023Siskin Subacute WestChattanooga, TN KStandard
September 22, 2023Diversicare of Oak RidgeOak Ridge, TN JComplaint
June 10, 2023Stanford CrossingStanford, KY KStandard
April 13, 2023Lyonsview Health and Rehabilitation CenterKnoxville, TN LStandard
April 19, 2022Winding Trails Post AcuteBoulder, CO GStandard
April 14, 2022Sunrise Manor Nursing HomeHodgenville, KY KStandard
April 13, 2022Spring Creek Healthcare CenterSalt Lake City, UT HStandard
April 3, 2021Seneca PlaceLouisville, KY LStandard
August 4, 2018Diversicare of FoleyFoley, AL KStandard

Most recent F837 citations

InspectionHomeTownLetter
July 27, 2026Westgate Gardens Care CenterVisalia, CA D
July 14, 2026Kimes Nursing and Rehab LLCAthens, OH F
July 14, 2026Chatsworth Park Health Care CenterChatsworth, CA D
July 8, 2026Heritage ParkBethany, OK F
June 18, 2026Rehabilitation Center of OrlandoOrlando, FL E
June 10, 2026Chickasha Nursing Center, IncChickasha, OK F
June 6, 2026Guam Memorial Hospital AuthorityBarrigada, GU C
May 28, 2026Tarzana Health and Rehabilitation CenterTarzana, CA E
May 21, 2026Huntsville Health & Rehabilitation, LLCHuntsville, AL E
May 7, 2026Samarkand Skilled Nursing FacilitySanta Barbara, CA D
May 7, 2026Murfreesboro Rehab and Nursing, Inc.Murfreesboro, AR F
May 5, 2026Legacy Rehabilitation and LivingAmarillo, TX D
April 29, 2026Avantara WatertownWatertown, SD F
April 28, 2026Thalia Gardens Rehabilitation and NursingVirginia Beach, VA F
April 28, 2026The Eleanor Nursing Care CenterHyde Park, NY F
April 25, 2026Nans Pointe Rehabilitation and NursingSuffolk, VA D
April 15, 2026Westminster Canterbury Blue RiCharlottesville, VA E
April 9, 2026Magnolia Gardens Convalescent HospitalGranada Hills, CA E
March 25, 2026Park View Nursing and SubacuteReseda, CA D
March 19, 2026Hi-Desert Medical Center D/P SNFJoshua Tree, CA F
March 17, 2026Sherman Village HCCNorth Hollywood, CA E
March 16, 2026California Healthcare and Rehabilitation CenterVan Nuys, CA D
March 9, 2026St. Anthony's Nsg & Rehab CtrRock Island, IL F
March 6, 2026Coleman Healthcare CenterColeman, TX E
March 6, 2026Tlc Care CenterHenderson, NV D

F837 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
California59
Ohio34
Texas21
New York18
Wisconsin11
Tennessee10
Kentucky9
Massachusetts8
Washington8
Alabama7
Oklahoma7
Pennsylvania7
Illinois6
Arkansas5
Virginia5
Florida4
South Dakota4
Wyoming4
Connecticut3
District of Columbia3
Georgia3
Guam3
Minnesota3
Missouri3
Montana3
North Carolina3
New Jersey3
Nevada3
Vermont3
Delaware2
Maryland2
Colorado1
Hawaii1
Iowa1
Louisiana1
North Dakota1
New Mexico1
Puerto Rico1
Rhode Island1
South Carolina1
Utah1

By inspection year: 2018 2, 2020 1, 2021 5, 2022 7, 2023 48, 2024 111, 2025 58, 2026 42.

Common questions

What is F837 in a nursing home inspection?
F837 is the federal requirement to "establish a governing body that is legally responsible for establishing and implementing policies for managing and operating the facility and appoints a properly licensed administrator responsible for managing the facility". CMS files it under administration. A home cited under F837 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
How often is F837 cited?
The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 274 F837 citations at 247 nursing homes, 56 of them in the 12 months to that date. 11.7% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
Is a F837 citation serious?
It depends on the letter. Most F837 citations (83.9%) were rated as potential for more than minimal harm, D to F. 28 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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