Infection Control Violations in Nursing Homes (F880)

The need to maintain health and safety standards in long-term care facilities has long been recognized as critically important.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for ensuring that approximately 15,500 nursing homes nationwide meet federal quality standards. These standards require, for example, that nursing homes establish and maintain an infection prevention and control program.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Long term care facilities provide a variety of services, both medical and personal care, to people who are unable to live independently. It is estimated that 1 to 3 million serious infections occur every year in:

• nursing homes
• skilled nursing facilities
• assisted living facilities”¹

A recent study released by the federal Government Accountability Office suggests that poor infection control practices have been the most common violation cited by nursing home inspectors over the years.²

Nursing Home F-Tags

A federal tag (or F-tag) number corresponds to a specific regulation within the Code of Federal Regulations. For example, “F880” refers to the regulation requiring nursing facilities establish and maintain “an infection prevention and control program designed to provide a safe, sanitary and comfortable environment and to help prevent the development and transmission of communicable diseases and infections.” In an article published with Skilled Nursing News, Todd Selby, an attorney with the law firm Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C., the F880 was cited more than 11,500 times in 2020.

Bonafide Medical Group provides a comprehensive infection prevention solution to help long-term care facilities maintain health and safety standards. Using the Bac-Track system, one or even a multiple of facilities can be viewed from one dashboard and reports of COVID-19 can be automated.