In the year 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) accreditation organizations, which include The Joint Commission and DNV Healthcare, carried out 4,523 surveys across US based hospitals. From these inspections, data presented by CMS’ Quality and Certification Oversight Reports indicate that there were 15 most frequently identified violations.
Leading the list of citations was the violation of patient rights to care in a safe environment, with 267 citations, representing a significant 5% of hospitals. This was followed closely by the inadequate supervision of nursing care by Registered Nurses (RNs) with 257 citations, affecting 4.4% of hospitals. In the third place, there were 208 citations concerning general patient rights, affecting 4% of the health care facilities.
Issues with the supervision of contract staff received 203 citations or hit 3.7% of hospitals. The fifth most common citation regarded the compliance with rule 489.24 (pertaining to patient transfers), with 197 hospitals facing the violation, thus highlighting a common concern about patient transfer practices.
Other citations included nursing services (160 violations), medical screening exams (150), nursing care plans (112), and patient rights to be free from harassment or abuse (102). Furthermore, there were issues found relating to the administration of drugs (88), informed consent (81), patient safety (69), infection prevention and control surveillance (62), appropriate patient transfers (59), and improper use of restraints or seclusion (59).
It is imperative for hospitals to take into cognizance these findings, work towards resolving potential violations, and adhere strictly to CMS guidelines to ensure the provision of quality patient care in a safe environment. It is hoped that this list of most common citations will enable healthcare facilities to prioritise key areas of compliance for improvement.
In addition to this summary, a live webinar will be hosted on Jan 28, 2026, to provide a further exploration of the findings and discuss the implications for hospitals in ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
Source: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/15-most-common-cms-citations-in-2025/