Abuse-Flagged Facilities
These 1,462 nursing homes have a confirmed abuse, neglect, or exploitation citation on their federal CMS record. The abuse icon flag is displayed on Medicare's Care Compare site and indicates a substantiated finding during a federal inspection.
1,462
Facilities
50
States
15
≥ 4 Stars
What does the abuse flag mean? CMS places an abuse icon on a facility's Care Compare profile when federal inspectors substantiate a finding of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a resident during a standard health inspection or complaint investigation. It is a matter of federal public record. Highlighted rows are facilities with 4- or 5-star CMS ratings that nonetheless carry an active abuse citation — the contrast families most need to see.
Common questions about the CMS abuse flag
For the full methodology — including the exact CMS field, severity threshold, and refresh cadence — see our abuse-flag methodology.
What does the CMS abuse icon flag mean?+
The abuse icon is a public flag CMS places on a nursing home's Care Compare profile when federal inspectors substantiate a citation at scope/severity G or higher (actual harm or immediate jeopardy) for abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a resident. It is sourced from the federal CMS Provider Data dataset and is updated each month.
How long does the abuse flag stay on a facility's record?+
The abuse icon is a 24-month rolling indicator. A facility loses the icon 24 months after its most recent qualifying citation, provided no new substantiated harm-level abuse, neglect, or exploitation citation is recorded in that window.
How is an abuse citation substantiated?+
Citations are issued by state inspectors acting on behalf of CMS, either during a routine annual recertification survey or in response to a complaint investigation. Substantiation requires inspectors to find evidence — through interviews, medical record review, observation, and documentation — that the abuse, neglect, or exploitation actually occurred at the facility.