Free from Abuse and Neglect
Cited for F600? Here's what surveyors were looking for, how serious it tends to be, and how to structure a Plan of Correction that holds up.
What the regulation says
What F600 actually means
F600 is one of the most serious tags in the manual, and it is frequently cited at Immediate Jeopardy. It covers abuse in every form, verbal, mental, physical, and sexual, as well as neglect, which is the failure to provide goods and services that causes or is likely to cause harm. It reaches staff-to-resident abuse, resident-to-resident altercations the facility failed to prevent, and injuries of unknown origin that point to a protection failure. A citation here is rarely minor and usually demands an immediate response.
What surveyors check
How the facility protects residents from abuse and neglect: pre-employment screening, staff training on abuse recognition and prevention, supervision of residents with known aggressive behaviors, and the response when something happens. They examine injuries of unknown source, resident-to-resident incidents, and whether neglect (a failure to provide needed care) caused harm. For any allegation, they trace protection, investigation, and reporting.
What most often triggers it
- Staff-to-resident abuse (physical, verbal, mental, or sexual)
- Resident-to-resident altercation the facility failed to prevent despite known risk
- Neglect: failure to provide needed care resulting in or risking harm
- Injuries of unknown origin suggesting a protection failure
- Involuntary seclusion or restraint used improperly
How serious is it? Scope & severity
F600 skews to the top of the grid. Actual harm (G) is common, and Immediate Jeopardy (J, K, L) is frequent when abuse or neglect causes serious harm or a likelihood of it. Lower-severity citations occur but are the exception; most F600 findings demand urgency and, where IJ is cited, an immediate removal plan.
The CMS scope & severity grid runs from an isolated no-harm gap (A) up through widespread Immediate Jeopardy (L). The level a surveyor assigns drives how urgent and far-reaching your Plan of Correction must be.
Example citation
How to write the Plan of Correction
(1) Ensure the affected resident is safe and assessed, and separate or supervise as needed. (2) Investigate immediately and identify others at risk; if Immediate Jeopardy is cited, an immediate abatement plan is required before the survey team leaves. (3) Systemic change: re-educate staff on abuse and neglect recognition, prevention, and reporting; review screening and supervision protocols. (4) Monitoring: audit incident reports, injuries of unknown source, and high-risk residents' supervision through QAPI.
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Upload your citation →Need the policy behind it? Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation policies & procedures →Common questions
What is F600?+−
The CMS tag for freedom from abuse and neglect, under 42 CFR §483.12(a)(1).
What most commonly triggers it?+−
Staff-to-resident abuse, unprevented resident-to-resident altercations, and neglect causing harm.
How serious is it?+−
Among the most serious tags; frequently cited at actual harm or Immediate Jeopardy.
How do you respond?+−
Protect the resident, investigate immediately (with an abatement plan if IJ), re-educate on prevention and reporting, and monitor.
Related tags
This page is a compliance reference and does not constitute legal or clinical advice.