The rules behind incident reporting, in plain language.
CMS, accreditors and OSHA, explained with sources. Every page ends with how the requirement maps to the incident record. Written by the compliance team behind 250+ surveys.
CMS QAPI requirements by facility type
QAPI is the quality program CMS requires of most providers, and the rule differs by facility type.
- 42 CFR 416.43
What 42 CFR 416.43 requires of an ASC's QAPI program
What 42 CFR 416.43 requires of an ASC's quality program, what surveyors ask to see, and how incident data and corrective actions feed it.
Read the guide - 42 CFR 483.75
Nursing home QAPI and the QAA committee under 42 CFR 483.75
How 42 CFR 483.75 shapes a nursing home's QAPI plan and QAA committee: the five elements, what F865, F867 and F868 test, and what to show surveyors.
Read the guide - 42 CFR 482.21
Hospital QAPI under 42 CFR 482.21: what surveyors check
What 42 CFR 482.21 requires of a hospital QAPI program, who is accountable, what surveyors sample, and how adverse event data and actions fit.
Read the guide - 42 CFR 418.58
Hospice QAPI under 42 CFR 418.58: requirements and evidence
What 42 CFR 418.58 requires of a hospice QAPI program, how to define and track adverse events, what surveyors review, and how incident data fits.
Read the guide - 42 CFR 484.65
Home health QAPI under 42 CFR 484.65: what an HHA must show
What 42 CFR 484.65 requires of a home health agency QAPI program: indicators and OASIS data, adverse events, projects, and what surveyors ask to see.
Read the guide
Healthcare accreditation: AAAHC, Joint Commission
Some accreditors can stand in for a state survey under CMS deemed status, and each works differently.
- AAAHC Standards (v44 effective December 16, 2025AAAHC accreditation: what ASCs and ambulatory practices should knowHow AAAHC accreditation works for ASCs and ambulatory practices: Medicare deemed status, survey types, notice rules and the six-component QI study.
- Joint Commission accreditation standards, Sentinel Event Policy and National Performance GoalsJoint Commission accreditation: surveys, sentinel events and safety goalsHow Joint Commission accreditation works: Medicare deemed status, unannounced surveys, tracers, the Sentinel Event Policy and the 2026 hospital goals.
- CIHQ Hospital Accreditation Standards, Participating in MedicareCIHQ accreditation: what hospitals and critical access hospitals should knowHow CIHQ accreditation works for hospitals and critical access hospitals: CMS deemed status, three-year surveys and what CIHQ says it does not require.
- ACHC accreditation standardsACHC accreditation: programs, surveys and documentationHow ACHC accreditation works for home health, hospice, ASCs and hospitals: CMS deemed status, unannounced surveys, timelines and what to keep on file.
- Quad A accreditation standardsQuad A accreditation: surveys, standards and Patient Safety Data ReportingHow Quad A accreditation works for office-based surgery and Medicare ASCs: three-year surveys, yearly self-surveys and quarterly safety data reports.
- DNV Healthcare accreditation requirements for hospitals, critical access hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and ASCsDNV accreditation: CMS-approved programs, surveys and documentationHow DNV accreditation relates to CMS deemed status for hospitals, critical access hospitals and ASCs, what CMS checks, and what documentation to keep.
- All 7 Accreditation guides
Nursing home F-tags: what each one means
F-tags are CMS's numbered nursing home rules; these guides cover the ones incidents trigger, and the evidence you need.
- F68942 CFR 483.25(d)Free of accident hazards, supervision and devices
- F60042 CFR 483.12(a)(1)Free from abuse and neglect
- F60942 CFR 483.12(b)(5), (c)(1) and (c)(4)Reporting of alleged violations
- F61042 CFR 483.12(c)(2)-(4)Investigate, prevent and correct alleged violations
- F68442 CFR 483.25Quality of care
- All 10 SNF F-tags guides
Incident reporting deadlines and obligations
Some incidents start a clock; these pages say which ones, who must be told, and by when.
- 42 CFR 483.12(b)(5) and (c)Nursing home abuse and neglect reporting requirementsFederal nursing home rules set a 2-hour or 24-hour clock to report abuse, neglect and suspected crimes, then 5 working days for investigation results.
- Joint Commission Sentinel Event PolicyJoint Commission sentinel event policy: what to do and by whenWhat the Joint Commission counts as a sentinel event, which events are reviewable, and the 45-business-day expectation for the analysis and action plan.
- 42 CFR 416.300 through 416.320ASC Quality Reporting Program (ASCQR): measures, deadlines and penaltyThe ASC Quality Reporting Program cuts the Medicare payment update by 2.0 percentage points for non-reporting. See the 2026 measures and key deadlines.
- 21 CFR Part 803, Subpart C (803.30, 803.32, 803.33), with 803.17 and 803.18FDA medical device reporting for user facilitiesHospitals, ASCs and nursing homes must report device-related deaths and serious injuries within 10 work days and file an annual report by January 1.
- State statutes and regulationsState adverse event and incident reporting: a verified overviewA careful overview of state adverse event reporting in Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota and Florida, and how to confirm your own state's rules.
OSHA recordkeeping and workplace injury reporting
Employers with more than ten employees keep injury records and report the most serious events within hours.
- 29 CFR PART 1904
OSHA recordkeeping: who keeps records, and what counts
Who must keep OSHA injury and illness records under 29 CFR Part 1904, who is partially exempt by size or industry, and what makes a case recordable.
Read the guide - 29 CFR 1904.29 AND 1904.30
OSHA Form 300: the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
How to complete the OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses: one line per case, classification, privacy cases, day counts and updates.
Read the guide - 29 CFR 1904.29(B)(2) AND 1904.35(B)(2)(V)
OSHA Form 301: the Injury and Illness Incident Report
What OSHA Form 301 asks, when it is due, which equivalent forms are accepted, and who is entitled to a copy of the injury and illness incident report.
Read the guide - 29 CFR 1904.32
OSHA Form 300A: the annual Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
How to complete, certify and post the OSHA Form 300A summary: the February 1 to April 30 posting window, who may sign, hours worked and zero-case years.
Read the guide - 29 CFR 1904.7(B)(5)
Recordable vs first aid: where OSHA draws the medical treatment line
OSHA's first aid list is closed, and anything beyond it is medical treatment. See the list, the treatment line and worked examples of recordable cases.
Read the guide All 13 OSHA guides
OSHA 300, 301 and 300A forms, recordability, severe injury reporting, lockout/tagout, hazard communication, process safety and injury rates.
See all
Survey readiness: be ready every day
The best survey prep never stops; these pages cover what surveys look like and the evidence to keep ready.
- 42 CFR Part 416, Subparts B and CASC survey readiness: how to be ready every dayHow CMS, state and accreditor surveys of surgery centers work, what surveyors request on day one, and a checklist to stay ready every day.
- 42 CFR 488.308Nursing home recertification survey: what happens and what to have readyHow CMS's standard health survey of a nursing home works, what incident and QAPI records surveyors request, and the new risk-based survey option.
- 42 CFR 488.402(d)Plan of correction: what CMS requires and how to write one that is acceptedHow to answer a CMS-2567: the 10-calendar-day deadline, the five elements of an acceptable nursing home plan, ASC requirements and how to write one.
- Joint Commission accreditation standards, National Performance Goals and Survey Process GuideJoint Commission survey readiness: unannounced surveys and tracersHow Joint Commission surveys work: unannounced timing, tracer methodology, what changed under Accreditation 360 in 2026, and how to stay ready all year.
Turn the rules into a routine.
IncidentKit maps each requirement to the incident record, so evidence builds as you work.