# Compliance library: CMS, accreditation and OSHA

> Plain-language guides with sources on CMS QAPI, accreditation, nursing home F-tags, reporting deadlines, OSHA records and survey readiness.

Source: https://incidentkit.ai/compliance · Updated Oct 5, 2026

## CMS QAPI requirements by facility type

QAPI is the quality program CMS requires of most providers, and the rule differs by facility type.

- [What 42 CFR 416.43 requires of an ASC's QAPI program](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/cms-qapi/ambulatory-surgery-centers): 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.
- [Nursing home QAPI and the QAA committee under 42 CFR 483.75](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/cms-qapi/skilled-nursing-facilities): 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.
- [Hospital QAPI under 42 CFR 482.21: what surveyors check](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/cms-qapi/hospitals): 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.
- [Hospice QAPI under 42 CFR 418.58: requirements and evidence](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/cms-qapi/hospice): 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.
- [Home health QAPI under 42 CFR 484.65: what an HHA must show](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/cms-qapi/home-health): 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.

## Healthcare accreditation: AAAHC, Joint Commission

Some accreditors can stand in for a state survey under CMS deemed status, and each works differently.

- [AAAHC accreditation: what ASCs and ambulatory practices should know](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/aaahc): How AAAHC accreditation works for ASCs and ambulatory practices: Medicare deemed status, survey types, notice rules and the six-component QI study.
- [Joint Commission accreditation: surveys, sentinel events and safety goals](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/joint-commission): How Joint Commission accreditation works: Medicare deemed status, unannounced surveys, tracers, the Sentinel Event Policy and the 2026 hospital goals.
- [CIHQ accreditation: what hospitals and critical access hospitals should know](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/cihq): How 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: programs, surveys and documentation](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/achc): How 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: surveys, standards and Patient Safety Data Reporting](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/quad-a): How Quad A accreditation works for office-based surgery and Medicare ASCs: three-year surveys, yearly self-surveys and quarterly safety data reports.
- [DNV accreditation: CMS-approved programs, surveys and documentation](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/dnv): How DNV accreditation relates to CMS deemed status for hospitals, critical access hospitals and ASCs, what CMS checks, and what documentation to keep.
- [CARF accreditation: what providers should know](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/accreditation/carf): How CARF accreditation works for behavioral health, aging services and rehabilitation providers: announced peer surveys, the QIP and annual reporting.

## 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.

- [F689: free of accident hazards, supervision and devices](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f689): F689 is the CMS nursing home tag for falls, hazards and supervision (42 CFR 483.25(d)). See what surveyors ask for, how severity is set and what to record.
- [F600: free from abuse and neglect](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f600): F600 is the CMS nursing home abuse and neglect tag under 42 CFR 483.12(a)(1). See what it covers, which records surveyors review and how severity is set.
- [F609: reporting of alleged violations](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f609): F609 sets nursing home reporting clocks for abuse, neglect and suspected crimes (42 CFR 483.12): 2 hours, 24 hours and 5 working days. See what to keep.
- [F610: investigate, prevent and correct alleged violations](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f610): F610 says nursing homes must investigate every abuse or neglect allegation, protect residents meanwhile and fix problems. See the clock and the evidence.
- [F684: quality of care](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f684): F684 is the CMS catch-all quality of care tag for nursing homes (42 CFR 483.25). See what it covers, how avoidable decline is judged, what to have ready.
- [F760: residents are free of significant medication errors](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f760): F760 says nursing home residents must be free of significant medication errors (42 CFR 483.45(f)(2)). See how significance is judged and what to keep.
- [F880: infection prevention and control](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f880): F880 is the most cited nursing home tag. See what 42 CFR 483.80 requires, what surveyors check, how severity is set and how to record incidents.
- [F865: QAPI program and plan](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f865): F865 requires a nursing home QAPI program and plan (42 CFR 483.75). See what surveyors ask for, what is protected from disclosure and the good faith rule.
- [F867: QAPI/QAA improvement activities](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f867): F867 requires nursing homes to track adverse events, find root causes, act on data and run an annual project (42 CFR 483.75(c)-(e)). See what to show.
- [F868: the QAA committee](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/f-tags/f868): F868 sets who must sit on a nursing home QAA committee and how often it meets (42 CFR 483.75(g), 483.80(c)). See the roster rules and what proof to keep.

## Incident reporting deadlines and obligations

Some incidents start a clock; these pages say which ones, who must be told, and by when.

- [Nursing home abuse and neglect reporting requirements](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/reporting-deadlines/abuse-and-neglect-reporting): Federal 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 policy: what to do and by when](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/reporting-deadlines/sentinel-events): What the Joint Commission counts as a sentinel event, which events are reviewable, and the 45-business-day expectation for the analysis and action plan.
- [ASC Quality Reporting Program (ASCQR): measures, deadlines and penalty](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/reporting-deadlines/asc-quality-reporting): The ASC Quality Reporting Program cuts the Medicare payment update by 2.0 percentage points for non-reporting. See the 2026 measures and key deadlines.
- [FDA medical device reporting for user facilities](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/reporting-deadlines/device-adverse-event-reporting): Hospitals, 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 adverse event and incident reporting: a verified overview](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/reporting-deadlines/state-reporting-overview): A 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.

- [OSHA recordkeeping: who keeps records, and what counts](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/recordkeeping-overview): 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.
- [OSHA Form 300: the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/osha-300-log): 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.
- [OSHA Form 301: the Injury and Illness Incident Report](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/osha-301-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.
- [OSHA Form 300A: the annual Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/osha-300a-summary): 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.
- [Recordable vs first aid: where OSHA draws the medical treatment line](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/recordable-vs-first-aid): 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.
- [Reporting fatalities and severe injuries to OSHA (29 CFR 1904.39)](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/severe-injury-reporting): When and how to report a work-related death, in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye to OSHA under 29 CFR 1904.39, with edge cases.
- [Lockout/tagout (29 CFR 1910.147): the program and what to capture after an event](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/lockout-tagout): What a lockout/tagout program must include under 29 CFR 1910.147, how the annual inspection works, and what to capture after a hazardous energy event.
- [Hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200): SDS, labels, training and incident records](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/hazard-communication): What OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard requires: written program, labels, safety data sheets and training, the 2026 to 2028 dates, and exposure records.
- [Process safety incident investigation (29 CFR 1910.119(m))](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/process-safety-incident-investigation): What 29 CFR 1910.119(m) requires: which incidents, the 48-hour start, the team, report contents, documented resolution and five-year retention.
- [Employee injury reporting and retaliation: 29 CFR 1904.35 and OSH Act section 11(c)](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/employee-reporting-and-retaliation): What OSHA requires of an injury reporting system under 1904.35, what Section 11(c) bans, and how incentive programs and drug testing are treated.
- [TRIR and DART rates: how to calculate them and what BLS 2024 national rates show](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/trir-and-dart-rates): How to calculate TRIR and DART with the 200,000-hour base, a worked example, and the BLS 2024 national incidence rates by industry, released January 2026.
- [OSHA electronic submission (29 CFR 1904.41): who submits what, and when](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/electronic-submission): Who must send OSHA Forms 300A, 300 and 301 online, the March 2 deadline, size and industry thresholds, and how the Injury Tracking Application works.
- [Construction recordkeeping: how OSHA Part 1904 applies to job sites and subcontractors](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/osha/construction-recordkeeping): How 29 CFR Part 1904 applies to construction: job-site establishments, one log or many, subcontractors, work-zone reporting and electronic submission.

## 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.

- [ASC survey readiness: how to be ready every day](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/survey-readiness/asc-survey-readiness): How CMS, state and accreditor surveys of surgery centers work, what surveyors request on day one, and a checklist to stay ready every day.
- [Nursing home recertification survey: what happens and what to have ready](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/survey-readiness/snf-recertification-survey): How CMS's standard health survey of a nursing home works, what incident and QAPI records surveyors request, and the new risk-based survey option.
- [Plan of correction: what CMS requires and how to write one that is accepted](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/survey-readiness/plan-of-correction): How 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 survey readiness: unannounced surveys and tracers](https://incidentkit.ai/compliance/survey-readiness/joint-commission-survey-readiness): How Joint Commission surveys work: unannounced timing, tracer methodology, what changed under Accreditation 360 in 2026, and how to stay ready all year.