A surveyor doesn’t stop at your EMR. They look at your building, your staff, and your residents — and the 2026 citation data confirms exactly where that scrutiny is landing hardest.
CMS Compliance Group analyzed national and regional recertification survey data from CMS CASPER/QCOR through August 4, 2026 — covering 7,349 standard surveys across 14,722 active providers. The national top 10 tells one story. The regional breakdowns tell another — and for multi-site operators, the regional picture is often more important than the national headline.
A few things that stand out immediately in this year’s data:
Infection control is cited on more than half of all standard surveys nationally. One operational department appears in the top 3 in every single CMS region — the only tag with that distinction. And in at least three regions, a deficiency area is quietly climbing the rankings well before it has shown up as a national headline.
The full report breaks down the top 10 citations nationally and across all 10 CMS regions — with key insights for each region that flag what’s elevated locally versus what’s driving the national numbers.
[Download the CMSCG Survey Citation Trends Report — August 2026]
Questions about what these trends mean for your facility or portfolio? Contact CMSCG at info@cmscg.net or (631) 692-4422.
