The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has decided that citations at F-tag 454 Life Safety from Fire will no longer apply. In a S&C Letter, “Citations at F Tag 454 – 42 CFR §483.70 Physical Environment, §483.70(a) Life Safety from Fire” (Ref: S&C: 14-03-NH/LSC) issued on October 25, 2013, CMS notes that all citations that would have been made under F-454 should now be made under the relevant Life Safety Code (LSC) K-tags.
This change was made after reviewing citations under F-454 and recognizing that F-454 is typically used as a cross-reference to LSC K-tag deficiencies, and these findings often could have been cited more properly under specific K-tags. F-454 has been removed from the ASPEN system as a result.