Patient rights violations remain the deficiency hospitals are cited for most often by federal surveyors in 2026, according to a Becker’s analysis of CMS inspection data.
Becker’s reviewed 3,587 CMS Form 2567 statements of deficiency — the reports surveyors file after inspecting a hospital — recorded between Jan. 1 and Aug. 24, 2026. Most reports stemmed from complaint investigations, and 943 of the inspections resulted in at least one deficiency tied to the hospital conditions of participation.
As in recent years, the citation named most frequently was patient rights: care in a safe setting, which appeared in 195 inspections — about 1 in 20. Supervision of contract staff, a deficiency that has climbed steadily since the pandemic-era workforce crunch, ranked second, ahead of RN supervision of nursing care.
The 15 most common citations so far in 2026, with the number of inspections in which each appeared and its share of all inspections:
1. Patient rights: Care in a safe setting — 195 citations (5.4%)
2. Supervision of contract staff — 176 citations (4.9%)
3. RN supervision of nursing care — 165 citations (4.6%)
4. Compliance with 489.24 (transfers) — 116 citations (3.2%)
5. Patient rights — 109 citations (3%)
6. Nursing services — 99 citations (2.8%)
7. Medical screening exam — 83 citations (2.3%)
8. Administration of drugs — 75 citations (2.1%)
9. Nursing care plan — 70 citations (2%)
10. Patient rights: Free from abuse/harassment — 66 citations (1.8%)
11. Patient rights: Informed consent — 59 citations (1.6%)
12. Patient rights: Restraint or seclusion (physician order) — 47 citations (1.3%)
13. Patient rights: Restraint or seclusion (monitoring) — 43 citations (1.2%)
14. Infection control surveillance and prevention — 38 citations (1.1%)
15. Patient safety — 33 citations (0.9%)
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