Regulatory Update on F918: Bedrooms Equipped/Near Lavatory/Toilet!
CMS Clarifies Key F918 Guidance (4/28/2025)! The recent updates provide fresh clarity on bathroom facilities, especially pinpointing which facilities (those with key changes after Nov 28, 2016 like new construction, certification, certain ownership changes, or re-enrollment) MUST have an in-room bathroom (or the "Jack & Jill" setup for single rooms). Our blog post unpacks this newly emphasized guidance on the qualifying criteria.
5/16/20251 min read
📢 Regulatory Update on F918: Bedrooms Equipped/Near Lavatory/Toilet! 🚽 🚿
Hey everyone! CMS dropped some updates to F918 on 4/28/2025, and while this one might not be the most talked about, it's got some important changes for physical environments.
Let's break it down! 👇
The Basics (For ALL Facilities): 🏠
Every resident room needs a toilet 🚽 & bathing facility 🛀 either IN it or very nearby.
"Toilet facilities" = a space with a sink 💧 + toilet/commode.
"Bathing facilities" = a space with a shower 🚿 or tub 🛁.
Stricter Rules for "Newer" Facilities (Post Nov 28, 2016): ✨🗓️
If your facility was:
✅ Approved for construction after 11/28/2016
🆕 Newly certified after 11/28/2016
🤝 Had a specific type of ownership change (new provider agreement) after 11/28/2016
🔄 Re-enrolled as newly certified after a termination, effective after 11/28/2016
...THEN, each resident room must have its OWN bathroom with at least a toilet & sink.
(Plus, max 2 residents per bedroom 🛏️🛏️)
🎉 HERE'S THE BIG UPDATE for these "Newer" Facilities! 🎉
The latest guidance clarifies something cool for these newer setups:
-Two SINGLE-OCCUPANCY rooms (meaning 🧍 one resident per room) can SHARE a "Jack & Jill" bathroom! 🚪🚽🚪
-This shared bathroom must have at least a toilet 🚽 and a sink 💧.
-This setup IS COMPLIANT with the rules for both bathrooms and room occupancy! ✅👍
🔑 SUPER IMPORTANT CAVEAT for the "Jack & Jill" setup:
-This only works if EACH of those two connected rooms remains strictly single occupancy (just ONE resident 🧍 in each).
-If either room houses more than one resident, then that "Jack & Jill" bathroom setup is NO LONGER compliant. ❌
What this means: For facilities meeting the "newer" criteria, this update allows a bit more flexibility for layouts with two private rooms sharing a bathroom, potentially avoiding major rehab, AS LONG AS those rooms stay private (single-occupancy). 🥳
Other Quick Notes:
🆘 During public health emergencies, waivers might be possible (chat with CMS).
📋 Not following these rules = noncompliance.
Hope this helps make sense of the changes! Stay informed!
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