The information posted on the Department of Health's website is posted in accordance with
requirements imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). These healthcare
facility search pages contain information regarding healthcare facility compliance with regulatory
requirements for licensure and for certification. Licensure permits the facility to operate in
Pennsylvania. Certification permits the facility to claim and receive payment for services rendered
from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The Department of Health, as state licensing agency and
State Survey Agency for CMS, conducts both routine and special inspections of health care facilities
to determine ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements which is a condition of licensure and
certification. If, during an inspection, the Department determines a facility does not meet
regulatory requirements for licensure and certification, the Department notifies the facility in
a Statement of Deficiencies. Health care facilities are
required to submit a Plan of Correction in response to the Statement of Deficiencies.
The Plan of Correction is mandatory, regardless whether the facility agrees with Department
findings or not, and is the means by which the Department monitors and ensures correction of deficiencies.
As long as the facility submits a Plan of Correction, the facility may continue to operate and
receive Medicare and Medicaid payment, while deficiencies are being corrected. A Plan of Correction,
for purposes of licensure and certification, is not an admission of wrongdoing on the part
of the facility.
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Nursing Care Facility Locator Page