US · guidance
CMS SOM App. U, Tag R209
§403.742(b) Standard: Patient Rooms
Patient rooms must be designed and equipped for adequate care, comfort, and
privacy of the patient.
Interpretive Guidelines: §403.742(b)
Each patient has the right to be provided care in a safe setting and a right to privacy. To
help patients feel more comfortable, patients should have an ability to have control of
their privacy, including avoiding being ‘on display’ to people in the hallway by having a
privacy curtain at the room door which they control. Additional considerations may also
include easy access to phones and personal computing devices and easy-to-reach outlets
for charging those devices.
Patient rooms should be maintained in a clean manner. It is the responsibility of the
RNHCI to ensure patient rooms are free from hazards, including waste and trash.
Survey Procedures:
• Request to visit a patient in their room. Observe the room and bathroom, if
applicable, for cleanliness.
• Ask the patient if they feel they have privacy within their room.
History
Rev. 239; Issued: 04-24-26; Effective: 04-24-26; Implementation: 04-24-26
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-22
- Edition
- som-2026-07-22
- Content hash
20b88b959e3d5a42ab3fee133f24ed5072d180928d6efeadeba2c44724177649
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