Care-facility inspections
How nursing homes and care facilities in Rhode Island are inspected, licensed, and held to account.
16 laws · 5 enforcement actions · 5 guides · 3 court decisions
See the details
The laws 16
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-2 — Definitions applicable to the Licensing of Healthcare Facilities chapter; webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-4 — License required for healthcare facility operation; no person may establish, conduct, or maintain a healthcare facility (including a nursing facility) in Rhode Island without a license under Chapter 23-17 webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-8 — Denial, suspension, or revocation of license; the core sanctions statute authorizing RIDOH (the licensing agency) to deny, suspend, or revoke a healthcare-facility license (including a nursing facility license) af… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-9 — Judicial review of license action; a facility aggrieved by a final RIDOH licensing decision may seek judicial review under the Administrative Procedures Act (§§ 42-35-15, 42-35-16), the review mechanism underlying… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-12 — Inspections of nursing facilities; requires unannounced RIDOH inspections, sets a minimum survey frequency (with extra surveys for facilities cited for substandard care, bimonthly for 12 months), and requires at… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-12.3 — Penalty for violation of §§ 23-17-12 through 23-17-12.2; a fine of up to $300 per violation against any person, including a "controlling person" (5%+ owner, general partner, officer, etc.) of a nursing facility webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-17 — Penalty for operation of an unlicensed health care facility: a fine of not more than $5,000 or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both, per offense webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-19.1 — Rights of patients; every licensed healthcare facility (including nursing facilities) must observe baseline patient rights (considerate/respectful care, physician identification, right to refuse treatment, priv… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.4-2 — Definitions under the Assisted Living Residence Licensing Act; defines "activities of daily living," "administrator," "assisted living residence," and related terms webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.4-4 — License required for assisted living residence operation; no ALR may be established, conducted, or maintained without a license, and no resident may be admitted/retained if the ALR cannot meet the resident's ser… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.4-8 — Denial, suspension, or revocation of an assisted living residence license after notice and a hearing for failure to comply with Chapter 23-17.4 (the ALR-license counterpart to § 23-17-8's nursing/healthcare-faci… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.5-9 — Abuse (Rights of Nursing Home Patients Act); nursing-home patients shall be free from mental/physical abuse and from chemical or physical restraints except as authorized in writing by a physician for a limited t… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.5-21 — Penalties; a nursing home that refuses/neglects to post the Rights of Nursing Home Patients provisions or otherwise violates the chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, fined up to $500 and/or up to six months in j… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.8-2 — Duty to report abuse in health care facilities; mandates that physicians, nurses, nurse's aides, and a long list of other professionals report suspected abuse, mistreatment, or neglect of a facility patient/resi… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.8-10 — Penalties for abuse in health care facilities; up to $3,000 fine and/or 3 years imprisonment for knowing abuse/mistreatment/neglect of a facility patient/resident, up to $5,000 against a facility that condoned/… webserver.rilegislature.gov
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17.8-10.1 — License revocation; any person convicted of a Chapter 23-17.8 violation (other than the posting requirement) forfeits any professional license or certification webserver.rilegislature.gov
Know your rights 5
- RIDOH Center for Health Facilities Regulation — the Center's own mission/function statement: manages and coordinates health-care facility licensing, "operates a public-centered, responsive and uniform enforcement program in accordance with… health.ri.gov
- RIDOH consumer guide, "Choosing A Nursing Home" — walks families through comparing facilities (cross-referencing, but not incorporating, the federal Medicare Nursing Home Compare site), scheduling visits, talking to the facility's Ombudsman… health.ri.gov
- RIDOH Center for Health Facilities Regulation form, "Assisted Living Residence Required Incident Reporting" — the operative form/guidance ALRs must use to report abuse, neglect, mistreatment, misappropriation/exploitation, and other acciden… health.ri.gov
- RIDOH Center for Health Facilities Regulation form, "Home Nursing Care Provider (HNCP)/Home Care Provider (HCP) Agency Self-Reporting Incident Form" — required-reporting guidance directing HNCPs/HCPs to report abuse, neglect, and misappropr… health.ri.gov
- RIDOH Center for Health Facilities Regulation resource, "State Fire Marshal Presentation of Regulatory Changes" (5/19/2026) — surveyor/provider guidance on Rhode Island's adoption of the 2021 NFPA code cycle (Fire Code, Life Safety Code, sp… health.ri.gov
Enforcement actions
None on file yet — the federal backstop still applies.
Orders & settlements 5
- 216-RICR-40-10-1, Licensing of Nursing Facilities — RIDOH's substantive nursing-facility licensing regulation, promulgated under R.I. Gen. rules.sos.ri.gov
- 216-RICR-40-10-2, Licensing Assisted Living Residences — RIDOH's ALR licensing regulation under Chapter 23-17.4, defining minimum standards for licensure, resident care, and ALR maintenance/operation rules.sos.ri.gov
- 216-RICR-40-10-17, Licensing Home Nursing Care Providers and Home Care Providers — RIDOH's licensing regulation for home nursing care and home care agencies under R.I. Gen. rules.sos.ri.gov
- 216-RICR-40-10-7, Licensing Adult Day Care Programs — RIDOH's adult day care licensing regulation under R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-52(a), setting prevailing standards for licensed adult day care programs in Rhode Island rules.sos.ri.gov
- 216-RICR-40-10-11, Licensing Hospice Care — RIDOH's hospice licensing regulation under R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 23-17-2(9) and 23-17-10(a)(1), adopting minimum standards for licensed hospice care in Rhode Island rules.sos.ri.gov
Court decisions 3
- Alpine Nursing Home, Inc., et al. v. State of Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, et al., C.A. No. PC-2017-3369 (R.I. Super. Ct., filed Apr. courts.ri.gov
- John Jalowy v. The Friendly Home, Inc., et al., No. 2001-238-Appeal (PC 93-511) (R.I. Sup. Ct.) — Rhode Island Supreme Court opinion on a nursing/assisted-living facility's six-week visitation ban against a resident's son, addressing retali… courts.ri.gov
- Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association of Rhode Island v. Charlesgate Nursing Center, L.P., et al., No. 2013-359-Appeal (PC 12-5088) (R.I. Sup. courts.ri.gov
Official notices 2
- RIDOH Nursing Homes licensing-hub notice that the state-law moratorium on establishing new nursing facilities and on increasing the licensed capacity of existing nursing-facility licenses (R.I. Gen. health.ri.gov
- Rhode Island Attorney General press release/bulletin, "AG Neronha Issues Guidance on Federal Stimulus Payments for Nursing Home Residents" — reminds named-category facilities (nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and long-term care fa… riag.ri.gov