Knoxville Senior AdvisorHow do I confirm a Knoxville assisted living facility is licensed?
Search the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission's Health Care Facilities listing (internet.health.tn.gov/FacilityListings) by facility type and county or by name; an active license shows a license number, status “Licensed,” licensed beds and an expiration date.
If a residence you are touring does not appear, ask what license it holds. A place that houses and cares for older adults without the right license is a red flag, and you can report it to HFC. Our directory reproduces every active ACLF, home for the aged, nursing home, home health agency and hospice license in Knox, Blount, Anderson, Loudon, Sevier, Roane and Union counties.
What should I look at in the HFC facility listing?
Look at four fields: the date of last survey, the original licensure date, the management company, and the count of disciplinary actions, which links to each order.
- Date of last survey. Compare it with the 15-month inspection cycle in the ACLF rule. An older date is a reason to ask for the latest statement of deficiencies.
- Original licensure. A long-licensed building has a track record; a newly licensed one may have changed hands.
- Managed by. Several Knoxville buildings share operators; checking sister buildings tells you how a company behaves.
- Disciplinary actions. Open each order and read what was cited, not only the dollar amount.
What are Tennessee's Facility Action and Abuse Reports?
They are monthly PDF reports from the Health Facilities Commission listing penalties and other actions taken against licensed facilities statewide, with each licensee's name, license number, city and penalty.
We match every report since January 2025 to the licenses in our directory by license number and name, and show matches on the facility's page. Consent orders dominate: the operator accepts civil monetary penalties instead of contesting the findings. Probation, contingent change-of-ownership orders and required proof of fire drills also appear.
How do I see inspection results for an ACLF in Tennessee?
Ask the facility for its most recent statement of deficiencies and plan of correction, or request them through the Health Facilities Commission's public records portal; Tennessee does not post ACLF survey reports online in bulk.
Facilities should be able to hand you the latest survey without delay. If one hesitates, that is information too. For nursing homes the task is easier: CMS posts inspection reports and deficiency details for every certified home on Care Compare.
Is a clean record enough to choose a Knoxville facility?
No. A clean record means only that no penalty order was issued; ordinary deficiencies are corrected through plans of correction without discipline, and records say nothing about the daily feel of a building.
Use the record to choose which places to visit and what to ask, then visit twice, once at a mealtime and once in the evening or on a weekend. Talk to residents and their families in the lobby. Ask the long-term care ombudsman, who visits these buildings regularly, whether there are patterns you should know about.
Side by side
| The state record tells you | The state record does not tell you | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Whether the license is active and for how many beds | The monthly price |
| Inspections | When surveyors last came, per the listing | Exactly what they found, for ACLFs |
| Enforcement | Every disciplinary order and penalty | Problems fixed without an order |
| Culture | Nothing about staff warmth or food | Whether your parent will be happy there |
Sources: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. chapters 0720-26, 0720-21 and 0720-18; Health Facilities Commission, TennCare and Department of Disability and Aging pages; CareScout and VA rate tables, as cited above. See our editorial standards.
