PCREE Testing Form: What Skilled Nursing Facilities Are Required to Document

When SNF administrators search for a "PCREE testing form," they're usually looking for one of two things: a blank form they can give to a testing vendor, or a record-keeping template to satisfy a surveyor. This page addresses both — what the documentation must contain, how to evaluate a vendor's form, and what to do if your current documentation has gaps.

What Is a PCREE Testing Form?

A PCREE testing form — sometimes called an electrical safety test record, biomedical inspection report, or equipment safety log — is the written record generated every time a biomedical technician performs electrical safety testing on patient care equipment in your facility.

Under NFPA 99 (Healthcare Facilities Code) and CMS Conditions of Participation (42 CFR 483.70), skilled nursing facilities are required to maintain these records for every piece of Patient Care Related Electrical Equipment. The form itself is the proof of compliance during a CMS or state survey.

Think of it this way: the test is what makes your facility safe. The form is what keeps you out of trouble during a survey.

What Must Be on a PCREE Testing Form

NFPA 99 does not specify an exact form format, but the standard requires documentation that demonstrates compliance with its testing requirements. Surveyors have developed clear expectations about what constitutes adequate documentation. A complete PCREE testing form must include all of the following:

Equipment Identification

• Equipment description — device type and manufacturer (e.g., "Stryker 3002 Hospital Bed")
• Asset or equipment ID number — your facility's internal tracking number
• Serial number — the manufacturer's serial number
• Location — room or unit where the equipment is assigned

Test Information

• Date of inspection
• Next scheduled inspection date — based on risk classification
• Test equipment used — make, model, and calibration date of the safety analyzer

Measured Values

This is the technical core of the form. The technician must record actual measured values — not just pass/fail checkboxes — for each of the following:

The form must show the actual measured number, not just "pass." A form that reads "chassis leakage: OK" with no measurement is inadequate and can result in a citation.

Pass/Fail Determination

Each tested item must be clearly marked as passing or failing against the applicable NFPA 99 threshold. Equipment that fails must have a disposition noted — removed from service, repaired, or re-tested.

Technician Credentials and Signature

• Technician name
• Credential or certification — CBET, RBET, CLES, or equivalent
• Signature
• Company or organization

CMS Does Not Publish a Standard Form

This surprises many administrators: CMS has no official PCREE testing form template. There is no PDF on CMS.gov that you download and hand to a vendor. What CMS requires is documentation that meets the substance of NFPA 99 — the specific format is left to the facility and its testing contractor.

In practice, this means:

• Your testing vendor will provide their own form
• You should evaluate that form against the requirements above before accepting it
• If a vendor hands you a form that doesn't include actual measured values, ask for a revised format before the inspection

Some facilities create their own internal tracking spreadsheet or binder system. That's fine — as long as the underlying test reports from the vendor contain all required data and are attached or on file.

How Long Must PCREE Testing Records Be Kept?

CMS requires a minimum of 6 years for most compliance documentation. Many state health departments impose longer periods — some require up to 10 years for Life Safety Code-related records. Check your state's specific regulations with your DOH or long-term care licensing body.

Best practice is to keep records in two formats:

• Paper originals — signed, stored in a designated binder by inspection year
• Digital copies — scanned and stored in your facility management system or a shared drive

During a survey, inspectors may ask to see records from the current year and prior years. Having organized, easily retrievable documentation is itself a signal of a well-run compliance program.

What a Surveyor Does With the Form

During a CMS Life Safety Code survey, the surveyor will typically:

1. Ask to see your most recent PCREE testing records
2. Select several pieces of equipment at random and cross-reference them against the testing log
3. Verify that each record contains actual measured values (not just checkboxes)
4. Check the technician's credentials
5. Confirm the test date falls within the required interval
6. Look for any failed items and verify they were removed or repaired

Common findings that result in citations: missing records for equipment in patient care areas, forms with no leakage measurements, tests performed outside the required interval, and credentials that cannot be verified.

Evaluating Your Vendor's Testing Form

If you already have a testing vendor, pull out their most recent report and run through this checklist:

• Does it list each piece of equipment individually with asset ID and serial number?
• Does it show actual measured leakage current values (in µA), not just "pass"?
• Does it show actual ground resistance measurements (in Ω)?
• Is the technician's certification listed and legible?
• Does it include the next scheduled test date?
• Is it signed by the technician?

If any of these are missing, that's a gap to address before your next survey. A quality vendor will produce a report that answers all of these without being asked — it's a basic indicator of whether you're working with someone who understands compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

If you're building or auditing your PCREE documentation program, start with the free checklist below — it covers all documentation requirements alongside the physical testing checklist, so you can identify gaps before a surveyor does.

If you need a certified testing vendor to perform inspections and produce compliant documentation, use the quote form to get connected with a credentialed biomedical technician in your state.