Medication Administration Errors in LTC Facility
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a medication error rate below five percent, resulting in a significant deficiency with an error rate of 48.78%. This affected all five residents observed during medication administration. The errors included omitted doses, incorrect administration techniques, and failure to adhere to physician-ordered parameters. For instance, Resident 26 did not receive Metoprolol Tartrate and Clonidine as prescribed, which are critical for managing hypertension. Similarly, Resident 209 was nearly administered Furosemide and Metoprolol Succinate ER despite their blood pressure being below the physician-ordered threshold. Resident 209 also missed doses of Potassium Chloride, Apixaban, and Lactobacillus, which are essential for maintaining heart function and preventing blood clots. Resident 211 did not receive Amoxicillin for an ear infection, and Resident 210 missed the application of Lidocaine cream for pain management. Additionally, Resident 19 experienced multiple errors in medication administration via a G-tube, including incorrect techniques and failure to flush the tube as ordered, which could lead to complications. These deficiencies were observed during medication pass observations and interviews with the Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) responsible for administering the medications. The LVN admitted to not following up with the pharmacy or physician regarding unavailable medications and acknowledged errors in administering medications outside of prescribed parameters. The facility's failure to ensure proper medication administration placed residents at risk for significant medical complications.
Removal Plan
- A medication reconciliation for active medication orders and medication availability was completed by licensed staff for the residents listed above. Identified medication that was not available was called to the pharmacy for immediate delivery. Medications available based on physician summary orders, there were no missing medications.
- The Regional Nurse Consultant provided re-education to the Director of Nursing, the Director of Staff Development and the Infection Preventionist regarding medication administration, documentation, and medication availability. RNC observed the DON, the DSD and the IP perform medication administration.
- The pharmacy consultant reviewed physician orders and availability of the medications in the medication carts. There were no missing medications identified.
- All active licensed nurses identified were provided re-education related to medication administration, documentation, and medication availability by the Director of Nurses/Designee to include medication administration competency. Those nurses who did not have medication administration competency skill check will not be allowed to work on the floor. Medication administration competency was initiated and will continue until the eligible active licensed nurses have completed the course. Staff members on Family Medical Leave Act will be prohibited from administering medications until they have completed the competency skills. The DON, DSD, and IP observed licensed nurses conduct medication administration.
- Seven residents with g-tube were re-evaluated by licensed staff for medical complications due to potential medication administration error.
- Thirty-seven residents with medications requiring parameters were re-evaluated by licensed staff for medical complications due to medication administration error. None were identified.
- A medication reconciliation for active medication orders and medication availability were completed by licensed staff. Any identified medications not available were called to the pharmacy for immediate delivery. There were no missing medications identified.
- The Director of Nurses/Designee initiated re-education related to medication administration, documentation, medication availability, and re-ordering of medications by the Director of Nurses to include medication administration competency. Medication administration competency was conducted until active eligible Licensed Nurses completed. Staff on FMLA will not be allowed to administer meds without completing competency skills.
- The Director of Nurses initiated retraining to the night shift staff on how to audit the medication carts, re-order, and track medication. The medication cart audits will be reviewed weekly by the Director of Nursing/Designee for any necessary follow-up until substantial compliance is met.
- Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Project was implemented. The Director of Nursing / Designee will monitor medication administration and medication availability and documentation. Any trends will be discussed on Cottage Crest Post Acute monthly QA meetings.
Penalty
Resources
Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:
Medication error rate exceeded the required threshold when an RN administered Amlodipine and Losartan Potassium to a resident despite a pulse below the ordered hold parameter of 60. The resident had HTN, hypotension, Parkinsonism, and moderate cognitive impairment. The RN acknowledged the error, and the DON and ADM stated they were unaware the physician orders had not been followed until after the observation.
Medication Administration Errors Exceeded Allowed Rate: The facility had a 5% med error rate based on 2 errors in 40 opportunities. During observation, an MA gave one resident guaifenesin 400 mg instead of the ordered 600 mg dose, and gave another resident cranberry 450 mg instead of the ordered 500 mg dose. The MA stated she caught one error but missed the other, while the DON said he was unsure when staff last received med admin training and the ADM expected staff to verify the correct dose before giving meds.
An LPN administered nine oral medications to a resident 1 hour and 36 minutes late, despite provider orders specifying an 8:00 AM administration time. Surveyors found nine errors in 31 medication administration opportunities, and the DON stated the expected medication window was 1 hour before and 1 hour after the ordered time.
Medication administration error rates exceeded the allowed threshold when an MA gave scheduled meds to two residents after the ordered 9:00 a.m. time. One resident had dementia, HTN, atherosclerosis, and clotting-related diagnoses and received acetaminophen, warfarin, atenolol, and enalapril late; another resident with HTN, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain received amlodipine, duloxetine, gabapentin, and Gemtesa late. Staff interviews confirmed expectations for timely administration, and the facility policy reviewed did not include a specific medication-time policy.
Medication Error Rate Exceeded Allowed Threshold: An LPN prepared and nearly administered two incorrect medications for a resident, including a BP medication without checking the resident’s BP despite a hold parameter and Meclizine at 25 mg instead of the ordered 12.5 mg. The survey found the facility’s medication error rate was 8% (2 errors out of 25 opportunities), exceeding the required rate of less than 5%.
Medication error rate exceeded the allowed threshold after surveyors found 3 errors in 25 opportunities. An RN gave insulin at an inappropriate site for a resident with DM and severe cognitive impairment, and a Med Aide failed to administer ordered eye drops and did not give the full ordered dose of a laxative for another resident with severe cognitive impairment. The DON stated staff were expected to audit and replenish carts and notify nursing if OTC meds were needed.
Medication Given Outside Ordered Vital Sign Parameters
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that its medication error rate remained below 5 percent. Surveyors found an 8 percent medication error rate based on 2 errors out of 25 opportunities, involving 1 of 3 residents reviewed for medication administration. The deficiency centered on Resident #81, an [AGE]-year-old female admitted on 03/06/2026 with diagnoses including hypotension, candidiasis, essential primary hypertension, Parkinsonism, and cognitive communication deficit. Her quarterly MDS dated 06/09/2026 showed a BIMS score of 08, indicating moderate cognitive impairment. Resident #81 had physician orders for Amlodipine 5 mg daily and Losartan Potassium 50 mg twice daily, both with instructions to hold if pulse was less than 60. During a medication administration observation, RN A checked the resident’s vital signs before giving the medications and obtained a blood pressure of 129/65 and a pulse of 57. Despite the pulse being below the ordered parameter, RN A administered both Amlodipine and Losartan Potassium and then documented the medications as given on the MAR. During interview, RN A stated the resident should not have received either medication because the pulse was below the ordered parameter and acknowledged that she made an error and did not realize the pulse was below the set parameters at the time of administration. The DON and ADM stated they were not aware the orders had not been followed until after the observation and confirmed that nursing administration was responsible for ensuring medications were given according to physician orders. The facility policy stated medications are to be administered in accordance with prescriber orders and that vital signs are checked and verified when necessary before administration.
Medication Administration Errors Exceeded Allowed Rate
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure its medication error rate was less than 5 percent. Based on observation, interview, and record review, the facility had a medication error rate of 5% based on 2 out of 40 opportunities for 2 of 4 residents reviewed for medication administration. The errors involved MA G giving Resident #56 guaifenesin 400 mg instead of the ordered Mucinex oral tablet extended release 12 hour 600 mg, and giving Resident #47 cranberry 450 mg instead of the ordered cranberry soft oral tablet chewable 500 mg. Resident #56 was a [AGE] year-old male admitted and readmitted with diagnoses including acute respiratory failure, protein-calorie malnutrition, and quadriplegia, and had a physician order for guaifenesin 600 mg once daily for cough. During medication administration observation, MA G dispensed guaifenesin 400 mg to the resident. Resident #47 was a [AGE] year-old male admitted and readmitted with diagnoses including acute respiratory failure, immunodeficiency, and neuromuscular dysfunction of bladder, and had an order for cranberry 500 mg twice daily related to neuromuscular dysfunction of bladder. During observation, MA G dispensed cranberry 450 mg to the resident. MA G stated she caught the error for Resident #56 and another nurse obtained the correct dose, but she did not notice the wrong dose for Resident #47 and stated it was her fault. The DON stated he was unsure when staff last received medication administration training and was not aware of such training during his time as DON. The ADM stated staff were expected to verify the correct dose before giving medications.
Medication Administration Timing Error Exceeded Allowed Error Rate
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a medication error rate of less than five percent. During observation, interview, and record review, surveyors found that Staff J, an LPN, prepared and administered nine oral medications to Resident 96 at 9:36 AM even though the provider’s orders for June 2026 specified that the medications were to be given at 8:00 AM. The medications were administered one hour and 36 minutes late, and this accounted for nine errors in 31 opportunities during medication administration for 1 of 6 sampled residents reviewed for medication administration. During interview, Staff J stated nurses had up to two hours to administer medications after the ordered time, while the DON stated the medication administration time was one hour before and one hour after the specific time of the order and that the nurse’s practice did not meet expectations.
Medication Administration Times Not Followed
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that medication error rates remained below 5 percent. Surveyors observed a medication error rate of 32% based on 8 errors out of 25 opportunities, involving two residents and one medication aide during medication administration observations. The errors involved medications being administered outside the scheduled administration window for two residents. Resident #2 was an older male admitted with diagnoses including unspecified dementia, hypertensive heart disease, atherosclerosis of the aorta, and embolism and thrombosis of arteries of the extremities. His medication orders included acetaminophen, warfarin, atenolol, and enalapril, with scheduled administration times of 9:00 a.m. During observation, MA A began preparing and then administered Resident #2's medications at 10:30 a.m. to 10:36 a.m., after the scheduled time shown on the eMAR. MA A stated the medications were due at 9:00 a.m. and said she did not get there until 9:00 a.m. Resident #3 was an older female admitted with diagnoses including hypertensive heart disease, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and chronic joint pain. Her orders included amlodipine, duloxetine, gabapentin, and Gemtesa, with scheduled administration times of 9:00 a.m. for the daily medications and 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. for gabapentin. During observation, MA A prepared and administered Resident #3's medications at 10:36 a.m. to 10:40 a.m., after the scheduled 9:00 a.m. time shown on the eMAR. Interviews with LVN C, LVN B, and the DON reflected that staff were trained on medication administration times and that medications should generally be given within one hour before or after the scheduled time, with notification to the MD, DON, ADON, and family if given late. The facility's policy titled Administering Oral Medications did not include a specific policy regarding medication administration times, and the referenced Administering Medications policy was not available.
Medication Error Rate Exceeded Allowed Threshold
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain a medication error rate of less than 5%, with a documented error rate of 8% based on 2 errors out of 25 opportunities. During a medication administration observation with an LPN, Resident #81’s medications were prepared using the electronic medical record, and the nurse retrieved one Olmesartan/amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide 40/10/25 mg tablet and one Meclizine 25 mg tablet and placed them in a medication cup. The nurse entered the resident’s room and placed the cup on the resident’s table, stating, “here’s your medication,” before the surveyor intervened and directed review of the physician orders. Review of the resident’s orders showed the Olmesartan/amlodipine/hydrochlorothiazide order included instructions to hold the medication if systolic blood pressure was less than 100, but the nurse had not checked the resident’s blood pressure before administration. The orders also showed Meclizine was prescribed at 12.5 mg, not the 25 mg tablet the nurse had prepared. In interview, the LPN confirmed she was prepared to administer the medications as set up, was unaware of the resident’s blood pressure status, and confirmed the Meclizine dose was incorrect. The unit manager stated medications were expected to be administered according to physician orders, with required vital signs obtained and medication dosage checked before administration. The resident’s care plan identified the resident as at risk for fluctuation in blood pressure and directed staff to administer medications as directed.
Medication Error Rate Exceeded Threshold
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that its medication error rate was not 5 percent or greater. Surveyors identified 3 medication errors out of 25 opportunities, resulting in a 12.0% error rate during medication administration observations for two residents. The report states that these failures could place residents at risk for incomplete therapeutic outcomes and decline in health. For one resident with Type 2 DM with hyperglycemia, cerebral infarction, heart failure, and severe cognitive impairment, RN A administered Novolog insulin at the resident’s deltoid area after the resident exposed her right arm, even though RN A stated insulin should be injected into fatty tissue in a subcutaneous area. The resident’s blood glucose was 255, and RN A had prepared both Novolog and Toujeo before entering the room. RN A stated she automatically gave the Novolog on the arm because the resident wanted it there. For another resident with constipation, essential hypertension, cerebral infarction, and severe cognitive impairment, MA A administered several oral medications but did not give the ordered artificial tears because they were not in the cart. MA A said she would get the medication from central supplies, went to an unidentified door, and then returned and signed off the EMAR after no one answered. Medication reconciliation later identified that the resident was also supposed to receive 2 tablets of Sennosides, and the DON stated staff were expected to audit and replenish carts and notify the nurse or unit manager if OTC medications were needed.
Trusted data from CMS and state health departments
Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release July 29, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.
In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.
The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.