Expired Medications Found During Medication Pass
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that medications administered to a resident were not expired, as observed during a medication pass. Specifically, two medications for a resident with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and unspecified systolic heart failure were found to be expired. The medications included fluticasone propionate spray, which was dispensed and began use without an open date or expiration date, and Refresh Tears, which was dispensed on a specific date and expired shortly thereafter. This oversight was confirmed by a registered nurse during the medication pass. The facility's policies, revised and approved in April 2024, require nurses to check medication labels for expiration dates during each medication pass and to remove any expired drugs from the medication chart. However, these procedures were not followed, as evidenced by the expired medications found on the medication cart. The Director of Nursing acknowledged that expired nasal and ophthalmic drops could increase the risk of infections, indicating a failure to adhere to the facility's medication management policies.