Failure to Properly Label and Discard Medications in Medication Room
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that drugs and biologicals in the facility's medication room were not properly labeled or discarded according to accepted professional standards. Specifically, two Ozempic injector pens for two residents were found in the medication room refrigerator without clear open or expiration dates. One pen had a date written on the box, but the DON could not confirm if it was the open or expiration date, while the other pen had no date at all. The DON confirmed that all opened medications should be labeled with both an open date and an expiration date, and that Ozempic pens should be discarded 56 days after first use. Additionally, a bottle of liquid Omeprazole for another resident was found with an expiration date that had already passed, and the DON verified that the medication should have been discarded. The medication had also been discontinued prior to the survey but was still present in the medication room. Review of the facility's policy on storage and disposal of medications revealed that while it addressed disposal of outdated medications, it did not specify procedures for labeling medications when opened. The Administrator was unable to provide a policy regarding labeling of opened medications.