Medication Storage and Labeling Deficiencies Identified
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple deficiencies related to the storage and labeling of medications. On B Hall, a medication cart was found to contain an open insulin pen that was not dated, and the registered nurse present admitted to opening it that morning and forgetting to date it. The resident care manager confirmed that all insulin should be dated upon opening. Additionally, the medication room's refrigerator temperature log for March was missing documentation for 11 out of 62 required checks, despite the refrigerator being used to store medications and emergency supplies. The resident care manager stated that temperatures should be monitored and logged twice daily by nursing staff. Further observations revealed a cup with food items, partially covered with a paper towel, left on top of the B Hall medication cart, with crumbs present and several nurses nearby who did not intervene. The director of nursing services acknowledged that refrigerator temperatures should have been documented at assigned times and that food should not have been left on the medication cart, confirming these practices did not meet facility expectations.