Failure to Secure and Render Unusable Controlled Medication Disposal Containers
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to follow its own policy and regulatory requirements for the safe disposition and destruction of controlled prescription medications. During an observation in the shared DON and ADON office, two controlled medication disposal containers were found on top of a file cabinet. These containers were not secured, not sealed, and the contents were easily accessible by hand. The medications inside the containers were not rendered unusable, and pills could be seen and identified. Both the Pharmacist Consultant and the DON acknowledged that the containers were not securely sealed and that the medications could be accessed or removed, which was not in accordance with facility policy. A review of the facility's policies indicated that drugs should be destroyed in a manner that renders them unfit for human consumption, and that sealed containers must be maintained in a secure area until transferred to a waste disposal service. The policies also required that a substance be added to render medications unusable. The DON confirmed that these procedures were not followed, and that the unsecured, unsealed containers with accessible medications posed a risk of unauthorized access and drug diversion.