Expired Medications Found in Medication Cart and Storage Room
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to remove expired medications from both a medication cart and a medication room. Specifically, one bottle of expired cetirizine hydrochloride 5 mg was found inside the Main St Medication Cart, with an expiration date of 3/2025. A Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) confirmed during the observation that the medication was expired and should not have been present in the cart. The LVN also stated that registered nurses were responsible for auditing the medication carts for expired medications. Additionally, a bottle of expired haloperidol decanoate, labeled as expired since 1/2025, was found stored in the refrigerator of Medication Room Nursing Station 2. Another LVN confirmed that the expired medication should have been disposed of before its expiration date and that licensed nurses assigned to the station were responsible for monthly checks for expired medications. The Director of Nursing (DON) stated that expired medications should not be present in storage areas and that administering expired medication would be considered a medication error. Facility policy indicated that outdated non-controlled drugs should be stored in a secured area until picked up by pharmaceutical waste disposal or pharmacy personnel.