Expired Medication Found on Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to ensure drugs and biologicals were stored and labeled according to professional standards on one of four medication carts. Specifically, a box of famotidine 10mg with an expiration date of 4/2025 was found on the 200 hall nurse's medication cart after its expiration date. Interviews with nursing staff, including an LVN, the ADON, and the DON, confirmed that nurses were responsible for checking expiration dates and removing expired medications from the carts. The staff acknowledged that expired medications could be less effective or potentially cause adverse effects. A review of the facility's Medication Administration policy indicated that medications are to be administered by licensed nurses in accordance with professional standards, including identifying and notifying the nurse manager of expired medications. Despite this policy, expired medications were not removed from the medication cart as required, resulting in noncompliance with storage and labeling standards for drugs and biologicals.