Expired and Unlabeled Medical Supplies Found in Central Supply Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that medical supplies in the central medical supply room were properly labeled and removed from storage if expired. During an observation, surveyors found expired Bard urethral catheters and several sterile suction catheters without documented expiration dates. The Support Services Manager (SSM) acknowledged that some supplies were sourced from the hospital and admitted there was no established process for verifying expiration dates on items lacking visible dates. The SSM also stated that expiration dates were checked weekly, but there was not a good process in place to verify expiration dates, especially for supplies without clear labeling. Additionally, a licensed nurse indicated that expired items were expected to be disposed of by nursing staff, and products without expiration dates would be reported to the nurse manager. Review of the facility's policy revealed that department managers were responsible for monitoring supply dates, with the SSM conducting spot inspections during bi-weekly housekeeping checks. However, the presence of expired and unlabeled supplies indicated that these procedures were not effectively implemented, resulting in the deficiency.