Expired Medications Found in Storage
Penalty
Summary
During an inspection of the medication storage room, three over-the-counter bottles of medication—Simethicone, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B complex—were found stored past their expiration dates. The Simethicone had expired in January 2025, the Vitamin A in June 2024, and the Vitamin B complex in September 2024. These expired medications were discovered in a medication cabinet accessible within the facility. Interviews with the Registered Nurse Supervisor (RNS) and the Director of Nurses (DON) confirmed that the expired medications should have been discarded according to the facility's policies and procedures. The facility's policies, reviewed during the survey, clearly state that expired medications must be removed from active supply and destroyed, and that discontinued, expired, or deteriorated drugs and biologicals are not to be used. Both the RNS and DON acknowledged that these policies were not followed, resulting in the continued storage of expired medications.