Expired Medications Not Removed from Medication Cart and Storage Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to properly dispose of expired medications, as evidenced by the presence of expired drugs in both the medication cart and storage room. During an inspection, an expired card of Ondansetron 4 mg was found in the medication cart for a resident with diagnoses including type 1 diabetes, heart failure, and chronic pain syndrome. The medication card, which contained 26 pills, had an expiration date of 12/27/24, yet was still available for administration months after expiration. Nursing staff confirmed the medication was expired and acknowledged that pharmacy staff are expected to check for expired medications, but the expired medication remained accessible. Additionally, two bottles of expired Aspirin 325 mg, with an expiration date of September 2024, were found in the medication storage room. These were identified as stock medications and not resident-specific. Nursing staff and the DON confirmed that pharmacy checks are supposed to occur monthly, but also revealed that the pharmacy only spot checks and does not provide documentation of these checks. The facility's policy requires monthly examination of medication storage areas and quarterly checks of medication carts for expired medications, but these procedures were not followed, resulting in expired medications being present and accessible.