Expired Medications Not Removed from Active Supply
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to remove expired medications from the current medication supply for two residents. For one resident with a history of chronic pain and moderately impaired cognition, an expired card of tramadol HCL 50 mg half tablets was found in the medication cart, with an expiration date that had already passed. The medication had been discontinued, but the expired supply remained accessible in the cart. A registered nurse confirmed the medication was expired and acknowledged it should have been removed when it expired. The facility's process includes checks by the director of nursing and pharmacy representatives, but the expired medication was not identified or removed during these checks. For another resident with arthritis and moderately impaired cognition, expired albuterol nebulizer solution was found in the medication room cabinet among other residents' medications. The expiration date had passed, but the medication was still present in the active supply. A registered nurse confirmed the medication was expired and stated it should have been removed from the medication room. The facility's policy requires immediate removal and destruction of expired medications, but this procedure was not followed in these instances.