Failure to Properly Label Insulin Pens with Open and Expiration Dates
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that insulin flex pens for multiple residents were not properly labeled with the date opened or expiration date as required by facility policy and professional standards. Specifically, one resident's Basaglar flex pen lacked both an opened date and an expiration date, while another resident's Novolog flex pen was only labeled with an expiration date. Additionally, two other insulin pens (Humalog and Lantus) for a different resident were found in a medication room tote drawer without open or expiration dates. These observations were confirmed by nursing staff, who acknowledged that insulin pens should be labeled with both the date opened and the expiration date, and that the pens generally expire 28 days after being put into use. The facility's own policy, as well as federal and state regulations, require that all medications, including insulin pens, be clearly labeled with the date opened and the resident's name, and that expired medications be discarded. The failure to label these insulin pens as required was verified by administrative and licensed nursing staff during the survey. The facility's policy also specifies that any medication containers with incorrect or illegible labels should be returned to the pharmacy for relabeling or destroyed according to the medication destruction policy.