Failure to Label and Remove Expired Insulin Products
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that multiple insulin flex pens and vials belonging to several residents were not labeled with the date opened or the date expired. Specific types of insulin, including Aspart, Lispro, Lantus, Glargine, Humalog, Novolog, and Tresiba, were found on the South Hall medication cart without proper labeling. In one instance, an insulin flex pen was labeled with the date opened but lacked an expiration date, and the insulin had already expired according to the 28-day in-use guideline. The facility's policy requires that medications which are expired, contaminated, or in containers without secure closures be immediately removed and disposed of, but this was not followed for the insulin products observed. The failure to label insulin products with the date opened and the expiration date was identified through observation, interview, and record review. The report specifically notes that the affected insulin products were not removed from storage after their expiration, as required by facility policy and professional standards. The sample included 24 residents out of a census of 113, and the deficiency was documented for insulin belonging to at least eleven residents.