Expired Medications Not Disposed of Timely
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to dispose of expired medications in a timely manner. During an inspection of the East medication room, several expired stock medications were found, including Docusate sodium, Aspirin, Vitamin B12, and Ibuprofen, all past their respective expiration dates. A licensed nurse confirmed that these expired drugs should have been disposed of, and an administrative nurse stated that the night shift is responsible for checking the medication cart for expired medications, with each nurse administering medications also expected to check and dispose of expired items. The facility's policy requires that all medications be stored according to manufacturer recommendations and that medication rooms are routinely inspected for discontinued, outdated, defective, or deteriorated medications. The policy also specifies that such medications are to be destroyed in accordance with the facility's procedures. Despite these policies, expired medications remained in the medication room, indicating that the required checks and disposals were not consistently performed.