Failure to Properly Label and Securely Store Medications
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified that the facility failed to properly label and store drugs and biologicals in accordance with professional standards. Specifically, an opened multidose vial of Aplisol TB solution was found in a medication storage refrigerator without a date indicating when it was opened, contrary to the manufacturer's instructions that require vials in use for more than 30 days to be discarded. Staff interviews confirmed that the vial was not dated upon opening. Additionally, the narcotic box in the refrigerator, although fixed to a shelf, could be removed from the refrigerator because the shelf itself was not permanently affixed, and the box did not contain any narcotic medications at the time of observation. Further observations revealed that a second medication refrigerator contained a separate box with two boxes of lorazepam intensol concentrate, a controlled liquid antianxiety medication prescribed to a resident. This box was also not permanently affixed, as the entire shelf it was mounted on could be removed from the refrigerator. Staff interviews, including with the DON, confirmed that the narcotic boxes in both refrigerators were not permanently affixed as required for the secure storage of controlled substances.