Medication Storage and Labeling Deficiencies Identified
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified that the facility failed to store drugs and biologicals in a safe, secure, and orderly manner on at least one of four medication carts, specifically the 100 Hall cart, which was observed left open and unattended with the computer screen displaying patient information. Additionally, multi-dose vials on both the 100 and 200 Hall carts were not labeled with the date opened, and several medications were found to be expired or had unreadable expiration dates. These findings were confirmed during staff interviews and direct observation. Further inspection of the Medication Room and Central Supply Room revealed multiple expired medical supplies and medications, including blood collection tubes, test slides, disposable thermometers, IV start kits, and various medications such as Dairy Aid, Preservision, Geri-tussin, and IV administration sets. The facility's policies require that medication carts remain locked when unattended and that multi-dose containers be labeled with the date opened, but these procedures were not followed as evidenced by the observations and staff verification.