Medication Storage, Labeling, and Disposal Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper storage, labeling, and disposal of medications and medical supplies as required by policy and professional standards. Expired medical supplies, including BD Precision Glide needles and Luer Lok Red Caps, were found in Medication Room A and were verified by nursing staff as expired and not discarded. In Medication Cart A, prescription topical medications such as Venelex and Derma Syn/Ag were found opened and unlabeled, and there was no physician's order for their presence. Additionally, a staff member's personal over-the-counter medication was stored with facility wound supplies in the same cart. Further deficiencies were observed in Medication Cart B, where opened and unlabeled ampules of prescription inhalational medications (Combivent and Proventil) were found removed from their original packaging without proper dating, contrary to manufacturer instructions. In Medication Cart C, opened insulin vials and pens for specific residents were not labeled with the date opened. The Director of Nursing (DON) confirmed these findings. In Dialysis Cart A, a staff member's personal purse was stored among dialysis supplies, which was acknowledged by both the dialysis technician and the dialysis RN supervisor as a violation of infection control measures due to the risk of cross-contamination. The facility also failed to follow its policy regarding bedside medication storage. One resident was found with a tube of Venelex wound dressing ointment and a bottle of Sea-Clens wound cleanser at the bedside without a physician's order or documentation of authorization for bedside storage, and the resident was unaware of the medications' presence. Another resident was found with a bottle of Forze VF Gold multivitamin supplement at the bedside, despite lacking the capacity to make decisions and without a physician's order or assessment for self-administration. These findings were verified by facility staff and administration.