Expired Medication Not Removed from Storage Room
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide pharmaceutical services that ensured the removal of expired medications from the medication storage room. During an observation, a bottle of Glucosamine and Chondroitin with an expiration date of 3/2025 was found in the medication storage room. Interviews with staff revealed that the responsibility for removing expired medications belonged to a staff member who performed monthly audits, but acknowledged that expired medications could sometimes be missed. The staff member confirmed that expired medications should be disposed of and that administering expired medications could potentially cause harm. Further interviews with the Administrator (ADM) and Director of Nursing (DON) confirmed that nursing staff are expected to check expiration dates before administering medications and that expired medications should be discarded and replaced. However, the ADM stated there was no specific policy or procedure in place regarding the handling of expired medications. The failure to remove expired medications from storage was directly observed and acknowledged by multiple staff members.