Failure to Properly Label and Store Medications
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to ensure proper labeling and storage of medications and biologicals in accordance with professional standards and facility policy. Multiple instances were identified where medications, including insulin pens and eye drops, lacked required open and expiration dates. Some medications were found in unlabelled containers, such as thirteen tan pills in a clear medicine cup that could not be identified by the Director of Nursing. Additionally, expired medications, such as house stock acidophilus capsules and Bisacodyl tablets, were found in medication carts, and some medications were not stored in their original labeled packaging. The deficiencies affected all six residents reviewed and had the potential to impact all residents using house stock medications. Staff interviews confirmed that medications in use did not have appropriate expiration or open dates, and that some medications, such as inhalers and insulin pens, were not labeled with the required information. Facility policy requires that medications be labeled with open and expiration dates, and that expired or improperly labeled medications be removed and destroyed, but these procedures were not consistently followed.