Medication Labeling and Storage Deficiencies
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to properly label and store medications in accordance with professional standards and facility policy. Specifically, two residents' insulin flex pens were not labeled with the date opened, and one pen was found in use 46 days past its expiration date. Additionally, another medication lacked both an opened date and an expiration date. These deficiencies were confirmed by both a licensed nurse and an administrative nurse, who acknowledged that insulin flex pens should be labeled with the date opened and discarded once expired. Facility policy and external medication guidelines require that such medications be labeled and discarded after a specified period, which was not followed in these instances. Furthermore, the facility failed to ensure that medications were only accessible to licensed staff. During the survey, a treatment cart containing insulin and other medications was found unlocked and unattended in a hallway, with no staff in sight. The responsible nurse was located in a resident's room, out of view of the cart, and later confirmed that the cart should have been locked when not under direct supervision. The facility's policy mandates that medication carts remain locked and inaccessible to unauthorized individuals when not attended by licensed staff.