Unattended and Unlocked Medication Cart
Penalty
No penalty information released
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that medications were securely stored as required by policy and professional standards. During an observation, the North medication cart was found unlocked and unattended in the hallway, with its drawers facing outward and no employees present. An LPN confirmed that she had left the cart unlocked and unattended while she was in a resident room with the door closed, and acknowledged that medication carts are supposed to be locked when not attended by licensed nursing staff. The facility's policy specifies that medications must be stored safely, securely, and only accessible to licensed nursing personnel, with medication carts locked and attended by authorized persons.