Expired Medications Found in Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure proper storage of medications as required by policy and professional standards. During an observation of Medication Cart #3, surveyors found five unopened foil packs of Ipratropium 0.2% with expiration dates that had already passed. Both a registered nurse and the director of nursing confirmed that expired medications should not be present in the medication cart. The facility's policy requires all medications to be stored according to manufacturer recommendations and under proper temperature controls, but expired medications were still found accessible in the storage area. No specific residents were directly involved or affected as described in the report, and the deficiency was identified through observation and staff interviews.