Expired Insulin Found on Medication Cart
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide proper pharmaceutical services by not ensuring that a medication cart was free of expired insulin. During an early morning observation, a surveyor found an insulin vial on one medication cart that was dated as opened on 09/07, indicating it was expired. Multiple staff interviews confirmed that insulin vials are required to be dated when opened and should be removed from the cart once expired. Staff members, including LVNs and the ADON, acknowledged that expired medications should not remain on the cart and should be disposed of according to facility policy. A review of the facility's policy on medication labeling and storage indicated that outdated medications should be returned or destroyed per pharmacy instructions. Despite this policy, the expired insulin remained on the cart, and staff interviews revealed inconsistent practices regarding the handling and disposal of expired insulin. The failure to remove the expired insulin from the medication cart constituted a lapse in the facility's procedures for the accurate acquiring, receiving, dispensing, and administering of drugs and biologicals.