Expired and Unlabeled Medications Found in Medication Storage Areas
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that the facility failed to provide proper pharmaceutical services by not ensuring the medication cart and medication room refrigerator were free of expired and unlabeled medications. Specifically, expired medications including Coreg 6.25mg and Celexa 40mg were found in the medication cart, and an unlabeled bottle marked as Celexa 40mg cut in half was also present. Additionally, an expired Covid Vaccine MRNA Spike Vax was found in the medication room refrigerator. These findings were based on direct observation during the survey. Interviews with staff revealed that it was the responsibility of nurses and medication aides to check medication carts for labeling, dating, and expiration every shift, but this was not consistently done. The CMA interviewed admitted to not checking the entire cart that morning. The Administrator and DON both stated that expired medications should be discarded and that nursing management is responsible for periodic audits, but the process was not effectively implemented, leading to the presence of expired and unlabeled medications.