Failure to Report Missing Narcotic Medication to Police
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report a resident's unaccounted for narcotic medication to the local police as required by policy and federal regulations. During a review of facility reported incidents, it was found that a tablet of Hydrocodone 5/325 mg prescribed to a resident was discovered missing during an audit. The medication was determined to be missing on a specific date, but the facility's investigation did not document any notification to local law enforcement. Interviews with the Interim Director of Nurses and during the exit meeting with facility leadership confirmed that there was no additional information indicating the police had been contacted regarding the missing narcotic. The facility's policy requires all such incidents to be reported to the appropriate agency, including law enforcement, but this was not done in this case.