Failure to Administer Levothyroxine as Ordered
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that Levothyroxine was administered as ordered for a resident diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The resident did not receive the scheduled dose of Levothyroxine on two separate occasions. On November 30, the medication was not administered because it was not available, as documented in the Medication Administration Note. On December 4, although the medication was received and signed for by an LVN prior to the scheduled administration time, there was no documentation that the medication was given, and the MAR was left blank for that dose. Interviews with the resident, LVN, and DON confirmed that the resident missed doses of Levothyroxine on both dates. The DON verified that the medication was available for administration on December 4 and that there was no documented reason for the missed dose. Facility policy requires medications to be administered in accordance with prescriber orders, but this was not followed in these instances.