F0755

D

Failure to Obtain and Administer Ordered Pain Medication

Macungie, Pennsylvania Survey Completed on 02-11-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The facility failed to ensure that a physician-ordered medication was available and administered as prescribed for one resident. The resident had diagnoses including a fractured femur, a stroke, and osteoarthritis, and on February 7, 2026, a physician ordered diclofenac sodium external gel to be applied to the resident’s lower extremities four times daily for pain related to osteoarthritis. Review of the February 2026 Treatment Administration Record showed that on February 8, 2026, all four scheduled applications, and on the morning of February 9, 2026, were marked as “other see notes.” Nursing notes for those dates documented that the diclofenac sodium gel was not applied because it was not available from the pharmacy. In an interview on February 11, 2026, the Director of Nursing confirmed that the medication had not been applied as ordered due to its unavailability from the pharmacy on the identified dates.

This deficiency reflects a failure to provide pharmaceutical services to meet the resident’s needs and to ensure that ordered medications were obtained and available for use as prescribed.