Failure to Enforce Misappropriation and Drug-Free Workplace Policies for Controlled Medication
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to implement its own policies related to misappropriation and drug-free workplace requirements in connection with a resident’s controlled medication. One resident, admitted with multiple diagnoses including ADHD, bipolar disorder, seizure disorder, and Tourette’s Disorder, had an order for Adderall 20 mg twice daily at 8:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. The resident’s MDS showed the resident was cognitively intact and independent with ADLs. Review of the resident’s Adderall narcotic count sheets showed that on specific dates, the pill count decreased by two tablets at times when only one tablet was ordered to be administered, indicating that two pills were signed out instead of one on multiple occasions. The facility’s SRI documented that the DON became aware that the Adderall count for this resident was inaccurate and identified that an LPN had signed out the medication at the times when the count decreased by two instead of one. During an interview, the LPN stated she did not know why the count was incorrect and claimed there was a day she punched out two capsules and wasted one but could not find another nurse to witness the waste. The DON reported that the LPN refused to complete an in-facility urine drug screen and did not appear for the initially scheduled independent drug test, despite facility policy stating that refusal or failure to comply with testing requirements constitutes a refusal to test and is subject to immediate termination. The DON acknowledged that, contrary to the written Drug Free Safety Policy, the LPN was allowed to return to work after refusing and missing the drug test, even though the policy specified that refusal to submit to required testing would result in termination.
