Waters of Princeton: Narcotic Count Failures - IN
Inspectors were watching both times.
At 10:51 a.m., RN 2 worked through the East Unit cart. The narcotic count log said 23 hydrocodone-acetaminophen tablets at 5-325 mg were available. She counted 22 in the drug pack. The log said a second supply of the same medication — logged separately — showed 30 available. She counted 29. One tablet missing from each entry, and no record explaining where either one had gone.
RN 2 told the inspector she must have been in a hurry. She said she forgot to sign the medications out after giving them, and that she normally signs the narcotic log as she gives each dose.
Normally.
At 11:04 a.m., QMA 2 ran the count on the other unit. The log said 17 clonazepam tablets at 0.5 mg were available. She counted 16. The log said 8 Ativan tablets at 1 mg were on hand. She counted 7. Again, one short on each. QMA 2 said she was passing medications on two halls, that she was just behind, and that she normally signs medications out as she gives them.
Four controlled substances. Two nursing units. Two staff members. The same explanation each time: I gave it out, I just didn't write it down.
Hydrocodone is an opioid painkiller. Clonazepam and Ativan are both benzodiazepines, controlled substances used to treat anxiety and seizures. All four medications are tracked under controlled substance logs precisely because the consequences of a missing dose, or a diverted one, are serious. A log that says a pill exists when it does not makes it impossible to know whether a resident received their medication, whether a dose was wasted, or whether something else happened to it.
The facility's own policy, dated July 22, 2023, required staff to record each dose at the time of administration and to confirm the correct amount of the controlled drug supply both before and after assembling a dose — checking the date, time, dosage, the administering nurse's signature, and the quantity remaining. Inspectors reviewed that policy the following morning, August 28, when the Director of Nursing provided it.
The policy described exactly what had not happened on either unit the day before.
CMS rated the deficiency at the lowest level of harm, citing minimal harm or potential for actual harm. The citation covered both nursing units reviewed during the inspection, which was conducted in response to a complaint.
What the inspection cannot resolve is the gap between what the logs said and what was actually in the carts — and whether "I forgot to sign it out" is, in every case, the complete explanation. Controlled substance logs exist because memory is not a sufficient safeguard. A nurse who gives a pill and logs it immediately leaves a record. A nurse who gives a pill and logs it later, or not at all, leaves only her account of what happened.
At Waters of Princeton on August 27, inspectors watched that gap open four times across two units in thirteen minutes. Both staff members offered the same reasoning. Neither suggested the discrepancies were unusual or alarming. That may be the most unsettling detail in the report: not that the counts were off, but how readily each person explained it away.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Waters of Princeton, The from 2025-08-28 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Download the official CMS inspection PDF from Medicare.gov
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: September 19, 2026 · Our methodology
WATERS OF PRINCETON, THE in PRINCETON, IN was cited for violations during a health inspection on August 28, 2025.
Inspectors were watching both times.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.