You've noticed something that's a common source of frustration in the electrical world! Here's the likely explanation for why the "controlled" marking appears upside-down in a standard installation for controlled receptacles: Manufacturing Standardization and Minimizing Inventory

Manufacturers typically produce receptacles in large volumes. To keep production costs down and minimize the number of different product SKUs they need to manage, they design and manufacture a single receptacle body. This single body can then be used for either:

Standard Orientation

When installed in a standard (non-inverted) orientation, the receptacle's ground pin is at the bottom.

Inverted Orientation (Healthcare/Critical Care)

When installed inverted (ground pin at the top), which is commonly required in healthcare and critical care settings (as you mentioned), it meets those requirements.

Intended Usage

The manufacturers likely intended this receptacle to be installed upside-down. The intent behind installing it upside down is in Healthcare environments they are typically fed from an emergency generator and the intent is to prevent accidental unplugging by maintenance or service personnel of life-saving equipment.*

Cost Savings: Having a single product design means the manufacturer only needs one molding tool, one set of quality control procedures, and one set of inventory management processes. All of this leads to significant cost savings that are then passed on to customers (although not always in a way that's appreciated in this particular case!).So, while it might seem counterintuitive that the marking is upside-down in a "normal" installation, it's a result of design choices driven by manufacturing efficiency and specific application needs in healthcare environments. It's a compromise the industry has accepted to keep costs reasonable. Flag for review