Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley
80 Boston Road, Billerica, MA 01862 · Middlesex County · 124 certified beds · avg 112 residents/day · certified since Mar 15, 1992
Part of chain: LIFE CARE CENTERS OF AMERICA (194 facilities, chain avg rating 3.4★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★☆☆☆2/5 · CMS overall rating: 2/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Actual harm, repeated · Dec 4, 2024 · F-0600 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors.
Why it matters: Abuse and neglect cause direct physical and emotional harm and are among the most serious failures a nursing home can have.
Severity (H): Multiple residents were actually harmed by the same failure — a pattern of real harm, not an isolated incident.
Corrected: Jan 2, 2025 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, repeated · Dec 4, 2024 · F-0686 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not provide proper care for pressure ulcers (bedsores) or did not do enough to prevent new ones from forming. Bedsores develop when residents stay in one position too long without help moving.
Why it matters: Bedsores are painful, can become deeply infected, and in serious cases can be life-threatening.
Severity (H): Multiple residents were actually harmed by the same failure — a pattern of real harm, not an isolated incident.
Corrected: Jan 2, 2025 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, repeated · Dec 4, 2024 · F-0841 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not designate a physician to serve as medical director — the doctor responsible for overseeing resident care policies and coordinating medical care across the facility.
Why it matters: Without a medical director, there is no doctor accountable for the overall quality of medical care.
Severity (H): Multiple residents were actually harmed by the same failure — a pattern of real harm, not an isolated incident.
Corrected: Jan 2, 2025 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
▲ Actual harm, one-off · Dec 4, 2024 · F-0655
The facility did not create and follow a basic care plan covering a new resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of admission. The first days are when a new resident is most vulnerable.
Why it matters: In the critical first days, staff may not know a new resident's medications, diet, or fall risks.
Severity (G): One or a few residents were actually harmed — physically or emotionally — though not put in immediate danger of serious injury or death.
Corrected: Jan 2, 2025 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (27)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not immediately notify the resident, their doctor, and a family member when something significant happened — such as an injury, a decline in health, or a room change. Families and doctors are entitled to know right away. · from a complaint |
| Dec 10, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide safe, appropriate care for residents who need dialysis — the treatment that filters the blood when kidneys fail. |
| Dec 10, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not keep residents free from significant medication errors — such as giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or missing a critical medication. |
| Dec 10, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
| Dec 10, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make sure special medical diets — like low-sodium or diabetic diets — were properly ordered by the resident's doctor or managed by a qualified dietitian as state law allows. |
| Aug 14, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not make sure residents were fully informed about their own health, care, and treatments in a way they could understand. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | ▲ H · Actual harm, repeated | The facility did not protect residents from abuse or neglect. This covers physical, mental, and sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect, by anyone — staff, other residents, or visitors. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | ▲ H · Actual harm, repeated | The facility did not provide proper care for pressure ulcers (bedsores) or did not do enough to prevent new ones from forming. Bedsores develop when residents stay in one position too long without help moving. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | ▲ H · Actual harm, repeated | The facility did not designate a physician to serve as medical director — the doctor responsible for overseeing resident care policies and coordinating medical care across the facility. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | ▲ G · Actual harm, one-off | The facility did not create and follow a basic care plan covering a new resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of admission. The first days are when a new resident is most vulnerable. |
| Dec 4, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not make sure its nurses and nurse aides had the skills and training needed to properly care for every resident. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not get its food from approved, safe sources, or did not store, prepare, and serve food according to professional food safety standards. |
| Dec 4, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility was not managed in a way that uses its money, staff, and resources effectively and efficiently to care for residents. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have a proper governing body legally responsible for its policies and operations, or that body failed to appoint a properly licensed administrator to manage the facility. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not conduct and document a facility-wide assessment of what staff, supplies, and resources it needs to care for its residents properly — during everyday operations, nights, weekends, and emergencies. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have a written plan describing how it runs its quality improvement program — the ongoing process of finding problems in care and fixing them. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Dec 4, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not develop or follow a complete care plan for each resident — the written roadmap covering all of a resident's needs, with measurable goals and timelines. |
| Dec 4, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not safely and appropriately administer IV fluids (fluids given through a vein) for residents who needed them. |
| Dec 4, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not provide safe, appropriate care for residents who need dialysis — the treatment that filters the blood when kidneys fail. |
| Dec 4, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
| Dec 4, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not bring in qualified outside professionals to provide a required service when it didn't have a qualified professional on staff. · from a complaint |
| Dec 4, 2024 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not protect residents' personal information or did not keep complete, accurate medical records that meet professional standards. |
| Nov 22, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not label drugs according to professional standards or did not store them in locked compartments, with controlled drugs (medications with a high risk of misuse) kept under a separate lock. |
| Nov 22, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights. |
| Nov 22, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not have a licensed pharmacist review each resident's complete medication regimen and medical chart every month, or did not follow its own rules for reporting medication problems. |
| Nov 22, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not protect residents' personal information or did not keep complete, accurate medical records that meet professional standards. |
Inspection trend by year
Citations from standard inspections decreased between the last two inspection cycles (17 → 4).
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | E |
| 2024 | 17 | 4 | H ▲ |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | E |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | D |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
1 fine totaling $161,920.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 4, 2024 | Fine | $161,920 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.75 | 3.89 | 3.95 | bottom 49% in Massachusetts; bottom 49% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.65 | 0.65 | 0.69 | top 40% in Massachusetts; top 42% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.29 | 3.51 | 3.50 | bottom 43% in Massachusetts; bottom 47% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.48 | top 39% in Massachusetts; top 40% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 38.8 | 38.2 | 45.8 | bottom 45% in Massachusetts; top 33% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 52.4 | 42.6 | 42.9 | bottom 30% in Massachusetts; bottom 32% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 4.09, RN 0.71, weekend 3.59. Staffing rating: 3/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 4/5 · long-stay residents: 5/5 · short-stay residents: 4/5
Who owns this facility
For profit - Limited Liability company
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preston, Forrest | Individual | Indirect Ownership Interest | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/06/2015 |
| Cross, Cindy | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/06/2015 |
| Faustin, Moseline | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/22/2023 |
| Faustin, Moseline | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/22/2023 |
| Faustin, Moseline | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/12/2025 |
| Finkel, Noah | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/01/2021 |
| Finkel, Noah | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/05/2025 |
| Fletcher, Todd | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/01/2021 |
| Henry, Terry | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/06/2015 |
| Janiak, Andrea | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/24/2022 |
| Janiak, Andrea | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/24/2022 |
| Lay, Lisa | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/24/2017 |
| Life Care Centers of America, INC. | Organization | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/06/2015 |
| Life Care Centers of America, INC. | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/12/2025 |
| Long, Zofia | Individual | Managing Control - Governing Body | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/1999 |
| Long, Zofia | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/01/1999 |
| Preston, Aubrey | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 11/27/2024 |
| Preston, Forrest | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 08/06/2015 |
| Preston, Forrest | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 07/12/2004 |
| Swanker, Richard | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2022 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "Tell me about this abuse or neglect citation — what happened, and what specific changes did you make afterward?"
- "How do you prevent bedsores for residents who can't move themselves, and how often are at-risk residents repositioned?"
- "Who is your medical director, and how involved are they in day-to-day care decisions?"
- "What does the care plan for a brand-new resident cover in the first 48 hours, and who writes it?"
- "If my family member falls or their condition changes, exactly when and how will I be notified?"
- "How do you coordinate and monitor care for residents who receive dialysis?"
- "What systems do you use to prevent medication errors, and what happens when one occurs?"
- "Can you show me how medications are stored and secured on the units, including controlled drugs?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Pediatric Care | 0.0 mi | North Billerica, MA | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Sunny Acres Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Ctr | 1.4 mi | Chelmsford, MA | ★★★★☆ | 4/5 | |
| Vantage at Lowell LLC | 2.8 mi | Lowell, MA | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Blaire House of Tewksbury | 3.1 mi | Tewksbury, MA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | SFF |
| Regalcare at Lowell | 3.5 mi | Lowell, MA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Palm Springs Post Acute | 3.8 mi | Chelmsford, MA | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| Care One at Lowell | 4.1 mi | Lowell, MA | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 | |
| Fairhaven Healthcare Center | 4.4 mi | Lowell, MA | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| D'youville Senior Care | 4.9 mi | Lowell, MA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center | 5.0 mi | Lowell, MA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| D'youville Care for Advanced Therapy | 5.2 mi | Lowell, MA | ★★★★★ | 5/5 | |
| Carleton-Willard Village Retirement & Nursing Ctr | 6.7 mi | Bedford, MA | ★★★★★ | 3/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 225546.