🛡️ Free for Families  ·  No Spam Calls  ·  No Referral Fees  ·  Built on Official Records

FindSeniorLivingNow

🏠 Is this your community?

Families are searching for a community like yours right now. Make sure they find you.

Claim This Community
🏥
Medicare-certifiedSkilled Nursing

Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley

Billerica, MassachusettsMedicare inspection record
(978) 667-2166

About Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley

Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley brings skilled nursing and rehabilitation services to Billerica, Massachusetts families seeking quality post-acute care. Our clinical team focuses on recovery goals and personalized treatment plans, helping residents regain independence after surgery or illness.

Community at a glance

Capacity

124 residents

Location

Billerica, MA

Status

Listed in a public registry

Care & services offered

Skilled Nursing

Contact & location

80 BOSTON ROAD, Billerica, Massachusetts 01862

(978) 667-2166

Medicare inspection record

From CMS Care Compare, the federal record every Medicare-certified nursing home is held to. Data as of September 1, 2026. Check it on Medicare.gov

At its most recent standard inspection, on December 10, 2025, state inspectors cited 5 health deficiencies (the Massachusetts average is 6.8).

Nurses and nurse aides spend 4 hours 5 minutes with each resident a day, above the Massachusetts average of 3 hours 52 minutes.

Medicare fined Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley once in the last three years, $161,920 in total.

Staffing

MeasureThis home
Nurse and aide time per resident, per day4 hours 5 minutesAbove the Massachusetts average
Registered nurse time per resident, per day42 minutesAbove the Massachusetts average
Nursing staff who left in the past year39%

Inspections

27 health citations in the last three years. Each one is a federal standard inspectors found the home was not meeting.

April 23, 2026 · Complaint investigation · 1 citation

  • Immediately tell the resident, the resident's doctor, and a family member of situations (injury/decline/room, etc.) that affect the resident.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Resident RightsFrom a complaintCorrected May 18, 2026

December 10, 2025 · Standard inspection · 4 citations

  • Provide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)Quality of Life and CareCorrected Dec 26, 2025
  • Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)Pharmacy ServiceCorrected Dec 26, 2025
  • Ensure therapeutic diets are prescribed by the attending physician and may be delegated to a registered or licensed dietitian, to the extent allowed by State law.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Nutrition and DietaryCorrected Dec 26, 2025
  • Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Pharmacy ServiceCorrected Dec 26, 2025
August 14, 2025 · Complaint investigation · 1 citation+
  • Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)Resident RightsFrom a complaintCorrected Sep 5, 2025
December 4, 2024 · Standard inspection · 17 citations+
  • Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.

    Residents were harmed, a pattern (level H)Quality of Life and CareFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Designate a physician to serve as medical director responsible for implementation of resident care policies and coordination of medical care in the facility.

    Residents were harmed, a pattern (level H)Nursing and Physician ServicesFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.

    Residents were harmed, a pattern (level H)Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and ExploitationFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Create and put into place a plan for meeting the resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of being admitted

    Residents were harmed, a few residents (level G)Resident Assessment and Care PlanningCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)AdministrationFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)Infection ControlCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Conduct and document a facility-wide assessment to determine what resources are necessary to care for residents competently during both day-to-day operations (including nights and weekends) and emergencies.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)AdministrationFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)Nutrition and DietaryCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Establish a governing body that is legally responsible for establishing and implementing policies for managing and operating the facility and appoints a properly licensed administrator responsible for managing the facility.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)AdministrationFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Ensure that nurses and nurse aides have the appropriate competencies to care for every resident in a way that maximizes each resident's well being.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)Nursing and Physician ServicesFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Administer the facility in a manner that enables it to use its resources effectively and efficiently.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)AdministrationFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Pharmacy ServiceCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Provide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Quality of Life and CareCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Provide for the safe, appropriate administration of IV fluids for a resident when needed.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Quality of Life and CareCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Resident Assessment and Care PlanningCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Resident Assessment and Care PlanningCorrected Jan 2, 2025
  • Employ or obtain outside professional resources to provide services in the nursing home when the facility does not employ a qualified professional to furnish a required service.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)AdministrationFrom a complaintCorrected Jan 2, 2025
November 22, 2023 · Standard inspection · 4 citations+
  • Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a pattern (level E)Pharmacy ServiceCorrected Dec 12, 2023
  • Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Resident Assessment and Care PlanningCorrected Dec 12, 2023
  • Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Resident RightsCorrected Dec 12, 2023
  • Ensure a licensed pharmacist perform a monthly drug regimen review, including the medical chart, following irregularity reporting guidelines in developed policies and procedures.

    Risk of harm, no one hurt, a few residents (level D)Pharmacy ServiceCorrected Dec 12, 2023

Fines and payment denials

1 fine totaling $161,920 in the last three years.

  • December 4, 2024Fine: $161,920

About the home, per Medicare

Ownership
For profit - Limited Liability company
Legal business name
Merrimack Valley Operations, LLC
Medicare-certified beds
124
Average residents per day
112
Accepts
Medicare and Medicaid
First certified
March 15, 1992
Part of a chain
Life Care Centers of America, 194 homes
Inside a hospital
No
Continuing care retirement community
No
Resident or family council
Resident
Sprinklers in all required areas
Yes
CMS Certification Number
225546

Location

Loading map…

80 BOSTON ROADBillerica, MA 01862

12 other communities within 10 miles

Senior living near Billerica

Questions about Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley

How did Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley do on its last inspection?+

State inspectors visited on December 10, 2025 and cited 5 health deficiencies, 1 of them from complaint investigations. The Massachusetts average is 6.8.

How much nursing care does each resident get at Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley?+

Nurses and aides spend 4 hours 5 minutes with each resident per day, including 42 minutes from registered nurses. 39% of nursing staff left over the past year.

Has Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley been fined by Medicare?+

Yes. Medicare fined Life Care Center Of Merrimack Valley once in the last three years, totaling $161,920.

Does Medicare cover skilled nursing?+

Medicare covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing per benefit period after a qualifying 3-day hospital stay — fully for the first 20 days, then with a daily copay. Long-term custodial stays are generally not covered.

How much does a nursing home cost?+

A semi-private room averages about $7,900 per month nationally; private rooms cost more. Medicaid is the largest payer for long-term nursing home care.

What is the CMS star rating?+

Medicare rates nursing homes 1 to 5 stars on its Care Compare site. We don't repeat those stars here. Each nursing home page shows Medicare's underlying record instead: inspections, staffing and fines, with a link to check it on Medicare.gov.

Senior living in Billerica Skilled Nursing in Massachusetts Skilled Nursing guide Information last updated October 2026