Nursing home
Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley
80 Boston Road, Billerica, MA 01862 · Map
For profit - Limited Liability company · Part of Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities) · 124 certified beds
Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Billerica, Massachusetts. CMS rates it 2 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 2/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 4.14 hours per resident per day, above the Massachusetts average of 3.86. Its most recent inspection on Dec 10, 2025 cited 5 deficiencies.
- 1 fine totaling $161,920In CMS records: 1 total penalty.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley compares
This facility vs. the Massachusetts and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Massachusetts avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 4.14 | 3.86 | 3.89 | above avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.67 | 0.65 | 0.68 | above avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.55 | 2.26 | 2.34 | above avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 42.5% | 39.5% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 5.0 | 8.9 | 9.5 | below avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
Penalties in CMS records: 1 fine totaling $161,920, 1 total penalty.
What inspectors found at Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Dec 10, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide safe, appropriate dialysis care/services for a resident who requires such services.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Dec 10, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
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.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Dec 10, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
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.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Dec 10, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Aug 14, 2025 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Actual harm
Designate a physician to serve as medical director responsible for implementation of resident care policies and coordination of medical care in the facility.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Actual harm
Provide appropriate pressure ulcer care and prevent new ulcers from developing.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Actual harm
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Actual harm
Create and put into place a plan for meeting the resident's most immediate needs within 48 hours of being admitted
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.
Administration Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
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.
Administration Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
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.
Administration Deficiencies · Dec 4, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 80 Boston Road
Billerica, MA 01862 - CMS certification #
- 225546
- Ownership
- For profit - Limited Liability company
- Certified beds
- 124
- Avg residents/day
- 101.3
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1992-03-15
- Chain
- Life Care Centers Of America (194 facilities)
- Setting
- Urban
Part of Life Care Centers Of America
Life Care Centers Of America operates 194 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Life Care Centers Of America facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day, transportation
- Workplace safety 1 OSHA workplace safety inspection since 2020, 3 violations cited
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
Staff pay and workplace safety
Federal records about how the employer here treats its staff.
OSHA workplace safety inspections
OSHA inspects workplaces for staff safety, such as lifting, needles, chemicals and workplace violence. It does not inspect resident care.
- Aug 13, 2020: fatality or catastrophe inspection, partial (health). Case closed Mar 15, 2022. 3 violations cited (3 serious). Penalties: $13,494 proposed, $8,096 now. OSHA record. OSHA recorded the employer as Merrimack Valley Operations, LLC.
Details
- Serious: Respiratory protection (respirators, N95 fit testing) (1910.134(e)(1)). Penalty $13,494 proposed, $8,096 now. To be fixed by Dec 30, 2020. Contested by the employer.
- Serious: Respiratory protection (respirators, N95 fit testing) (1910.134(f)(2)). Penalty $0 proposed, $0 now. To be fixed by Dec 30, 2020. Contested by the employer.
- Serious: Respiratory protection (respirators, N95 fit testing) (1910.134(k)(1)). Penalty $0 proposed, $0 now. To be fixed by Dec 30, 2020. Contested by the employer.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, as of Oct 15, 2026, inspections since 2016. Penalties can change while a case is open or contested.
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Lowell General Hospital, Lowell. 4.4 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 2 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- New England Pediatric Care, North Billerica. 0.0 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Premier Services At Home LLC, Chelmsford. 0.4 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy. 0.9 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 01862 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Fresenius Medical Care Chelmsford, Chelmsford, 1.7 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Fresenius Medical Care Of Lowell, Lowell, 2.7 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Davita Burlington Regional Dialysis, Burlington, 7.9 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 4 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 13 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 01862.
Tufts Medicine Care At Home, office in Lowell, 2.7 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars)
Compassionate Care Hospice, office in Woburn, 10.2 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 2 of 5 stars)
Compassus - Southern Massachusetts, office in North Andover, 10.7 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Atrius Health Inc, Chelmsford. 1.5 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard risk
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively moderate. By hazard: hurricane relatively moderate, inland flooding relatively moderate, wildfire very low, tornado relatively low, heat wave relatively moderate, earthquake relatively moderate. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
What we checked
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | See above |
| Hurricane evacuation zone maps | Not in a mapped zone | |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: FEMA rates wildfire risk here very low |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley a good nursing home?
CMS gives Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley an overall rating of 2 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 2/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley staffed?
Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley reports 4.14 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Massachusetts average of 3.86.
Has Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 5 deficiencies.
How many beds does Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley have?
Life Care Center of Merrimack Valley is certified for 124 beds.