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Alison Kuznitz | SHNS
Following revelations in a Boston Globe "Spotlight" report, state health officials are ramping up oversight of a dozen RegalCare nursing homes. including one in Whitinsville, above, as the state also looks to revoke all of their licenses following the report that detailed deteriorating conditions at the chain's facilities.
The Department of Public Health on Tuesday issued a notice of intent to revoke the nursing home licenses held by RegalCare CEO Eli Mirlis, whom the Globe reported slashed spending on resident care as he siphoned away money to his other real estate and management businesses.
"This is a significant action taken after a comprehensive review of serious quality and safety concerns at RegalCare facilities," Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein told the Public Health Council on Wednesday morning. "Looking at misrepresentations about Mirlis's licensure history and looking at a recent settlement involving improper billing of MassHealth and Medicare, our determination is that Mirlis is not suitable nor adequately responsible to operate long-term care facilities in Massachusetts. I want to emphasize, however, that this action is about more than meeting regulatory obligations — it is about protecting people."
While quality standards sharply declined at the nursing homes Mirlis bought in Massachusetts, the Globe reported that state regulators allowed him to keep acquiring more properties. Mirlis also purported to be a licensed nursing home administrator, per the Globe, even after New Jersey regulators revoked his license and his licenses lapsed in Connecticut and New York.
"We must be accountable to the public we serve, willing to examine our own work and honest about where we need to improve," Goldstein said. "We can do better, and we must do better. We are committed to building a stronger, more effective system of oversight for long-term care facilities, one that identifies concerns early and responds decisively when there are problems."
The council later Wednesday will review regulations to consider out-of-state issues when weighing nursing home licenses, a change stemming from the 2024 long-term care oversight law.
Goldstein said the license revocation notice does not mean the RegalCare nursing homes are closing immediately or that families must relocate their loved ones. The facilities are located in Whitinsville, Medford (two facilities), Greenfield, Harwich, Holyoke, Lowell, Quincy, Sudbury, Wakefield, Worcester and Taunton.
DPH's priority, Goldstein said, is "to protect residents, maintain continuity of care and minimize disruptions to their lives." DPH will monitor the nursing homes more closely as the license revocation process plays out, with regulators making more frequent site visits, the commissioner said.
DPH has conducted roughly 90 inspections of the 12 RegalCare facilities over the last three years and made four findings of "immediate jeopardy," Goldstein said.
"We've used enforcement measures, including restrictions on admissions, corrective actions and financial penalties," Goldstein said. "MassHealth has also taken steps to hold these facilities accountable, but enforcement must lead to meaningful, sustained improvements in care. And when it does not, we must be prepared to take stronger action. That's what we are doing now."
Mirlis has 30 days to request a hearing to challenge DPH's actions.
Alison Kuznitz is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts.
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