Outside chains like RegalCare transformed Mass. nursing homes. Quality fell.

Key Points:

• Eli Mirlis, through his company RegalCare, has rapidly expanded to become one of Massachusetts' largest nursing home operators, acquiring 12 facilities in the state amid aggressive budget cuts and declining care quality.
• Under Mirlis's ownership, nursing homes such as the Taunton facility saw drastic reductions in nursing staff hours and basic supplies, contributing to a fall from five-star to one-star federal quality ratings within a few years.
• Regulatory oversight by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been criticized for failing to block Mirlis’s acquisitions despite his poor track record, including a revoked nursing home administrator license in New Jersey and ongoing federal investigations.
• A whistleblower lawsuit, joined by federal and state authorities, accused Mirlis and RegalCare of inflating Medicare and Medicaid bills by pushing unnecessary physical therapy on residents, resulting in a $1 million fine settlement in 2025.
• Mirlis’s business practices include diverting nursing home funds to related real estate and management companies he owns, raising concerns about profiteering at the expense of resident care, while families and former employees report neglect and unsafe conditions.