Massachusetts Moves to Strip a Nursing Home Chain of All 12 of Its Licenses

Boston, Massachusetts — Massachusetts health regulators have launched the most dramatic enforcement action the state has taken against a nursing home operator in years: an effort to strip all 12 licenses held by RegalCare, the chain whose worsening conditions were detailed in a recent Boston Globe Spotlight investigation.

The Department of Public Health issued a notice of intended agency action Tuesday against Eliyahu “Eli” Mirlis, the chain’s CEO, finding him not suitable and not responsible to establish or maintain a long-term care facility in Massachusetts. Mirlis has 30 days to request a hearing, and the company has signaled it will fight the move.

A rare, chain-wide action

“This is a significant action taken after a comprehensive review of serious quality and safety concerns at RegalCare facilities,” Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein told the Public Health Council. “This action is about more than meeting regulatory obligations — it is about protecting people.”

The push follows a Globe Spotlight report, published about two weeks earlier, that described deteriorating conditions across the chain and accused Mirlis of cutting spending on resident care while diverting money to his other real estate and management businesses. Regulators say Mirlis also misrepresented his licensure history: New Jersey revoked his nursing home administrator license, and his credentials lapsed in Connecticut and New York, even as he kept buying homes in Massachusetts.

Nearly 90 inspections, four immediate jeopardy findings

The state’s paper trail is long. Over the past three years, DPH has conducted roughly 90 inspections at the company’s Massachusetts facilities, including four findings of “immediate jeopardy” — situations that create a likelihood of serious harm to residents. Officials say they tried the standard playbook first: admission restrictions, corrective action plans and financial penalties. MassHealth took its own steps. None of it produced sustained improvement, Goldstein said, so the state is escalating.

Federal prosecutors were already involved. Mirlis admitted in a $1 million settlement over Medicare and MassHealth billing last month that the chain billed for skilled nursing services that weren’t medically necessary at the level charged.

What happens to residents

Nobody is being moved out tomorrow. Goldstein stressed the homes aren’t closing immediately and families don’t need to relocate loved ones. The facilities — spread from Worcester and Lowell to Quincy, Taunton, Greenfield and Harwich — will stay open while the revocation process plays out, with the state conducting more frequent site visits and prioritizing continuity of care. A hotline is now up for families and staff to report concerns.

The action comes as Massachusetts regulators adopt tougher rules of their own, giving the state more power to scrutinize nursing home owners’ finances and out-of-state track records before approving new licenses. For chains operating across state lines, the message from Boston is hard to miss.