Nursing home safety in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has 336 Medicare-certified nursing homes. They average 3.04 out of 5 CMS stars (0.06 better than the national average), carry 29.8 health-inspection citations each, and 8 are listed with an abuse icon by CMS in this source snapshot. Federal penalties total $12,288,925. CMS abuse-icon records and a separate star-record sample are named below.
Source: CMS Care Compare — Provider Information released 2026-08-06; source data last modified 2026-07-29. Free to cite with attribution to Haven.
CMS source snapshot: 20 days old. These are historical CMS fields from a dated source release, not live proof of availability, certification status, an inspection outcome, or an individual's care fit.
Staffing in Massachusetts averages 3.87 nurse hours per resident per day (0.02 worse than the national average). Citations average 29.8 per home (0.5 better than the national average)— though citation counts reflect how aggressively a state's survey agency inspects, so they compare poorly across state lines.
Massachusetts homes listed with a CMS abuse icon
CMS applies this icon when a facility was cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. It is a serious signal, not a verdict — read the specific citations in the linked record and ask the administrator directly.
- Regalcare at Courtyard-Medford (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Medford · 1★
- Plymouth Harborside Healthcare (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Plymouth · 1★
- Willow Brook Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Wilmington · 2★
- Mission Care at Holyoke (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Holyoke · 2★
- Berkshire Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Sandisfield · 2★
- The Center at Blue Hills (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Stoughton · 3★
- Pine Knoll Nursing Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Lexington
Special Focus Facilities in Massachusetts
CMS's own list of homes with a persistent record of poor care. They are inspected about twice as often as other facilities and can be terminated from Medicare and Medicaid if they do not improve.
- Melrose Healthcare (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Melrose · SFF Candidate
- Saugus Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Saugus · SFF Candidate
- Blaire House of Tewksbury (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Tewksbury · SFF Candidate
- Regalcare at Courtyard-Medford (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Medford · SFF Candidate
- Maplewood Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Amesbury · SFF Candidate
- Pine Knoll Nursing Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Lexington · SFF
- Benjamin Healthcare Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Boston · SFF Candidate
- Norwood Healthcare (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Norwood · SFF Candidate
- Plymouth Harborside Healthcare (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Plymouth · SFF Candidate
- Medway Country Manor Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitat (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Medway · SFF
- Hadley Pointe Nursing Rehab & Care (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) — Hadley · SFF Candidate
CMS four- and five-star records in Massachusetts
Four and five-star homes with no abuse flag and no Special Focus status in this CMS snapshot. The first 10 are shown in neutral name order; these source fields are not a Haven recommendation.
| Community | City | CMS stars | Nurse hrs/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbott Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Lynn | 4 | 3.62659 |
| Aberjona Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Winchester | 5 | 4.09555 |
| Adviniacare Newton Wellesley (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Wellesley | 4 | 3.58854 |
| Agawam East Rehab and Nursing (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Agawam | 5 | 3.68921 |
| Agawam South Rehab and Nursing (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Agawam | 4 | 3.63998 |
| Alliance Health at Baldwinville (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Baldwinville | 4 | 3.7489 |
| Alliance Health at Braintree (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Braintree | 5 | 4.25442 |
| Alliance Health at Coleman (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Northborough | 4 | 3.48483 |
| Alliance Health at Marie Esther (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Marlborough | 4 | 3.76309 |
| Alliance Health at West Acres (opens the official CMS Care Compare record) | Brockton | 4 | 3.69245 |
Largest federal penalties in Massachusetts
Civil monetary penalties follow serious deficiencies. A large fine history is a question to raise, not an automatic disqualification — some homes correct course, and the citations tell you which.
- Pine Knoll Nursing Center · Lexington (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$568,747
- Plymouth Harborside Healthcare · Plymouth (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$359,529
- Adviniacare Newburyport · Newburyport (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$322,104
- Cape Cod Post Acute Care · Brewster (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$298,483
- Regalcare at Glen Ridge · Medford (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$286,020
- Tremont Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center · Wareham (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$285,936
- Medway Country Manor Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitat · Medway (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$280,591
- Oxford Rehabilitation & Health Care Center · Haverhill (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$265,351
- Salem Rehab Center · Salem (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$252,785
- Hathorne Hill Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center · Danvers (opens the official CMS Care Compare record)$242,785
Massachusetts nursing homes: common questions
How many nursing homes in Massachusetts have been flagged for abuse?
8 of 336 CMS-certified nursing homes in Massachusetts (2.4%) are listed with the federal abuse icon in the CMS snapshot used for this report. CMS applies the icon when a facility has been cited for abuse-related deficiencies on a recent inspection. The national rate in this same snapshot is 9.9%. Every listed home is named on this page.
What is the average nursing home rating in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts nursing homes average 3.04 out of 5 on the CMS overall star rating, across 333 rated facilities. The national average is 2.98. Staffing averages 3.87 total nurse hours per resident per day versus 3.89 nationally.
Which nursing homes in Massachusetts are on the Special Focus list?
12 Massachusetts facilities are designated a Special Focus Facility or candidate — CMS's list of homes with a persistent record of poor care, which face roughly double the normal inspection frequency and possible termination from Medicare and Medicaid. They are listed by name on this page.
How much have Massachusetts nursing homes been fined?
Federal civil monetary penalties against Massachusetts nursing homes total $12,288,925 in the CMS release used for this report. Fines follow serious deficiencies, so a large penalty history is worth asking a facility about directly — they are required to discuss their inspection record with you.
Worried about a specific home in Massachusetts?
Open a named home's linked CMS record to review the source fields behind this report, then use the assessment and comparison tools to prepare questions, then confirm current price, availability, and care acceptance directly with each home.