And the families say they have witnessed few of the promised upgrades to the 50-year-old building. The decline has been especially striking at New England Health Center in Sunderland, where families of residents complain about tepid meals, a lack of fresh fruit, insufficient nursing staff, spotty dental care, and questionable treatment for pressure sores. The rest of their acquisitions have either not been inspected since Synergy came in, or have declined in quality, according to inspections and rankings released by state and federal regulators. One of Synergy's homes, Watertown Health Center, has maintained an above-average federal ranking since Synergy bought it in March of last year. "We are obviously on the cusp of expansion into other states and other markets," Rosenblum said, but declined to elaborate. While Lipschutz and Newmark declined interviews, Rosenblum said the founders chose Massachusetts to launch their company because the small, family-owned nursing home in Sunderland that they bought in 2012 proved a perfect entry into the market. With a motto of "rehabilitating health care," Synergy advertises that it will offer the "finest in clinical and rehabilitative services," provide "impeccable customer service," and renovate nursing homes in Amesbury, Arlington, Brockton (where the company owns two), Newton, Revere, Sunderland, Watertown, Wilmington, and Worcester. ![]() Its founders, Zisha Avi Lipschutz, from New York, and Dov Newmark, from New Jersey, had each directed business offices at nursing homes in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, according to limited resumes provided by Synergy. Yet even amid this changing landscape, Synergy's brisk expansion from obscure beginnings is unusual. "We see this trend as a result of a challenging reimbursement environment in Massachusetts that has been making it more and more difficult for nursing home providers to invest in their workforces and in quality resident care," Antolini said. Massachusetts has become a magnet for out-of-state companies to expand their reach, as owners of smaller nursing homes struggle with paltry state payments for patient care, said Ann Marie Antolini, a vice president at Massachusetts Senior Care Association, a trade group that represents most of the state's 420 nursing homes. ![]() An uproar soon followed among its Massachusetts employees over the company's "poverty wages" and unaffordable health care, according to the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers EastĪ similar dispute unfolded last year when Zenith Care Health Group, a small New York company, bought a nursing home in Lexington and workers walked off the job. ![]() Genesis HealthCare, one of the nation's largest nursing home chains, bought competitor Sun Healthcare Group in late 2012, acquiring more than a dozen Massachusetts nursing homes. Nursing home chains are not new to Massachusetts, nor is controversy surrounding the facilities they purchase. "These are growing pains that happen in any business," said Yitzy Rosenblum, Synergy's director of mergers and acquisitions. Synergy's founders declined to discuss issues about their properties, but a company spokesman said Synergy has been quick to address concerns at all of its facilities. Although some chains maintain high standards, others have faced complaints for slashing staff wages and citations for the level of care they provide. The Synergy experience underscores the increasing reach of corporate chains in nursing care and the mounting concerns of patient advocates about the quality of their services.
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