NORTHWOOD REHABILITATION & HEALTHCARE CENTER – LOWELL, MA

CMS Verified | 2026-03-01

Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center

1010 VARNUM AVENUE, Lowell, MA 1854
(978) 458-8773
123 beds
All Lowell facilities
1.0*
Overall
1.0*
Health Inspection
3.0*
Quality Care
2.0*
Staffing
65.73
Score /100
#10046
National Rank

#10046
of 14703 facilities
National
31.7% position
#232
of 341 in MA
State Rank
#49
of 72 in Middlesex
County Rank
#5
of 7 in Lowell
City Rank
#2
of 4 in ZIP 1854
ZIP Rank






About Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare CenterNorthwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center is located at 1010 Varnum Avenue, Lowell, MA, reachable at (978) 458-8773. This For profit – Partnership facility operates 123.0 certified beds and serves an average of 116 residents per day. It is part of the Athena Healthcare Systems network (24 facilities nationwide). Medicare and Medicaid services have been provided since 1987-02-17. The facility currently holds a poor (1-star) overall CMS rating — families are encouraged to review inspection reports carefully before making a decision.
Facility

Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center

Address

1010 Varnum Avenue, Lowell, MA 1854

Care Offered
  • Long-Term Care
  • Rehab / Short-Term Care
Medicare & Medicaid
  • Accepts Medicare
  • Accepts Medicaid
Facility Details
  • 123 Certified Beds
  • Ownership: For profit – Partnership
  • Resident Council: Resident
  • Automatic Sprinklers: Yes
  • Network: ATHENA HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

Quick Verdict

Overall Quality
❌ Poor (1★) overall rating
Health Inspection
❌ Poor (1★) health inspection
Staffing
⚠️ Below Average (2★) staffing rating
Quality of Care
⚠️ Average (3★) quality of care
Compliance
❌ 17 fine(s) over 5 years
5-Year Trend
➡️ Stable over 5 years
65.73
Composite quality score out of 100 – how we calculate this
0 – Poor50 – Average100 – Best

#10046 of 14703 nationally – #232 of 341 in Massachusetts

Who Is This Facility Best For?

Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center may be considered for families with limited options in Lowell, MA, but its lower CMS ratings suggest careful due diligence is warranted. It performs well for short-stay and post-acute rehabilitation patients. Families should inquire about nurse-to-resident ratios, as the CMS Staffing Rating is currently 2 out of 5.

Overall Rating 2022-2026

Total Nurse Hours/Day 2022-2026

Current Ratings (2026)

Overall Rating

1 / 5
Health Inspection

1 / 5
Staffing Rating

2 / 5
Quality Measures (QM)

3 / 5
Long-Stay QM Rating

3 / 5
Short-Stay QM Rating

4 / 5

5-Year Rating Trends

Overall Rating

Health Inspection Rating

Quality of Care (QM)

Staffing Rating

Average Residents per Day

Occupancy % (Residents / Beds)

Staffing InsightNorthwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center currently provides 3 hours 3 minutes of total nurse staffing per resident per day, including 28 minutes of Registered Nurse (RN) coverage. The CMS Staffing Rating of 2 out of 5 is below average — a point worth discussing with facility management before admission. Total nursing staff turnover is 27.4%, near the national average.

Current Staffing Hours Per Resident Per Day (2026)

Total Nurse Staffing3 hours 3 minutes
Nurse Aide Hours1 hour 54 minutes
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Hours41 minutes
Registered Nurse (RN) Hours28 minutes
Physical Therapist Hours2 minutes

National average total nurse staffing is approximately 3.5 hours per day

Weekend Staffing Hours Per Resident Per Day (2026)

Weekend Total Nurse Hours2 hours 50 minutes
Weekend Registered Nurse (RN) Hours19 minutes

Weekend staffing is typically lower than weekday levels. Ask the facility about their weekend nurse-to-resident ratios.

5-Year Staffing Trends

Total Nurse Hours/Day

Registered Nurse (RN) Hours/Day

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Hours/Day

Nurse Aide Hours/Day

Total Staff Turnover %

Registered Nurse (RN) Turnover %

Compliance SummaryIn the current reporting period, the facility received 2 fine(s) totaling $165,780. 7 substantiated complaints were recorded across the 5-year period — families should request details from the facility or review CMS inspection findings.
Number of Fines (current period) 2
Total Fines Amount $165780.0
Payment Denials 0
Total Penalties 2
Abuse Flag on Record N
Total Weighted Health Survey Score 112.5 (lower = better)

Substantiated Complaints / Year

Fines Issued ($) / Year

Composite Quality Rankings

#10,046
of 14,703
National
Bottom 32%
#232
of 341
MA State
Bottom 32% in MA
#49
of 72
️ Middlesex County
#49 of 72
#5
of 7
️ Lowell
#5 of 7
#2
of 4
ZIP 1854
#2 of 4

Nationally, Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center ranks 10046th out of 14,703 facilities (composite score: 65.7/100), placing it in the below average nationwide. Within MA, it ranks 232nd out of 341 nursing homes. In Lowell, it ranks 5th out of 7 facilities. Among facilities sharing its ZIP code, it ranks 2nd of 4. For 2026 staffing: total nurse hours rank #12,951 nationally and RN hours rank #9,308 nationally (#238 in MA).

How do we calculate these rankings?

Total Nurse Staffing – Year-by-Year National and State Ranks

Year Hours/Day National Rank MA State Rank Note
2022 2.71 #13,059 / 14,703 #326 / 341 ⚠️ Bottom 25%
2023 3.69 #6,275 / 14,703 #134 / 341 Above average
2024 3.28 #10,318 / 14,703 #268 / 341 Below average
2025 3.20 #11,626 / 14,703 #299 / 341 ⚠️ Bottom 25%
2026 3.05 #12,951 / 14,703 #325 / 341 ⚠️ Bottom 25%

Registered Nurse (RN) Hours – Year-by-Year National and State Ranks

Year Hours/Day National Rank MA State Rank Note
2022 0.33 #12,013 / 14,703 #314 / 341 ⚠️ Bottom 25%
2023 0.67 #5,096 / 14,703 #136 / 341 Above average
2024 0.44 #9,503 / 14,703 #264 / 341 Below average
2025 0.53 #7,729 / 14,703 #204 / 341 Below average
2026 0.47 #9,308 / 14,703 #238 / 341 Below average

Total Nurse Rank – National (lower number = better)

Registered Nurse Rank – National (lower number = better)

Frequently Asked Questions

Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center is certified as a Medicare and Medicaid facility and has been approved to provide these services since 1987-02-17. Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing care (typically up to 100 days after a qualifying hospital stay). Medicaid covers long-term care for residents who meet financial eligibility requirements. Contact the facility at (978) 458-8773 or your local Medicaid office to verify current eligibility.

Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center holds an overall CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) rating of 1 out of 5 stars. This is made up of three components: Health Inspection (1★), Staffing (2★), and Quality of Resident Care (3★). Our independent composite quality score — which uses the raw underlying CMS numbers to break ties between similarly-rated facilities — is 65.7/100, placing it #10046 of 14703 facilities nationally and #232 of 341 in Massachusetts. Star ratings are a useful starting point, but the composite score and individual sub-ratings give a more complete picture for families comparing facilities.

Each resident at Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center receives a reported average of 3 hours 3 minutes of total nurse staffing per day. This breaks down as: Registered Nurse (RN) coverage — 28 minutes; Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) — 41 minutes; Nurse Aide — 1 hour 54 minutes. On weekends, total nurse staffing is 2 hours 50 minutes per resident per day. The CMS Staffing Rating for this facility is 2 out of 5. The national average for total nursing hours is approximately 3.5 hrs/day. Total nursing staff turnover is 27.4%. Families are encouraged to ask about current staffing schedules during their facility visit.

In the current reporting period, the facility received 2 fine(s) totaling $165,780. 7 substantiated complaints were recorded across the 5-year period — families should request details from the facility or review CMS inspection findings. In the most recent CMS reporting period, the facility received 2 fine(s) totaling $165,780, and 0 Medicare payment denial(s). Total penalties: 2. The Total Weighted Health Survey Score is 112.5 (lower scores are better). Full inspection history and complaint details are available at medicare.gov/care-compare.

Nationally, Northwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center ranks 10046th out of 14,703 facilities (composite score: 65.7/100), placing it in the below average nationwide. Within MA, it ranks 232nd out of 341 nursing homes. In Lowell, it ranks 5th out of 7 facilities. Among facilities sharing its ZIP code, it ranks 2nd of 4. For 2026 staffing: total nurse hours rank #12,951 nationally and RN hours rank #9,308 nationally (#238 in MA). Our composite quality score of 65.7/100 weighs health inspections, quality of resident care, staffing hours, compliance record, and five-year performance trends — giving a more complete picture than CMS star ratings alone, which can place hundreds of facilities in the same 5-star bucket. To browse and compare all nursing homes in Lowell, visit: https://nursinghomesnearme.org/massachusetts/lowell/

Contact and Location

ADR
Address

1010 VARNUM AVENUE, Lowell, MA 1854
Get directions on Google Maps

TEL
LLC
Legal Name

NORTHWOOD MA SNF LLC

MAP
Browse by Location

All Massachusetts ·
Middlesex County ·
Lowell ·
ZIP 1854

Facility Details

Number of Certified Beds 123
Average Residents / Day 116 (95% occupancy)
Ownership Type For profit – Partnership
Provider Type Medicare and Medicaid
County Middlesex County, MA
City Lowell, MA
ZIP Code 1854
Approved Since February 17, 1987
Resident Council ✅ Yes
Automatic Sprinklers ✅ All required areas
Ownership Changed (12 mo.) No
CMS Certification Number 225298
Data Processing Date March 1, 2026
Data Disclaimer: All data on this page is sourced exclusively from the official CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) Nursing Home Compare dataset, covering reporting periods from 2022 through 2026. This includes facility ratings, staffing hours, inspection scores, fines, complaints, and geographic coordinates. NursingHomesNearMe.org does not independently verify, collect, or alter this data. Composite scores and rankings are calculated by NursingHomesNearMe.org – learn how rankings are calculated. Information may not reflect current facility conditions. Always contact the facility directly and verify at medicare.gov/care-compare before making care decisions.
Data: CMS Nursing Home Compare – Processing Date: 2026-03-01 –
Rankings across 14703 U.S. facilities –
Ranking Methodology
NursingHomesNearMe.org

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