Life Care Centers of America
A privately held U.S. operator of skilled nursing, rehabilitation, long-term care, and related senior-care facilities.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Life Care Centers of America is a privately held American senior-care company founded by Forrest Preston in 1970. The business operates nursing homes and related care facilities serving older adults and patients requiring post-acute medical support. Its principal activities include skilled nursing, long-term residential care, short-term rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy, and selected assisted-living services. The company is headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee. Its corporate headquarters has been located since 1995 at the Campbell Center on Keith Street, a site developed from a former shopping-mall property. Life Care has built a large multistate operating network and is described in reference material as one of the largest privately held long-term-care companies in the United States. Wikipedia-based facility data identifies operations in 27 states and 254 nursing homes with approximately 32,966 beds, although facility counts and bed totals can change over time and should be checked against current regulatory records. Life Care’s business model combines institutional residential care with clinical services intended to help patients recover after hospitalization or manage chronic conditions. Skilled nursing facilities generally provide round-the-clock nursing supervision, medication management, assistance with daily activities, and coordination with physicians and hospitals. Rehabilitation programs can support patients recovering from surgery, injury, stroke, illness, or other conditions that temporarily limit mobility and independence. Long-term care services are directed toward residents who need continuing assistance rather than a short recovery program. Forrest Preston has remained central to the company throughout its history. Reference material identifies him as founder, chairman, chief executive officer, and sole owner. The company is not publicly listed, and no public ticker or independently reported financial results are provided in the supplied sources. A company profile cited in the reference material reported approximately 42,000 employees in 2015, while federal and state facility data provide a more useful indicator of its operating scale. Life Care has also faced substantial regulatory and reputational scrutiny. In 2016, it agreed to pay $145 million to resolve federal allegations that it had pursued unnecessary or unreasonable rehabilitation services and submitted improper Medicare and TRICARE claims. The matter arose from whistleblower complaints brought under the False Claims Act and was described by the U.S. Department of Justice as the largest settlement involving a skilled-nursing-facility chain at that time. The company’s Life Care Center of Kirkland facility in Washington became the site of one of the earliest widely reported U.S. nursing-home COVID-19 outbreaks in 2020. The outbreak led to numerous resident deaths, extensive public-health intervention, and a federal fine for cited deficiencies in the facility’s response. Another Life Care facility, in Littleton, Massachusetts, experienced a separate outbreak that year. Today, Life Care Centers of America remains an active, privately controlled provider focused on nursing-facility operations, rehabilitation, and elder care in the United States. Because its ownership is private and its facility network changes, current size, staffing, and service mix should be verified through the company and government healthcare databases.
History
Life Care Centers of America was established in 1970 by Forrest Preston as a privately controlled provider of nursing and elder-care services. The company developed around the operation of nursing homes and gradually expanded its service offering to include skilled nursing, post-acute care, rehabilitation, and other forms of support for older adults. Unlike publicly traded healthcare chains, Life Care has remained privately held, with Preston retaining ownership and leadership. The company’s headquarters moved to the Campbell Center in Cleveland, Tennessee, in 1995. The complex occupies the site of a former shopping mall and became the long-term corporate base for the expanding organization. From Tennessee, Life Care built a multistate network of nursing and rehabilitation facilities. Reference material describes the company as operating in 27 states and as the largest privately held long-term elderly-care company in the United States. A Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-based figure cited by Wikipedia lists 254 nursing homes and 32,966 beds; these figures represent a historical snapshot rather than a guaranteed current total. Life Care’s facilities serve two overlapping populations. Long-term residents may require ongoing nursing supervision, assistance with daily living, medication support, and coordinated medical care. Shorter-stay patients may enter after hospitalization, surgery, injury, or acute illness and receive rehabilitation designed to improve mobility, speech, strength, or independence. This combination made the company part of the U.S. post-acute-care system, where nursing facilities coordinate with hospitals, physicians, insurers, Medicare, Medicaid, and families. The company faced a major compliance challenge in the 2010s. Federal allegations concerned rehabilitation billing between January 2006 and February 2013. Authorities and whistleblowers alleged that Life Care used systematic practices that increased Medicare and TRICARE claims for rehabilitation services that were unnecessary or unreasonable. In 2016, the company agreed to a $145 million resolution under the False Claims Act. The U.S. Department of Justice described the agreement as the largest settlement with a skilled-nursing-facility chain in department history at that point. The case became a significant event in the company’s public record and highlighted the regulatory risks associated with therapy utilization and government reimbursement in nursing facilities. Life Care received further national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its Kirkland, Washington facility was identified in February 2020 as the source of a major nursing-home outbreak, one of the earliest prominent outbreaks in the United States. Residents were transferred to hospitals, visitors were restricted, workers and public-safety personnel were monitored, and federal and local health agencies became involved. By March, the outbreak had been associated with a large number of resident deaths and infections among residents and employees. Federal regulators later imposed a $611,000 fine for cited deficiencies and required corrective measures. The company’s facility in Littleton, Massachusetts, also experienced an outbreak in April 2020, during which a nurse who raised the alarm died. Despite these controversies, Life Care Centers of America remains active as a private operator of nursing and rehabilitation facilities. Preston is identified in the available reference material as continuing to serve as chairman, CEO, and sole owner. The company’s scale, exact facility portfolio, workforce, and services may change, so contemporary information should be confirmed through official company materials and public healthcare-regulatory data.
- 2020
Kirkland COVID-19 outbreak
[1]A Life Care facility in Kirkland, Washington, became the site of one of the earliest major U.S. nursing-home COVID-19 outbreaks.
- 2016
Federal billing allegations resolved
[2]Life Care agreed to a $145 million settlement resolving allegations involving improper rehabilitation billing under the False Claims Act.
- 2015
Workforce reported at approximately 42,000
[1]Reference material reported that Life Care employed approximately 42,000 people.
- 1995
Headquarters established at Campbell Center
[1]The company moved its headquarters to the Campbell Center in Cleveland, Tennessee, located on the site of a former shopping mall.
- 1970
Company founded
[1]Forrest Preston founded Life Care Centers of America as a provider of nursing and long-term elder-care services.
Products and positioning
A large privately held U.S. provider of institutional senior care and post-acute rehabilitation, serving both long-term residents and patients recovering after hospitalization.
Clinical elder care
Skilled nursing care
Round-the-clock nursing-facility care for residents who need ongoing clinical supervision, assistance with daily activities, medication management, monitoring, and coordination with physicians and other healthcare providers.
Post-acute rehabilitation
Short-term rehabilitation
Rehabilitation services for patients recovering after hospitalization, surgery, injury, stroke, or illness. Programs may include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, with the goal of improving function and supporting a return to home or a less intensive care setting.
Long-term elder care
Long-term residential care
Residential services for older adults and other individuals who require continuing support rather than a temporary recovery stay. Care can include nursing oversight, personal assistance, meals, daily routines, and coordination of ongoing medical needs.
Senior living
Assisted living
Supportive senior-living services for people who need help with everyday activities but may not require the level of continuous skilled nursing associated with a nursing facility. Availability and scope can vary by location.
Controversies
2020
Kirkland COVID-19 outbreak and regulatory deficiencies
The Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington was linked to a major early U.S. nursing-home COVID-19 outbreak. The event involved resident deaths, infections, hospital transfers, staffing and protective-equipment concerns, and a subsequent federal fine for cited deficiencies.
2020
Nashoba Valley COVID-19 outbreak
Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley in Littleton, Massachusetts, experienced a COVID-19 outbreak. A nurse who reported the outbreak later died of the virus.
2020
Lawsuit filed against Life Care Centers of America over resident’s death
Deborah de los Angeles filed a lawsuit against Life Care Centers of America Inc., alleging fraud and wrongful death in connection with her mother’s death after contracting COVID-19 while a resident at the facility.
2016
Medicare and TRICARE rehabilitation billing case
Federal authorities alleged that Life Care used systematic practices to increase government reimbursement claims for rehabilitation services that were unnecessary or unreasonable. The company agreed to pay $145 million to resolve the False Claims Act allegations, which arose from two whistleblower actions.
Brand decisions
2020
Implement outbreak controls at Kirkland facilityStrategyBackground
A major COVID-19 outbreak affected residents and employees at the Kirkland, Washington facility, prompting involvement by local, state, and federal health authorities.
Action taken
The facility restricted visitors, confined residents to rooms, transferred residents to hospitals, coordinated testing and medical support, and pursued corrective action after federal findings.
Aftermath
The outbreak was associated with numerous deaths and a $611,000 federal fine for deficiencies in the response.
Federal fine. $611,000 (2020)
2016
Resolve federal rehabilitation-billing allegationsOtherBackground
The company faced allegations that rehabilitation services billed to Medicare and TRICARE had been unnecessary or unreasonable and that billing practices violated the False Claims Act.
Action taken
Life Care agreed to pay $145 million to resolve the allegations without the supplied material describing a separate admission of liability.
Aftermath
The settlement became one of the most significant federal enforcement actions involving a skilled-nursing-facility chain at that time.
False Claims Act settlement. $145 million (2016)
Recent events
Lawsuit filed against Life Care Centers of America over resident’s death[4]
Reported:
Deborah de los Angeles filed a lawsuit against Life Care Centers of America Inc., alleging fraud and wrongful death in connection with her mother’s death after contracting COVID-19 while a resident at the facility.
Sources4 sources
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