About Us
The FoCUS Mission: Evidence-Driven Care Transformation
Facts on Care in the US (FoCUS) is a project of the Brown University Department of Health Services, Policy & Practice (HSPP), Center for Gerontology & Healthcare Research (CGHR), and in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, Dartmouth College, and Vanderbilt University. FoCUS is part of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Treatment and Outcomes in America: Changing Policies and Systems project supported, in part, by the National Institute on Aging (P01 AG027296). By generating evidence to improve care, inform policy, and advance research on aging and dementia, FoCUS embodies the complementary HSPP and CGHR missions.
Project Evolution
Originally launched in 2009 as LTCFoCUS.org, the project initially focused on national nursing home data. Over time, it has expanded to include data on home health agencies and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
Empowering Stakeholders
Our project is a comprehensive, data-driven effort to understand and improve post-acute and long-term care in the US, with a special focus on the care provided to people living with dementia. By linking policy, market, and organizational factors to utilization and outcomes, FoCUS helps researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders better understand how care is organized and delivered.
Our Specialized Tools
LTCFoCUS
Provides data on nursing home care in the US. The platform enables researchers to examine relationships between state policies, local market forces, and the quality of long-term care. It includes longitudinal data regarding the health and functional status of nursing home residents and characteristics of nursing home facilities.
MAFoCUS
Is a newly developed, publicly accessible repository designed to advance Medicare Advantage (MA) research by providing centralized, user-friendly data on MA contracts, plan structures, and outcomes. The platform includes longitudinal data related to plan-level enrollment, organizational and benefit characteristics, utilization, and end-of-life care.
HHFoCUS
Provides information on home health utilization among Medicare beneficiaries. Data are aggregated annually at the home health agency, county, and state levels. The dataset can be used to examine variations in home health utilization, patient demographics, and clinical characteristics - including dementia, activities of daily living, cognitive functioning, and chronic conditions - across agencies, counties, and states.
FoCUS was designed for a broad audience, including researchers, journalists, and policymakers. Our goal is to provide data, tools, and resources that support a better understanding of post-acute and long-term care and the MA program. Ultimately, we hope these resources will inform efforts to improve how care is organized, financed, and delivered in the US.
Our Project Team
Principal Investigators
Special Thanks To Founding members...
Emily Gadbois, PhD
Vincent Mor, PhD
Jeffrey Hiris, BS
Christopher Santostefano, RN, MPH
Jessica Ogarek, MS
Denise Tyler, PhD
Emma Belanger, PhD
Pedro Gozalo, PhD
Lacey Loomer, PhD
Development & Analytics
Kendra Offiaeli, MPH
Website Development, Data Analytics
Joan Brazier, MS
Website Development
Miriam George, MPH
Data Analytics, Website Development
Yoojin Lee, MS, MPH
Data Analytics, Website Development
Jay Shroff, MS
Data Analytics
Hiren Varma, MS, MBA
Data Analytics, Website Development
Sweta Patel, MPH
Data Analytics, Website Development
Nicole Giron, MS
Website Development