The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) recently announced that 19 sites have been added to its Pulmonary Fibrosis Care Center Network, for a total of 40 sites in 26 states. The network a collection of leading medical centers selected by peer reviewers and the PFF boards for their expertise in PF diagnosis and comprehensive care.

Gregory P. Cosgrove, MD, chief of medical officer of the PFF said that, “as the leading resource for the pulmonary fibrosis community, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation created the PFF Care Center Network to help ensure patients receive a swift and accurate diagnosis along with the highest quality of care, which is absolutely critical for effectively managing the devastating group of fibrotic lung diseases.”

Pulmonary fibrosis results from the scarring of lung tissue, which builds up in the walls of the air sacs of the lungs. Over time, the scarred tissue increases the difficulty of oxygen to effectively reach the bloodstream. It is the PFF’s aim to be a trusted resource for all PF patients and the institution has developed a series of programs designed to improve patient support and their life quality. These programs include:

• PFF Care Center Network.
• PFF Patient Registry, a soon-to-start online database of PF patient data to facilitate ongoing research; it is the first national registry of its kind.
• PFF Patient Communication Center.
• PFF Ambassador Program.
• The PFF Summit, a biennial and international health conference bringing together researchers, healthcare providers, industry leaders, patients, and caregivers.
• Comprehensive disease education material.

Many facilities have applied to be part of the expanded Care Center Network, and the selection process was a rigorous review of those that best met PFF guidelines for patient care, teaching, and research, and that fulfilled geographic needs. The following 19 institutions were chosen, PFF announced on Dec. 1, 2015:

• Boston-Providence Pulmonary Fibrosis Care Centers (Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center)
• Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center
• Duke University Medical Center
• Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Medical Center
• Northwestern Memorial Hospital
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
• Stanford Health Center
• Stony Brook University Hospital
• Temple University Hospital
• UCLA Health Interstitial Lung Disease Program
• University of Cincinnati Medical Center
• University of Minnesota Medical Center
• University of Rochester Medical Center
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health)
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
• University of Utah Health Care
• UVA Health Systems

Kevin Flaherty, MD, chairman of the Steering Committee of the PFF Care Center Network, explained that “all the participating sites exemplify the program’s emphasis on providing excellent patient care, educating staff about pulmonary fibrosis and pursuing research. In the near future, all the sites will have the opportunity to apply to participate in the soon-to-be-launched national PFF Patient Registry, which will collect patient data to facilitate ongoing research.”