Please see below announcement from the Coalition 4 ME/CFS
We will be presenting the ICD proposal on Wednesday in Maryland
http://coalition4mecfs.org/index.html
http://coalition4mecfs.org/ICDPR.html
Coalition 4 ME/CFS
ICD Announcement
September 12, 2011
*/Coalition 4 ME/CFS Proposal to Reclassify
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM
Accepted for Review by the National Center for Health Statistics /*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
Contact: Corin Ramos, Walson Communications
Cell Phone: 714-865-4147
Email: corin@walsonpr.com
/*Coral Gables, FL, September 12, 2011* -- The Coalition 4 ME/CFS on
July 15, 2011, submitted a proposal
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Coalition4MECFS/546370afcb/9e980ecaab/535ca380a0>to
the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for reclassification of
chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) as a neurological disease in the United
States International Classification of Diseases-10-CM (ICD-10-CM) and
International Classification of Diseases-9-CM (ICD-9-CM). The proposal
was accepted for review at the upcoming meeting of the Coordination and
Maintenance Committee at the Center for Medicare Services
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Coalition4MECFS/546370afcb/9e980ecaab/74442f536f>
(CMS), in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 14, 2011.
The proposal request is supported by past and current recommendations
from the CFS
Advisory Committee (CFSAC), an advisory committee, created under the
Federal Advisory Committee (FACA) statue and regulations. The proposal
request is to reclassify CFS as a neurological disease in the ICD-9-CM
and ICD-10-CM in recognition of the current scientific understanding of
CFS and its classification in the ICD-10 by the World Health
Organization (WHO). "The goal of this proposal is to ensure alignment
with ICD-10 under WHO and the clinical modifications embraced by other
countries, and to ensure alignment with the best current case definition
for CFS, which includes both viral and bacterial triggers," stated Mike
Munoz, a member of the Coalition 4 ME/CFS steering committee.
The WHO publishes the ICD, which is used by more than 100 countries to
standardize how diseases are classified. In the ICD-10, which is the
current global standard, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), post viral
fatigue syndrome (PVFS), and CFS are all classified under Neurological
Diseases. "This proposal is a stepwise change that will separate cases
of ME/CFS from cases of unspecified chronic fatigue and depression, and
in the process, signal to the medical community the seriousness of this
disease," said Lori Chapo-Kroger, another steering committee member.
It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
that at least one million individuals in the U.S. and 17 million
worldwide (National Institutes of Health) are stricken with this
debilitating, disabling, and sometimes fatal disease. The annual
economic cost in the U.S. for ME/CFS according to a recent study
published in the Journal of Dynamic Medicine-Bio Med Central, by Jason
et al., from DePaul University is estimated to be between 18 and 23
billion dollars. Marly Silverman, another member of the current
Coalition 4 ME/CFS steering committee added: "The approval for review of
this historical proposal by the NCHS, highlights the fact that current
science is bringing government health agencies, researchers and patient
advocacy groups together to collaborate, leading to results that will
improve quality of life for patients afflicted with ME/CFS in the U.S."
The Coalition 4 ME/CFS supports our scientific research community in the
efforts of retiring the name chronic fatigue syndrome and the acronym
CFS. It supports a worldwide collaborative and accepted case definition,
with well-defined diagnostic criteria and guidelines for implementation
of well-devised treatment standards. Although the coalition recognizes
pragmatically the effort and time needed to drive this welcome change
across all clinical, research, legal, disability, and insurance
disciplines in the U.S., we believe our ICD-10-CM and ICD-9-CM proposal
initiative contributes to a productive timely result.
We acknowledge and express gratitude to Mary Dimmock, who prepared the
proposal request with solid expertise and diligence on behalf of the
Coalition 4 ME/CFS. We thank the Coalition 4 ME/CFS steering committee
for their unwavering commitment to this project. We acknowledge CFSAC
members who have voted for the recommendations that this proposal
supports. We appreciate the support of physicians and researchers who
provided expert input to the proposal.
To read the proposal and get more information, visit the coalition
website at Coalition4ME/CFS.org
<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Coalition4MECFS/546370afcb/9e980ecaab/015bbf49d8>
*About NeuroEndocrineImmune Diseases (NEIDs)*
NeuroEndocrineImmune diseases include fibromyalgia (FM), chronic Lyme
disease (CLD), multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), Gulf War illnesses
(GWI), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS is also known in Europe
and other countries as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
*About Coalition 4 ME/CFS*
Coalition members are the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia
Organization of Georgia, Inc., CFS Knowledge Center, CFS Solutions of
West Michigan, PANDORA, Inc. (Patient Alliance for Neuroendocrineimmune
Disorders Organization for Research & Advocacy, Inc.), Phoenix Rising,
Rocky Mountain CFS/ME & FM Association (RMCFA), Vermont CFIDS
Association, Inc., and Wisconsin ME/CFS Association, Inc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Send posts to CO-CURE@listserv.nodak.edu
Unsubscribe at http://www.co-cure.org/unsub.htm
Select list topic options at http://www.co-cure.org/topics.htm
---------------------------------------------
Co-Cure's purpose is to provide information from across the spectrum of
opinion concerning medical, research and political aspects of ME/CFS and/or
FMS. We take no position on the validity of any specific scientific or
political opinion expressed in Co-Cure posts, and we urge readers to
research the various opinions available before assuming any one
interpretation is definitive. The Co-Cure website <www.co-cure.org> has a
link to our complete archive of posts as well as articles of central
importance to the issues of our community.
---------------------------------------------
