(Orlando, Florida, October 26, 2003) -- Hundreds of physicians and health-care providers today formally adopted the concept of practicing patient-focused care by taking the inaugural Patient-Focused Care Pledge instituted by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), signifying the first time a specialty medical society has announced an initiative of this kind. The Patient-Focused Care Pledge was introduced as part of the Convocation Ceremony at CHEST 2003, the international scientific assembly of the ACCP, held October 25-30, in Orlando, Florida. With support from other health-care organizations, the ACCP will utilize the Pledge as the foundation for an initiative specifically designed to develop interdisciplinary models of patient-focused care for use in hospitals, health-care systems, and health-care education programs around the country.

"As medical professionals, we have been listening to the concerns of our patients, patient advocacy organizations, and government institutions regarding the deficiencies of modern American medicine. And in this time, we have seen our patients lose faith in their physicians, insurance companies, and the health-care industry as a whole," said Richard S. Irwin, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. "We are in the midst of a health-care revolution, and it is time for all who provide health care to practice patient-focused care and recapture the respect and goodwill of the American public. Although our Pledge will not change the attitudes of health-care providers, patients, and the American public overnight, it is just the beginning of a larger objective to ensure that every patient, every family, and every human being receive the best possible medical care."

Recent reports issued by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, patient advocacy groups, and medical institutions, suggest that the health-care industry is in a rapid decline, citing rising health-care cost
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Contact: Arielle Green
agreen@chestnet.org
847-498-8387
American College of Chest Physicians
26-Oct-2003

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