The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) to improve diagnostic excellence in interstitial lung disease (ILD).

The funded project, called, "'How We Do It': CHEST Experts Weigh In," aims to inform future best practices in reducing the time to diagnosis for ILDs. The activities in the series will prepare the learner to:

• define symptoms and patient profiles associated with ILD;

• recognize health inequities that may assist in the diagnosis of ILD;

• identify the appropriate tests that may help validate a suspicion of ILD; and

• coordinate the next steps in the process, including how to document and when and where to refer.

The goal is to reach more than 100,000 health care workers and evaluate and measure the impact of additional education and more timely diagnosis on patient care and outcomes.

Affecting about 400,000 people in the United States, ILDs encompass more than 200 distinct entities and comprise a group of diseases that cause lung inflammation and/or permanent scarring. While frequently misdiagnosed as more common lung diseases, a prompt, accurate diagnosis is paramount to start treatment, allowing medications additional time to slow the irreversible progression of the disease potentially.

The project is an extension of the CHEST initiative, Bridging Specialties™: Timely Diagnosis for ILD, which highlighted the need for bringing together pulmonary and primary care medicine experts to shorten the time to diagnosis for ILD.

CHEST is one of 11 specialty societies receiving grants to promote diagnostic excellence across the field of medicine. The awards are part of a competitive grant program administered by CMSS and funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for medical specialty societies to support the development of resources and programs to promote diagnostic excellence for clinicians and patients.