In our continued effort to provide the patient's voice in improving access to, and reimbursement for, high-quality healthcare through regulatory and legislative reform, NPAF has recently joined the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease; a national coalition committed to raising awareness of policies and practices that save lives and reduce health costs through more effective prevention and management of chronic disease.

Founded in 2007 and comprised of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups and health policy experts, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national coalition which believes rising rates of chronic health problems pose a significant and unsustainable burden on the U.S. health care system, and that the viability and strength of the system relies on a willingness to enact policies that help Americans better prevent and manage chronic illness.

The policy agenda for PFCD offers a united voice that injects patient-focused policies and practices into the national dialogue on important health care issues and works to:

• Advance sustainable "Next Generation" chronic disease prevention, early intervention, and management models throughout the health care system and public health infrastructure
• Promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention and management in every community
• Encourage and reward continous advances in clinical practice and research that improve the quality of care for those with prevalent and costly chronic diseases
• Accelerate improvements in the quality and availability of health information technology (HIT) throughout the health care system
• Reduce health disparities by focusing on barriers to good health

More Information on PFCD