Healthcare Gaps
Thursday, December 27, 2007

New Council to Target Barriers in Care for Patients with Fibromyalgia

Jersey City, December 5, 2007---The newly formed Advisory Council on Fibromyalgia Education (ACFE), comprising nationally recognized clinicians and researchers and developed to identify and provide solutions to educational gaps and barriers in the area of fibromyalgia syndrome, issued a statement stating that several significant gaps exist in the identification, diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia patients.

“The gaps and barriers identified among healthcare providers include a substantial lack of awareness about the disorder and a lack of confidence in the ability of the physicians ability to diagnosis it. As a result, misdiagnosis, fragmentation of patient care, and an increased cost of care are plaguing the management of fibromyalgia syndrome,” said I. Jon Russell, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and Director of the University Clinical Research Center.  “Each of these barriers contributes to poor patient care and outcomes. Ideally, the management of patients with the fibromyalgia syndrome should be individualized, multimodal, multidisciplinary, and should be expected to extend over weeks to months with a continuum of care during that time,”  added Dr. Russell.

The goal of the ACFE is to bring together a multidisciplinary group of national thought leaders in the area of fibromyalgia syndrome to provide insight into the core issues that cause physicians’ barriers, and together deliver strategic direction in addressing those barriers.Current members include Misha-Miroslav Backonja, MD, Robert Bennett, MD, Michael Clark, MD, MPH, Daniel Clauw, MD, Don Goldenberg, MD, Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, Kim Dupree Jones RN, PhD, FNP, Lynne Matallana, President of NFA, Bill McCarberg, MD, FABPM, Philip J. Mease, MD, Harvey Moldofsky, MD, FRCPC, I. Jon Russell, MD, PhD, Dennis Turk, PhD, David A. Williams, PhD and Patrick Wood, MD.

The council will represent the areas of rheumatology, psychiatry, primary care, neurology and nursing as well as other healthcare groups and thus represent a platform offering insight from multiple perspectives.  “Having a group of such pre-eminent thought leaders provide such input and direction will allow the development of much needed evidence-based education in the area of fibromyalgia syndrome,” states Seanne Murray, CEO of MJ Consulting Group, who jointly developed the ACFE with the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA), and Gullapalli and Associates (G&A).

About the National Fibromyalgia Association

The NFA, founded in 1997 by Lynne Matallana, is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to decreasing the burden of fibromyalgia through education, research and patient advocacy. The NFA leads a national and international effort to create a voice for providers, researchers and patient who deal with fibromyalgia by leading the development and support of educational activities, awareness events, fibromyalgia research, media coverage, and facilitation of increased collaboration between patients and providers. The NFA’s philosophy is to help empower all stakeholders in fibromyalgia and to provide them with a new level of hope for the future.

For additional information, please visit http://www.fmaware.org.

About MJ Consulting Group

MJ Consulting Group (“MJ”) collaborates with academic centers of excellence, non-profit associations and medical education companies dedicated to advancing medical education. While reinforcing a collaborative approach, MJ’s goal is to raise awareness of and foster dialogue about solutions to address educational gaps and needs among healthcare providers.  MJ identifies, develops and manages collaborative relationships with established organizations, educational partners and channels to develop communication strategies designed to address key educational gaps and needs among healthcare providers.  As a facilitator in the medical education industry, its mission is to deliver clearly defined communications strategies aimed to improve the knowledge, skills and clinical behavior of healthcare providers through proven health education models thus impacting patient care and outcomes.

For more information, please visit http://www.mjconsultinggroup.com/.

About G&A

Gullapalli & Associates (G&A) is a consulting firm specializing in facilitating strategic collaboration between key stakeholders in the medical education community. G&A facilitates the development of integrated educational initiatives through evidence based health education models, ensuring consistent educational strategy, goals, and objectives across multiple channels. G&A also identifies and manages a range of educational collaborative partners, channels, and resources to enhance the educational impact of the services provided.

For additional information on G&A, please visit http://www.gullapalliandassoc.com/.