UK Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic redesignated as qualified care center

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 30, 2025) — The UK HealthCare Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Clinic offers patients with advanced lung disease the expert care and multidisciplinary resources they need to receive a clear diagnosis, begin a treatment plan and maximize their length and quality of life. It is a specialty program housed under Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and offers the full scope of ILD care — including advanced diagnostic options, management strategies, transplantation timing and palliative care. 

The UK ILD program was recently redesignated as part of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) Care Center Network (CCN) for the next five years. The Care Center Network is a national network of clinics with expertise in treating adult patients with fibrotic lung diseases. Patients living with pulmonary fibrosis can find experienced medical professionals who understand their disease and support services to improve the quality of their lives through the CCN. The vision of the CCN is that every patient receives a prompt, accurate diagnosis and receives the highest quality patient-centered care. 

“It is truly inspiring to be a part of this group of experts and to practice alongside such steadfast friends,” said Erin Camac, D.O., director of the UK Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program. “As our center continues to grow, we anticipate adding additional community support and access to more clinical trials for our patients. Every patient with ILD deserves at least one expert consultation as well as access to a lung transplant center if needed. We hope to bring these important services to more of our neighbors in our beautiful state every year.” 

To be designated as a CCN, each clinic must meet extensive criteria. Major criteria for PFF Care Centers look at personnel, facilities, research, engagement with the PFF, CCN and the community. The UK ILD program consistently meets these goals with pulmonologists who take a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together a team of thoracic (chest) surgeons, interventional pulmonologists, radiologists, rheumatologists, pathologists and specialty pharmacists to discuss each patient and ensure they receive a personalized treatment plan that continues to meet their needs. 

The UK ILD clinic is meeting a severely underserved need in the Commonwealth. Kentucky life exposes patients to some of the highest risk factors for ILD in the country, but diagnostic rates fall behind neighboring states. Subspecialty clinic access is essential to close the gap that Kentucky’s population experiences in receiving diagnosis and treatment for these life-threatening illnesses. While ILD patients generally have a good prognosis with accurate diagnosis and state-of-the-art treatment, an incorrect diagnosis or insufficient access to advanced treatments lead to the same sad outcomes every time.  

Although many clinicians and patients believe that most ILD patients have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a disease with an average life expectancy of a little over six years with the best treatments, 80% of ILD patients, in fact, have diagnoses with much better prognoses. Even for the 20% who receive an IPF diagnosis, treatments are now effective at extending length and quality of life and more are in development, with a new antifibrotic agent currently under consideration by the FDA for both sole and add-on treatment with fewer side effects than current therapies.  

The ILD clinic can and does provide care every day that preserves lung function and saves lives.