erative effort by the U.S. National

hronic obstructive pul-monary disease (COPD) continues to be a leading cause of chronic morbidity and mortality in the United States.1 While the incidence of many chronic diseases such as heart disease is stabilizing, the number of patients with COPD continues to rise. COPD is projected to rank fifth as a world-wide burden of disease during the next decade.2 Despite COPD’s high prevalence, the disease is often underappreciated, misdiagnosed, and mismanaged. A paradigm shift in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of COPD is on the horizon due to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). GOLD is a coop