Frequently Asked Questions

Please contact the New Patient Coordinator at (650) 736-5200.

The Stanford ME/CFS initiative waitlist is very long. We are accepting new patients as quickly as schedules allow. 

Please contact the New Patient Coordinator at (650) 736-5200.

We are pleased to provide this list of physicians and clinics as a resource that may be helpful to you. We have no professional medical relationship with these clinicians and have no connection to the websites on which their information is located. 

List of other ME/CFS treatment centers in the U.S.

At Stanford, we believe that a subset of cases of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) may be related to infection. The nature of the association is still unknown, but we use two possible hypotheses in our research. One hypothesis is that the symptoms of ME/CFS could be triggered by the persistent activity of a pathogen (for example, a bacteria or virus) in the patient. However, the second hypothesis is that the symptoms of ME/CFS may be caused not by the pathogen itself, but rather by the body’s immune response to the pathogen.

Before considering the possibility that a patient may have infection-associated ME/CFS, the patient would need to have experienced fatigue for at least six months, and the patient's primary care provider would need to rule out the following categories of diseases as possible causes of the patient’s fatigue. We have listed some examples of common diseases to rule out in each category.

Diagnosis requires that the patient have the following three symptoms:
1) A substantial reduction or impairment in the ability to engage in pre-illness levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities, that persists for more than 6 months and is accompanied by fatigue, which is often profound, is of new or definite onset (not lifelong), is not the result of ongoing excessive exertion, and is not substantially alleviated by rest, and
2) Post-exertional malaise,* and
3) Unrefreshing sleep*
At least one of the two following manifestations is also required:
1) Cognitive impairment* or
2) Orthostatic intolerance
*Frequency and severity of symptoms should be assessed. The diagnosis of ME/CFS should be questioned if patients do not have these symptoms at least half of the time with moderate, substantial, or severe intensity.

Excerpt from the IOM Report "Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" 2015.

The providers specialize in ME/CFS or PACS and cannot function as a Primary Care Physician. Please make sure that you have a primary care physician to handle claims for disability and follow all other medical needs and check-ups. 

Please request that these be completed and submitted by your Primary Care Physician. The providers at the ME/CFS and PACS clinics will not be the main provider of disability claims, and will only be able to support the disability paperwork and letters submitted by the Primary Care Physician with a letter of support.