Patient Care
FREE MS Diagnosis & Management Healthcare Professional App
National Multiple Sclerosis Society is pleased to offer you the new, FREE “MS Diagnosis & Management Healthcare Professional App”, a unique tool and resource that provides important information about the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis for practicing clinicians. The App is a concise compilation of up-to-date and easy-to-reference information that you can access at no charge as a FREE downloadable Apple and Droid “App”.
Highlights of this App include:
• Signs and symptoms characteristic of MS
• The four MS disease courses
• 2010 Revised McDonald Diagnostic Criteria for MS
• Differential diagnoses
• Elements of the diagnostic workup, including typical findings on brain and spinal MRI, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis
• Common clinically-isolated syndrome presentations
• Treatment strategies including disease-modifying medications and relapse and symptom management
• Assessment scales including the Kurtzke Functional Systems Scores, Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale, Bladder Control Scale, and Two-Question Screening Tool for Depression
• National MS Society resources for clinicians and their patients
Download the App at the Apple Store or Android Market now or download as a .pdf.
AAN Practice Guidelines
Current AAN clinical practice guidelines and related tools, including patient and physician summaries of selected guidelines. Additional tools and new guidelines added regularly
www.aan.com
Multiple Sclerosis for the Physician Assistant
A practical primer for the physician assistant that treats patients living with MS. This book has been a result of collaboaration between the National MS Society, the Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and multiple sclerosis specialists in the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center.
Introductory Webinars about MS for Mental Health Professionals
Four Webinars, each approximately one hour in length, are available to introduce mental health professionals to the psychosocial impact of multiple sclerosis. The topics include a disease overview, coping and adaptation, cognitive changes, and professional challenges for the practicing clinician.
Clinical Tool for Injection Anxiety
Patient Workbook and Counselor Manual for people with MS unable to self-inject their disease-modifying medications due to anxiety.
Latest about Cognitive Dysfunction in MS
Learn the latest about cognitive dysfunction in MS, including research news and treatment options, by accessing a summary and presentations from an important conference convened in summer 2011 by the New York Academy of Sciences.
Stress and Mood Management Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
This program, developed by Dr. David Mohr – a psychologist who has done extensive research on MS-related stress and mood issues – utilizes a cognitive behavior model to address the depression, anxiety, and stress that are so common among patients with MS, as well as issues with fatigue, pain, and other MS symptoms. The program tools, including a patient workbook and a therapist guide, were developed and tested in controlled trials over a 10-year period. For information and to purchase the Workbook and Therapist guide:
Supporting MS-Related Disability Claims to Private Insurers: The Physician’s Role (.pdf)
This guide provides clinicians with a checklist of things to include in their supporting statement to document their MS patients’ claims for disability benefits. Click here for other manuals in this series including manuals written for people with MS, and for claims professionals in the disability insurance industry.
Health Insurance Appeal Letters: A Toolkit for Clinicians (.pdf)
New and expanded second edition!
The National MS Society developed this guide as a resource for clinicians and administrative staff in clinical practice settings. The purpose of this guide is to aid in the dialogue between MS clinicians and health plans when disputes over coverage arise. Information for your patients about their appeal rights, responsibilities and procedures is available in the Insurance and Money Matters section of this Web site.
Template health insurance appeal letters are developed by Society staff after reports of coverage denials or limitations are received directly from people with MS or healthcare professionals. Society staff work in collaboration with our medical advisors to determine which treatments need to be addressed with a template letter, and all template letters are reviewed and approved by these same medical advisors. As new therapies or evidence emerge, letters may be developed and disseminated between publication of revised editions of the ‘Health Insurance Appeal Letters: A Toolkit for Clinicians’ (see "Additional Appeal Letters & Abstracts' below).
Includes:
- Overview of the appeals process
- Template appeal letters on CD
- Citations and abstracts, plus National MS Society consensus documents, to support clinical recommendations
- Guide to additional resources and publications
Additonal Appeal Letters & Abstracts:
- Ampyra Appeal Letter & Abstracts (.pdf)
- Gilenya Appeal Letter & Abstract (.pdf)
- Lyrica Appeal Letter & Abstract (.pdf)
"McDonald Criteria" for the Diagnosis of MS
The 2010 Revisions to the "McDonald Criteria" for the Diagnosis of MS were published in the February 2011 issue of Annals of Neurology as a free access paper. We will be making available updated pocket cards summarizing the revised diagnostic criteria as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, download a TipSheet here:
TipSheet: 2010 Revisions to the McDonald Criteria for the Diagnosis of MS (.pdf)
Differential Diagnosis of MS
An international task force convened by the National MS Society’s International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials published a landmark paper to guide neurologists through the complex process of distinguishing multiple sclerosis from other disorders.
- David Miller, MD, FRCP (University College London), Chris Polman, MD, PhD (Free University Medical Centre, Amsterdam) and colleagues present these guidelines in Multiple Sclerosis 2008 Nov;14[9]:1157-74, inviting feedback and research to validate them. Because of its potential impact, the National MS Society provided funds to make this paper available to all at no charge.
- Read more about these guidelines.
Rehabilitation Assessment Measures in MS (.pdf)
Many of the tools commonly used in rehabilitation assessment of patients with MS
Rehabilitation Research HQ
Find tools and links related to rehabilitation research and practice, including information on professional journals and organizations, funding opportunities, and rehabilitation approaches used in MS.