Improving MS Care
Multiple Sclerosis can have profound effects beyond physical problems. MS can also affect family life, career, standard of living and quality of life. MS also creates special concerns related to health care: Do individuals with MS have access to quality health care and adequate health insurance? Can people with MS access appropriate medical specialists? Investigators funded through the National MS Society’s Health Care Delivery and Policy Research Program study such issues and provide data that can serve as the basis for influencing public policy and offering people with MS and their families practical ways for improving the quality of their care and of their lives.
With the help of its volunteer Health Care Delivery and Policy Research Advisory Committee, the Society establishes priority areas each year and releases a request for proposals which is widely distributed to investigators in the field. In addition, the Society has opened up its HCDPR program to accept investigator-initiated health policy studies in MS on any pertinent topic. Click here to read more about this funding program.
Here are some important reports from researchers funded through the Society's HCDPR contracts:
- A study focusing on family members of people with MS with moderate to severe physical disabilities highlights the unique demographics of this population and their need for support. Read more about this study.
- A Harvard-based study of insurance coverage involving a nationwide sampling of people with multiple sclerosis found that although they had higher than average rates of insurance coverage, many experienced financial strain related to obtaining adequate health care, including paying for their medications. Read more about this study.
- A UCLA study sought to define what constitutes quality MS health care and how to measure it to establish better standards of care for people with MS. Read about the findings reported at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of MS Centers.
Studies Report Progress Understanding What Drives Repair of the Brain’s Insulating Myelin, Which is Damaged by MS
May 08, 2013
Researchers at the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, and at Stanford, have reported separate studies making inroads to understanding factors that stimulate the repair of myelin, the nerve insulation that is a target of multiple sclerosis. These important laboratory discoveries, supported in part by the National MS Society, are still in early stages and need to be confirmed and expanded, but they could eventually lead to promising new therapeutic approaches to stimulating myelin repair to restore function in people with MS.
Study Finds that the Incidence of MS Appears to be Higher in African American Women Than in Caucasians, Contradicting Previous Findings
May 06, 2013
A new study of 496 people newly diagnosed with MS found that the risk of developing MS was 47% higher in African American women, compared with Caucasian American men or women. It also found that the risk was 50% lower in Hispanic/Latino Americans, and 80% lower in Asian Americans.
Positive Results Announced for Aubagio in Phase III Study of People at High Risk for MS
Apr 26, 2013
Among 618 people at high risk of developing MS, significantly fewer people taking oral Aubagio® (teriflunomide, Genzyme, a Sanofi company) for two years had developed clinically definite MS than those taking placebo, Genzyme announced in a press release dated April 25, 2013.