Multiple sclerosis care at Mayo Clinic
Your Mayo Clinic care team
Mayo Clinic's world-renowned multiple sclerosis teams include neurologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists (physiatrists), urologists, psychiatrists, and neuro-ophthalmologists, as well as other specialists working together as a multidisciplinary team to evaluate and treat everyone.
With an emphasis on collaborative care, specialists interact very closely with their colleagues across all campuses.
This collaboration means that you're not getting just one opinion — your care is talked about among the team. The most highly specialized multiple sclerosis experts in the world are all working together for you. Your test results are available quickly and your appointments are scheduled in coordination. What might take months to accomplish elsewhere can typically be done in only a matter of days or a few weeks at Mayo Clinic.
Advanced diagnosis and treatment
MS can be hard to diagnose, as symptoms often vary from person to person or may be caused by a different condition. An accurate diagnosis is critical to provide the most effective care.
Mayo Clinic's MS care teams evaluate thousands of people with MS each year. With a concentration on MS and vast experience, Mayo Clinic specialists are able to make accurate diagnoses and recommend effective treatments from the start.
Because MS is less common in children than in adults, pediatric MS can be especially hard to diagnose. Mayo Clinic has a specialized Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center, staffed by a team of experts devoted to treating children with MS. The center has vast experience in seeing all other demyelinating conditions and evaluating any patients where such a concern has been raised.
At Mayo Clinic, researchers are always working to develop new treatments to improve outcomes for people with MS.
For example, Mayo Clinic was one of the first clinics to treat MS with interferons. Mayo Clinic also developed plasma exchange and has been successfully using this treatment for more than 20 years.
Research
Mayo Clinic experts continually study new diagnostic and treatment options, which they test through clinical trials.
Mayo Clinic researchers were the first to discover that a certain type of T cell (CD8) plays a critical role in causing nerve damage in MS. This discovery may lead to new medicines that slow or stop that nerve damage.
Learn more about Mayo Clinic's neurology and neurosurgery departments' expertise and rankings.
Expertise and rankings
Mayo Clinic's multiple sclerosis experts provide comprehensive care for more than 4,300 adults and children with multiple sclerosis each year.
Mayo Clinic's MS program has earned a national reputation as a top diagnostic and treatment center. The program is recognized for its multidisciplinary approach to patient care as well as for its advanced research into improved medicines and other treatments.
The Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is recognized as a Pediatric Network MS Center by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and rehabilitation by U.S. News & World Report.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.
Mayo Clinic Multiple Sclerosis Program
Arizona
Florida
Minnesota