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10 Moving Beyond Basic MS CareMoving Beyond Basic MS Care Hurdle 1There is no comprehensive MS center in my area. Explore other options for multidisciplinary care. Some choose to visit out-of-area MS centers annually and coordinate recommended follow-up care through their local neurologist or general practitioner. Others choose neurologists who belong to a healthcare or hospital system that connects them with other specialties. In some places particularly rural areas telehealth is increasingly an option where visits are conducted through video conferencing. Wherever possible select a neurologist who specializes in MS. Typically these neurologists will be aware of specialists in related fields who are knowledgeable about the condition. If your healthcare provider is not sufficiently familiar with the specialists in your area to recommend one for the care you need contact the MSF or CMSC for a referral or visit your local MS support group and ask for personal recommendations. Hurdle 2 My health insurance wont cover the treatment or test. A lack of knowledge about MS may sometimes prevent insurers from understanding the medical necessity of certain services. For example if a plan does not have vision coverage the insurer may question the need for ophthalmology services related to visual symptoms of MS. Many times this failure to understand medical necessity can lead to a failure to receive pre-authorization or a declined claim. Often your doctor explaining the medical necessity of a service is all that is required to resolve the issue. Of course there are other reasons your insurance company may decline to cover a service but whatever the reason dont feel you have to take no for an answer. The law gives you the right to appeal both internally a review of your claim by the insurance company itself and externally where the claim is reviewed by an independent third party. According to Kaiser Health News around 50 percent of all appeals are successful. To find a MS specialist use the American Academy of Neurologys search tool at patients.aan.comfindaneurologist.