# Clinical and Economic Impact of Teleneurology vs Standard in Clinic Care for Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Trial

> **NIH NIH R01** · CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU · 2022 · $569,090

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have higher healthcare utilization, reduced work productivity, reduced quality-
adjusted life years, and lower health-related quality of life (QOL) relative to the general population. The current
standard of outpatient MS care depends on in-clinic visits, but MS patients face many barriers to accessing this
care. These barriers include those resulting from the disease itself, such as physical limitations, driving
restrictions and financial limitations, and they are further compounded by an overall shortage of neurologists.
Furthermore, MS care has a significant economic impact, with the estimated indirect and direct costs for treating
MS in the US estimated to be > $48 billion. Therefore, there is a need to improve access to and reduce cost of
MS care, and telehealth is a potential solution. Both our two multidisciplinary MS Centers (UCSF and Cleveland
Clinic) have demonstrated that telehealth for MS care is feasible and that it results in travel savings for patients,
reduction in missed work, and reduction in caregiver burden. Additionally, patient and provider satisfaction is
high for this modality of care at the time of care delivery. These initial results are promising, but to date there are
no studies assessing the longer-term impact of care delivery via telehealth on the Quadruple Aims of Healthcare:
clinical care, cost, patient experience and clinician experience.
The proposed study will directly bridge these research gaps in the longer-term impact of care delivery via
telehealth. We will complete a two-Center trial, randomizing newly diagnosed MS patients to receive their routine
MS care via telehealth or standard in-office care over 2 years. We will enroll 120 patients (assuming ~ 20%
dropout rate for 100 completers), and will assess and compare standard clinical outcomes, patient-reported
outcomes, costs, patient experience, and clinician care team experience associated with telehealth vs standard
in clinic care. We will also conduct exit interviews with purposefully sampled trial participants to better identify
facilitators and barriers to telehealth implementation. This study will generate needed evidence regarding the
impact of telehealth on clinical outcomes, its cost, and stakeholder experience, and will inform clinical care
implementation in other populations of MS patients and other chronic conditions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10583096
- **Project number:** 1R01NR020323-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU
- **Principal Investigator:** Marisa McGinley
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $569,090
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-26 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10583096

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10583096, Clinical and Economic Impact of Teleneurology vs Standard in Clinic Care for Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Trial (1R01NR020323-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10583096. Licensed CC0.

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