Program Notes: Expanding Access, Advancing Equity, and Shaping the Future of MS Care
By Claude Pinnock MD, MPH
MSAA Chief Operating & Health Officer
Providing Access to MRIs
For people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), access to care involves much more than receiving a diagnosis or treatment. Ongoing disease monitoring, navigating healthcare systems, overcoming financial challenges, and participating in research, all play important roles in achieving the best possible outcomes. While advances in treatment have transformed the MS landscape, barriers to care continue to affect many individuals and families.
At the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA), we are committed to identifying and addressing these challenges. Through innovative partnerships, research initiatives, and patient-centered programs, MSAA is working to expand access, advance equity, and create new opportunities for people living with MS.
One of the most critical components of MS care is access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI remains an essential tool for monitoring disease activity, evaluating treatment effectiveness, and supporting clinical decision-making. Yet many individuals face barriers to obtaining recommended imaging, including financial constraints, insurance challenges, and other socioeconomic factors.
To better understand these challenges and their impact on health outcomes, MSAA recently partnered with icometrix to establish a second phase of our MRI Access Program. This research initiative is designed to generate standardized, de-identified data that will help researchers better understand patterns of healthcare access, care navigation, patient engagement, and financial burden among people living with MS.
MRI scans included in the program will receive AI-enabled quantitative analysis, providing insight into subtle disease activity and progression. This new initiative will combine this data with patient-reported outcomes and demographic information, to create a unique dataset. This combined information bridges measures of disease burden with the real-world experiences of individuals receiving MS care.
The initiative received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval in May 2026, with recruitment expected to begin later this year.
Addressing Insurance Denials to Expand Access
MSAA is also exploring innovative approaches to help individuals overcome barriers to accessing care. This includes our partnership with Claimable to help people with MS appeal insurance denials for MRI scans. MRI is central to both diagnosing MS and tracking disease activity, yet coverage is frequently delayed or denied for reasons that have little to do with clinical need.
Claimable is a physician-led team of clinicians, data scientists, and healthcare and insurance experts on a mission to overturn wrongful insurance denials. Denials are reversed far more often than most people expect, yet fewer than 1% are ever appealed, often because the process is time-consuming and unfamiliar. Claimable’s appeals platform makes it possible for more people to appeal and get the care they need.
While still in its early stages, this initiative reflects our commitment to identifying practical solutions that can support people living with MS as they navigate complex healthcare systems. As the pilot program develops, MSAA looks forward to evaluating how technology-enabled appeal support may help with access to MRI scans, disease-modifying therapies, and other supportive services.
Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network® (MSIN®)
Finally, in addition to improving access to care, MSAA continues to expand opportunities for meaningful participation in research. The Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network® (MSIN®), previously featured in The Motivator, continues to make significant progress as a patient-centered research network designed to bridge scientific innovation and real-world clinical practice.
Since its launch, MSIN has brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, and people living with MS to build the infrastructure necessary to support collaborative research that reflects the realities of MS care. With over 2,000 individuals with MS enrolled, a major milestone is now approaching with the imminent launch of the network’s first study.
The upcoming study will evaluate the adoption of the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Activity (MSDA) biomarker test and its effectiveness in supporting clinical decision-making and improving outcomes. Biomarker- based tools hold promise for providing clinicians with additional information that may help guide treatment decisions and monitor disease activity. Through this study, MSIN will generate valuable real-world evidence regarding how these tools can be incorporated into routine clinical practice.
Translating Innovation into Meaningful Benefits
Together, these three initiatives demon-strate MSAA’s comprehensive approach to addressing barriers across the MS care continuum. Our MRI initiative seeks to better understand the factors that influence access to care and disease monitoring. Our Claimable pilot program explores new ways to help individuals navigate those challenges. MSIN is creating opportunities for individuals living with MS to participate in research that may shape the future of MS care.
As the MS landscape continues to evolve, MSAA remains committed to ensuring that innovation translates into meaningful benefits for the people we serve. By advancing research, expanding access, and fostering collaboration, we are helping to build a future in which every person living with MS has the opportunity to receive the care, support, and resources they need to live their best life.