title: Emergency medical care of multiple sclerosis patients: primary data from the mount sinai resource utilization in multiple sclerosis project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There has been no systematic analysis of emergency department (ED) utilization in the multiple sclerosis (MS) population. We investigated the acute-care needs of MS patients using ED as a route for entry into healthcare services.
  
  
  METHODS
  ED visits made by MS patients were identified. Data extracted included demographics, medical/neurological history, and workup/management in the ED.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Mount Sinai ED received 569 visits from 224 MS patients during a 3-year period, of whom 33.5% were covered by Medicaid and 12.9% were uninsured. Patients with an Expanded Disability Status Scale score of ≥6 accounted for 54%, 50.5% of relapsing remitting MS patients were being treated with disease-modifying therapies, and 74.5% of the ED visits were non-neurological. Patients with mild-to-moderate MS were more likely to present to the ED for issues directly related to MS such as acute exacerbations, while those with severe MS presented more often due to medical issues indirectly related to MS, such as urinary tract infections (p<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most MS patients seeking ED care suffer from acute non-neurological problems. The MS patients presenting to the ED tended to be underinsured, had high levels of disability, and were undertreated with disease-modifying therapies. The acute-care needs of MS patients evolve over the disease course, as do the resources that must be utilized in providing emergency care across the spectrum of MS severity. Understanding the characteristics, problems, and needs of MS patients utilizing the ED is an important step in improving care in this population from both clinical and public health perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. ; Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Svenja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oynhausen
authors.affiliation: Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alcauskas
authors.affiliation: Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hannigan
authors.affiliation: Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Yadira
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bencosme
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lublin
authors.affiliation: Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krieger
keywords: emergencies; healthcare access; multiple sclerosis; underinsured; utilization