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 discussed among the team, and 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 difficult 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 doctors 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 difficult to diagnose. Mayo Clinic has a specialized Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center, staffed by a team of experts devoted to treating children with MS.

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 drugs to slow or stop that nerve damage.

Learn more about Mayo Clinic's neurosurgery and neurology departments' expertise and rankings.

Expertise and rankings

Mayo Clinic's multiple sclerosis experts provide comprehensive care for more than 4,100 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 medications 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, Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, rank among the Best Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.

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

  • Mayo Clinic Multiple Sclerosis Program
  • 13400 E. Shea Blvd.
    Scottsdale, AZ 85259
  • Phone: 480-301-8000

Florida

  • Mayo Clinic Multiple Sclerosis Program
  • 4500 San Pablo Road
    Jacksonville, FL 32224
  • Phone: 904-953-0856

Minnesota

  • Mayo Clinic Multiple Sclerosis Program
  • 200 First St. SW
    Rochester, MN 55905
  • Phone: 507-284-2111