The VIRTUAL-MS study aims to evaluate the impact of telehealth on MS care. The study will conduct a 24 month randomized controlled clinical trial at two Centers (Cleveland Clinic and University of California San Francisco) and will enroll 60 adult people with MS per Center with a recent diagnosis of MS. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive follow-up MS care via scheduled telehealth, or standard in-clinic, visits. All participants will have in-person visits at baseline and 24 months with in-person study visit including clinical assessments, patient reported outcomes, and medical history review. All participants will have clinical visits with their neurology clinician every 6 months (months 6, 12, and 18) via in-person or telehealth per randomized arm.
The primary objective of this study is to determine if MS care delivered via telehealth is non-inferior compared to in-clinic MS care as measured by worsening in one of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) components at Month 24.
The secondary objectives of this study include the following:
* To determine if MS care delivered via telehealth has superior patient satisfaction compared to in-person MS care as measured by baseline to 24 month change in PSQ-18.
* To determine if MS care delivered via telehealth is more cost-effective than MS care delivered via in-person visits as measured by total non-medication costs over 24 months.
The researchers will also explore other clinical outcomes, treatment adherence, digital outcomes, patient experience, and clinician experience.
