Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Diseases

What to Expect

What to Expect at Your First Appointment at the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center

At the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center, we provide personalized treatment and coordinated care. Learn what you can expect when you visit our comprehensive center.

Making an Appointment

Your child’s pediatrician or other specialist can refer your child to our center for evaluation and care. Once we have the referral, our office will contact you to schedule an appointment.

Our nationally recognized specialists also provide online second opinions for families. They will review your case and answer specific questions about a diagnosis and treatment options. It’s an easy, convenient and secure way to ensure your child is receiving the right care. Our program coordinator will guide you through the process.

Preparing for Your Visit

Before scheduling the comprehensive evaluation, our program coordinator will contact you by phone to talk about your child’s symptoms. They will discuss your child’s medical history and any past treatments. The program coordinator will also collect results from previous tests. This could include lab work and neuroimaging scans.

These details help the team decide if our center is the best fit for your child. If it is, the program coordinator will schedule your child’s appointment for as soon as possible. If our program isn’t the best fit for your child, they will be fast tracked to see other specialists at Cincinnati Children’s who can provide the care your child needs.

Meet Your Program Coordinator

Prior to your appointment, you will speak with Katie who will assist with scheduling all needed appointments and obtaining necessary medical records. With over 10 years of healthcare administrative experience, Katie is dedicated to coordinating required visits to eliminate the stress and worry of travel for patients and their families.

Concierge Services

Your child’s comprehensive evaluation may take place in a single day or over multiple days, depending on your preference. If you are traveling from outside Greater Cincinnati for the evaluation, our Concierge Services will help to plan your visit. They can provide travel and lodging information.

On the Day of Your Visit

Before Your Appointment

Plan to arrive about 30 minutes before your child’s appointment. This will allow you 15 minutes to park and walk to our clinic, and 15 minutes to check in at our registration desk.

Our center is located on the Burnet Campus.

Please contact us if you are running late for your appointment.

At Your Appointment

Children, adolescents and young adults who come to our center for a comprehensive evaluation will have one-on-one appointments with multiple physicians. These could include:

• A neurologist / neuro-immunologist who specializes in treating inflammation in the central and peripheral nervous system
• A neuro-ophthalmologist who takes care of vision problems related to the connection between the eye and brain
• A neuro-rheumatologist who diagnoses and treats autoimmune conditions that affect the central and peripheral nervous system
• A behavioral neuropsychologist and / or a psychiatrist who can evaluate and treat psychiatric problems that children with neuro-inflammatory disease sometimes experience, including mood disorders and learning challenges

Each of these specialists will evaluate your child from their unique perspective, with a focus on inflammation that is affecting your child’s brain and nerves. This helps the team fully understand your child’s condition.

Meet Your Care Coordinator

During this visit, you will also meet our care coordinator, Rebecca. With nearly 20 years of pediatric nursing experience, Rebecca is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of patients and their families.

From the moment your child is referred to our center, she will help guide and support you throughout your healthcare journey. Beyond your main point of contact, she is your advocate, ensuring you have everything you need during each phase of care.

After Your Visit

Our entire team will meet to review test results and discuss your child’s condition in detail. This team includes the physicians who saw your child at the evaluation, along with:

• A pathologist who uses laboratory tests to help provide an accurate diagnosis
• A neuro-radiologist who specializes in imaging studies of the brain and spinal cord
• A geneticist who helps guide genetic work-up and interpretation of genetic results

Together, they will develop a detailed, unified treatment plan. Our program coordinator will share this information with you by phone. She will also send a summary report to you and your child’s pediatrician and / or the referring specialist. The report will include “next steps” to help you know what to expect moving forward.