Program Notes

Multiple Sclerosis - We've Got an App for That!

Launched this spring, MSAA's free application for mobile phones, My MS Manager™, continues to generate tremendous interest and hundreds of downloads each month by the MS community. Currently available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, this first-of-its-kind app for MS offers individuals a convenient and effective tool to manage the ever-changing course of the disease.

As a member of the MS community, My MS Manager allows you to input and store:

• Comprehensive medical records
• Your healthcare team's contact information
• Descriptions of MS flare-ups, tracking their duration, frequency, and intensity
• Information on side effects and effective treatment strategies
• Important details essential to staying one step ahead of your MS

Once you begin using My MS Manager, reports can be generated utilizing the activities and occurrences logged on your phone. These reports can also be shared with doctors and other members of your healthcare team via email updates and secure online access. Other features of the app include an up-to-date feed of MS-related news and links to MS resources, including MSAA events and contact information, plus a Google Map-powered locator to find nearby emergency care, physicians, or hospitals instantly from your mobile device.

As you may have read or experienced, MS healthcare providers continue to encourage patients to take an active role in managing the challenges and unpredictability of the disease. This concept of patient self-management is gaining widespread acceptance and MSAA has developed the My MS Manager app, along with our recent S.E.A.R.C.H.™ initiative (for learning about treatment options), to help provide you with the tools you need to better track, report, and manage the day-to-day challenges of MS.

As mentioned earlier, My MS Manager is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and may be downloaded at no charge through the Apple App Store. This may be accessed by visiting: www.mymsaa.org/mobile.

MSAA hopes to expand the mobile app to additional platforms, including Android and Blackberry, in the future.

PLEASE NOTE: MSAA is not distributing free mobile phones. A mobile phone application (or “app”) through the iTunes store is available as a free download to individuals with MS or their care partners to use on their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

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