Earn Recognition as an MSA Center of Excellence
Join the elite network of healthcare providers recognized for delivering exceptional, multidisciplinary care that’s accessible and patient-centered.
DATES & DEADLINES
2025 MSA Centers of Excellence Applications are Closed
Internal Application Review: October 21 – December 2, 2024
MSA COE Awards Published: December 6, 2024
Objectives
- To establish a global standard for best practice of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary care in the management of MSA and to increase access to these services for patients with MSA.
- To designate and support institutions that provide model multi/interdisciplinary MSA patient and family care, support, and offer opportunities for participation in MSA clinical research.
- To support Mission MSA in its mission to improve quality of life and bring hope to those affected by MSA through care, support, community, education, and research.
Minimum Requirements for MSA Centers of Excellence
MSA COEs provide comprehensive multi-disciplinary clinical and support services for MSA patients, care partners, and families. These services will be centered around an established MSA clinic in which an individual’s care needs have been defined, and a plan has been created by their team to fulfill those needs. Regular follow-up will be conducted to consistently coordinate care and support services for the patient, care partner, and those impacted by MSA. Each MSA COE should include the following:
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A minimum of 10 established MSA patients at the time of application.
Minimum of 1 full day per month of interdisciplinary clinic for atypical Parkinsonisms
- Telemedicine available for patients unable to attend in-person clinic visit(s)
A neurologist with:
- MSA and movement disorders expertise
- Exceptional leadership
- Defined time commitment
- Institutional support
Designated staff member with a direct line or email to assist in coordinating scheduling and triaging patient services
Roles and responsibilities:
- Assist in clinic flow and organization on MSA clinic day to ensure all patients are receiving evidence-based, gold-standard MSA care
- Collaborate with social worker for MSA clinic pre-screening
- Facilitate relationship between the clinic, multi-disciplinary team members, and specialty services providers within and outside the clinic.
- Provide information on MSA community support groups
- Coordinate care between multi-disciplinary team members
- Awareness of available MSA clinical research opportunities
- Awareness of MSA brain donation programs
Must be a minimum MSW within their respective state and meet all clinic and institutional requirements
Roles and responsibilities:
- Manage cases and MSA clinic pre-screening
- Provide support for patient, care partner, and families
- Provide information on MSA community support groups
- Provide counseling or referral to appropriate health care provider(s)
- Coordinate care between multi-disciplinary team members
- Awareness of available MSA clinical research opportunities
- Awareness of MSA brain donation programs
- Community outreach to long term care facilities, respite facilities, and legal resources
Designated team members to form Operations Committee that will:
- Complete annual progress report
- Provide regular updates on staffing changes
- Answer questions regarding administrative and operational processes for the clinic
- Liaison with Mission MSA to provide ancillary services as needed
- Marketing for unique programs developed and annually coordinated by your COE (symposiums, fundraisers, educational events, community advocacy and awareness events)
- Active site and/or ability to refer to sites with MSA clinical trials
- Potential for dedicated research coordinator
- Participation in a minimum of 1 Mission MSA patient-facing educational resource per year
- Webinars, presentations at patient conferences or International MSA Congress, collaboration for resource development (brochures, one-pagers, whiteboard videos, etc.)
- Option for participation in Mission MSA hosted Special Interest and Working Groups to share best practices and challenges among specialists
Clinical & Specialty Services
Due to the rare nature of this disease and the complexity of its symptoms, many MSA patients see a multitude of providers before receiving their diagnosis. It is imperative that the MSA COEs provide timely, exemplary, and informative medical care from their muti-disciplinary team to MSA patients, their care partners, and those impacted by MSA.
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To be available on site and same day as neurology visit, or offsite for referral:
- Movement disorders neurologist
- Nurse or advanced practice provider
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Speech language pathologist
- Social worker
To be available on site or offsite for referral:
- Autonomic specialist (cardiology/neurology)
- Dietician
- ENT
- GI Specialist (motility expert if available)
- Neuropsychologist
- Palliative Care
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonary
- Sleep Specialist
- Specialty Pharmacist
- Urologist
To be available on site or for referral:
- Autonomic function testing
- Brain imaging
- Urodynamic testing
- GI motility testing
- Sleep testing
- Ability to provide support and referral to specialty mental health providers as needed.
- Plan in place with accessible information for MSA patient and care partner to provide care to those without insurance or the ability to pay.
- Ability to aid in defining financial support process to obtain Medicaid/Medicare.
- Work with multi-disciplinary team members to determine eligibility and coordinate care for research participants
- Ability to describe, provide informed consent, and answer questions for available research opportunities both within the clinic and MSA COE network
Designation of an MSA COE is valid for one year, and each center will be required to complete an annual progress report detailing COE expenses, activity, progress, and any new programs.
Funding will be contingent on receipt and review of applications and annual progress reports. Mission MSA reserves the right to suspend COE designation and grant funding for failure to deliver services or to adhere to the terms and agreements delineated in the award packet. Identified deficiencies should be addressed within 90 days of suspension or the COE designation will be revoked, and grant terminated.
both within the clinic and MSA COE network
Application Process
Prospective Centers will submit a full application to Mission MSA for review.
The following information will be required:
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Describe the area/region and population that is currently served and any potential changes that may result from the presence of MSA COE.
Provide information including history, location, frequency, billing, accepted insurance, arrangements for seeing patients without means, and typical follow-up frequency.
Describe efforts to help extend services to additional patients, families, care partners, and allied health providers.
Describe how your team contributes to educating healthcare professionals, MSA families/care partners, and the public.
Provide specific information about your proposed Clinic Director, Social Worker, and Center Operations Team, including names and contact information.
Include the following:
- Curriculum vitae of core Center personnel
- A list of members of your multidisciplinary team
- Information about additional on campus providers to whom you refer MSA patients
Provide a budget with specific justifications for each budget item.
Major categories include:
- personnel
- Services
- Supplies
- Travel
Personnel should include percentage of effort and a breakdown of base pay and fringe benefits.
Describe other support for your MSA Center, including grants or donations that cover salaries, administrative support and/or space. For initial applications, include a Letter of Support from your Department Chair.
Agree to the terms and agreements outlined by the Mission MSA COE Program. Return signed terms and agreements, handbook, wire transfer form, and W9 (if applicable), by an official authorized to sign on behalf of the institution, to Mission MSA by published deadline.
Selected applicants will be provided an award packet with Terms & Agreements and the 2025 MSA Centers of Excellence Handbook for signature. The documents below are for reference and do not require signature to apply.
Review & Scoring of Applications
Applications will be reviewed by Mission MSA and the Centers of Excellence Advisory Board. All applications will be scored with the following five individual criteria:
- The quality of the overall application and proposed services provided
- Regional/geographic diversity
- Unique offerings or characteristics that add to the MSA clinic
- Planned of funds and proper distribution of budget
- MSA community activity and research
Decisions
Applicants will be notified by e-mail after a designation decision has been made by the COE Advisory Board. An award letter will be sent to the Center’s clinical director(s). If not selected, the letter will detail areas for improvement to enhance future applications.
Awarded MSA Centers of Excellence will receive an annual award of $5,000 per year during the designation period. COEs are eligible, at time of application, for additional educational event funding of $2,500 per year for in-person educational events for healthcare providers and/or patients and care partners.
Centers Unified in Research Efforts for MSA (CURE-MSA) Grant
NEW FOR 2025
Applications opening to COEs Summer 2025
Mission MSA understands that there is still a significant gap in our understanding of the commonly shared lived experiences of MSA patients and their families. Our new grant program, Centers Unified in Research Efforts for MSA (CURE-MSA), will bring together our Centers of Excellence to address these needs.
The CURE-MSA grant program is exclusively for MSA Centers of Excellence, requiring collaboration with at least three geographically diverse centers. Projects will be selected and awarded based on their alignment with the Mission MSA Research Roadmap, ensuring that they are both strategic and high impact.
Unifying research efforts throughout the Centers of Excellence will ensure that resources are used efficiently, avoiding duplication of efforts. By leveraging the perspectives of our top experts in MSA research and care through our vetted COEs, we will maximize the use of our research funds and ensure that every dollar contributes directly to actionable solutions that can be implemented to improve patient care.
Questions?
For any questions or further information, please email Jessie Iregui, Mission MSA’s Research & Medical Education Manager, at jessie.iregui@missionmsa.org.
