Help for a Weary Traveler

Since launching in 2016, the NPF Patient Navigation Center has helped more than 26,500 individuals in managing psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.

Patient Navigators work one-on-one with patients online or over the phone. Support ranges from breaking down the latest treatment options to finding the right health care professional to overcoming insurance hurdles.

Every person is unique, and the resources given to one person may not be right for the next. That’s why our patient navigators offer personalized assistance tailored to the individual.

Here is Anjana Mudgal’s story.

When Anjana Mudgal came to Seattle for a six-month visit with her daughter, Vandita, she was looking to relax and take a break from the stresses of taking care of an older family member in India. Instead, she was welcomed to the States by the worst psoriasis flare of her life.

Anjana has lived with psoriasis for most of her life. However, outside of a few constant patches on her hands and elbows, she has managed to get by with ointments and medication. This flare was something new for Anjana, and more than 80 percent of her body was affected.

Being a visitor to the U.S., Anjana had only travel insurance, which doesn’t cover preexisting conditions. Looking for a way to help her mom, Vandita reached out to multiple organizations, including the Patient Navigation Center.

Vandita says that an NPF patient navigator was the quickest to respond to her requests for help, and her assigned navigator immediately started to work on getting her mother the care she needed. The first goal was to get some relief for Anjana, who was in constant pain due to her current condition. The navigator sent a box of over-the-counter samples after the initial contact, which provided Anjana with temporary relief.

The navigator then continued to work with Vandita on strategies to find a dermatologist for someone who is uninsured. Vandita received recommendations on what to look for, what questions to ask and how to make sure treatment continues when Anjana returns home.

Vandita says that the information from NPF was invaluable when interacting with the dermatologist they settled on. A family friend recommended a doctor who speaks Anjana’s native language and would be able to communicate with her doctor back in India. And because Vandita knew what to look for and what to ask, she found a doctor who was able to treat Anjana at a reduced cost and worked with her to get her on a biologic that would be easily accessible upon her return home.

Anjana is currently responding well to the biologic, and her psoriasis has returned to a manageable level. She also continues to use over-the-counter topicals she discovered in the box of samples from NPF. Vandita is thankful that she stumbled upon the Patient Navigation Center and has already recommended it to others.

Working closely with the Patient Navigation Center, she says, was incredibly positive, and her patient navigator’s knowledge and willingness to help had a huge impact on getting the mother and daughter through this difficult period.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I first reached out to the National Psoriasis Foundation,” says Vandita. “I reached out with a blank slate. Having the initial offer to send us a sample box right away really was a surprise. And [the navigator’s] recommendations really made a difference.”

Read More in This Series

• Finding Relief Through Rejection
• Young and Uninsured