The Global Healthy Living Foundation ‘Pep Talk’ Program

Pep Talk is an innovative peer-to-peer program your practice can offer to patients as a unique way to help them adjust to a new world of managing rheumatoid arthritis. Through Pep Talk, you will have the opportunity to nominate trusted, seasoned patients to serve as your practice’s Peer Education Specialists.

The Global Healthy Living Foundation will train these individuals to become a Certified Peer Educators. These patients will serve as resources that other patients in your practice can utilize as part of the care team helping to manage their chronic disease.

It’s a free, voluntary service to offer your patient community.

You select the patients to become Certified Peer Educators; we certify them. Then you may begin referring other patients for peer education services: either those newly diagnosed or those facing access issues. Pep Talk is patients helping patients, all from within your practice.

What Is Pep Talk?

Program services include non-medical advice, peer support, and mentorship, as well as education on an array of topics including:

✓ Prior authorizations
✓ Insurance issues
✓ Copay assistance
✓ Advocacy
✓ The legislative process
✓ Other obstacles patients may experience when seeking treatment

Newly diagnosed patients who may benefit from Pep Talk have:

✓ An uncertainty about resources related to their diagnosis (e.g, how to pay for their medication and specialty tiering of medicine on a formulary)
✓ Inexperience with the insurance process and related terminology
✓ A lack of experience with prior authorizations
✓ A gap in understanding the appeals process
✓ An interest in learning more about living with rheumatoid arthritis from a peer’s perspective. (e.g., how to interact with the office staff at their physician’s office)
✓A desire to learn more about advocacy topics (e.g., step therapy, biosimilar substitution, non-medical switching, pharmacy benefit managers, copay accumulator adjustors, etc.)

Peer Education Specialists may have the following traits:

✓ Familiarity with access barriers and ways to navigate
✓ Knowledge of Medicare and other insurances
✓ Symptoms are stable and able to manage health and well-being
✓ Possess strong communication skills, are outgoing, and willing to speak with others about personal issues
✓ Understand the importance of maintaining confidentiality
✓ Have time to dedicate toward the program and feel passionately about volunteering and helping fellow patients
✓ Comfortable utilizing technology, typing on a computer, and using the internet
✓ Availability coincides with the days/times of physician office hours
✓ Flexible and reliable
✓ Have advocacy experience and knowledge of rheumatoid arthritis-related policy