Transition of patients with Gaucher disease type 1 from pediatric to adult care: results from two international surveys of patients and health care professionals.

Introduction: Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare, autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme glucocerebrosidase. The most common subtype in Europe and the USA, type 1 (GD1), is characterized by fatigue, cytopenia, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, bone disease, and rarely pulmonary disease. Increased life expectancy brought about by improved treatments has led to new challenges for adolescents and their transition to adult care.

SafeMed: Using pharmacy technicians in a novel role as community health workers to improve transitions of care.

Objectives: To describe the design, implementation, and early experience of the SafeMed program, which uses certified pharmacy technicians in a novel expanded role as community health workers (CPhT-CHWs) to improve transitions of care.

Setting: A large nonprofit health care system serving the major medically underserved areas and geographic hotspots for readmissions in Memphis, TN.

Practice Innovation: The SafeMed program is a care transitions program with an emphasis on medication management designed to use low-cost health workers to improve transitions of care from hospital to home for superutilizing patients with multiple chronic conditions and polypharmacy.