The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) today honored Christopher A. Hatwig, M.S., FASHP, with the ASHP Board of Directors Award of Excellence for his work to help safety net hospitals provide safe and cost-effective drug therapy to low-income and uninsured patients. Hatwig, vice president of Apexus in Irving, Texas, received the award during ASHP’s Summer Meeting in Rosemont, Ill.

Apexus is responsible for managing the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) 340B Prime Vendor Program. Mr. Hatwig works closely with HRSA’s Office of Pharmacy Affairs and the Pharmacy Services Support Center in Washington, D.C. to educate all stakeholders, and to improve the integrity and value of the 340B Drug Pricing Program for the nation’s safety-net providers. Under his leadership, the program generated savings of over $24 million or an average savings of 16 percent below the federal 340B ceiling price on its contracted products in 2008. Apexus is a wholly owned non-profit subsidiary of Provista Inc.

Before joining Apexus, Hatwig was the director of ambulatory pharmacy services and value analysis programs at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas where he practiced for 13 years. At Parkland he managed one of the nation’s largest and more progressive ambulatory pharmacy programs serving the low-income and uninsured. He was responsible for managing Parkland’s network of ambulatory pharmacies, which processed over two million prescriptions annually and operated with a drug expense budget of $65 million.

“Mr. Hatwig’s work with the 340B program ensures that the most vulnerable patients in our country have access to the critical medications that they need and the expertise of pharmacists to guide their use,” said Kevin J. Colgan, M.A., FASHP. “We are pleased to recognize his efforts with the Award of Excellence.”

Hatwig has made numerous presentations on the 340B drug pricing program, innovative ambulatory pharmacy services, and drug cost containment strategies. He has served as chair of the ASHP Council on Administrative Affairs and is a reviewer for the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. He is also a member of the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

Mr. Hatwig received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Arkansas and completed residencies in hospital pharmacy and hospital pharmacy administration at the University of Wisconsin, where he also received a master’s degree in hospital pharmacy.

Source
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists