Spike Lipschutz, MD – who will retire at the end of the month after a career spanning 55 years in health care – was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Westfair Communication’s Doctors of Distinction for dedicating his life to caring for others.
“Spike has had an unbelievable career in medicine,” Marc Kosak, chief operating officer, Greenwich Hospital told the audience on Sept. 22. “He has significantly impacted our clinical care with his knowledge and passion for quality and safety. He also has impacted our staff with his ability to relate and connect with people. He will be missed.”
“I feel blessed to have worked with so many talented and committed people over these years,” said Dr. Lipschutz. “I always felt that each patient at Greenwich Hospital was a personal patient of mine. I was always proud of the care they received.”
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Dr. Lipschutz began his career as a partner in a medical practice in Massachusetts. He was in the Army Medical Corps for two years, caring for Vietnam War soldiers and then prisoners of war when the war ended. He worked at Beth Israel Deaconess and South Shore Hospital at before joining Greenwich Hospital 15 years ago. He has held numerous GH leadership positions including chief medical officer, chief quality officer and most recently vice president of Medical Affairs.
Although a hospital administrator for many years, Dr. Lipschutz remains closely connected to patient care. He is often found on the floor checking on patients and troubleshooting with staff. As one colleague put it: “Spike’s the person physicians, nurses and others call on if they have a difficult patient. He brings a sense of medical authority, compassion and calm to any situation.”
As the chief quality officer, Spike took quality and safety to the next level by initiating a daily Safety Huddle that has been replicated around the health system. He also worked closely with other medical and hospital staff in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and instituted a Physician Wellness Committee and a Staff Wellness Committee to support employees.
He also worked with Chris Davison, MD, Emergency Department medical director, to create a book – “Greenwich Hospital Emergency Department and COVID-19: Our Voices. Our stories” – with personal essays, photographs, drawings and poems by frontline ED employees.