Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Dr Jae Pak On How Medical Practices Can Use Digital Transformation To Provide Better Care

An Interview With David McNeil

… Teamwork. At my practice, everyone is in a good groove of working together. That sense of camaraderie is what I believe drives our consistent five-star ratings from patients.

As a part of our series about “Medical Practices Can Use Digital Transformation To Provide Better Care”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jae Pak.

Jae Pak is degreed engineer, accomplished artist and M.D. with over 15 years of Hair Restoration experience. He combines his technical and artistic skills and his background in Emergency Medicine to give his patients the best possible results. As an engineer, he helped design the first robotic FUE machines and instruments. He is among the first to pioneer the Scalp MicroPigmentation procedure in the United States. Dr. Pak holds many U.S. Patents (8) in the field of hair restoration. People come from around the world to enlist his help to overcome their hair challenges.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Going into practice as a hair restoration doctor was appealing to me because it gave me the opportunity to blend my knowledge of science with my artistic creativity. I’m a degreed engineer, a medical doctor and an avid artist. Being multifaceted in these ways has been a blessing in the sense that it has enabled me to achieve what I feel is my full potential. As an engineer, I helped design industry-leading surgical techniques and instruments (which I use in my medical specialty as a hair restoration physician). At the same time, my eye for artistry comes in handy when I’m helping my patients achieve an enhanced appearance through medical hair restoration.

Can you share the most interesting or most exciting story that has happened to you since you began at your company?

The thing I’m probably the most proud of is the fact that I’ve secured eight patents in the field of hair restoration. I have invented techniques and instruments that have helped move the field in a more innovative direction.

Additionally, as an engineer I designed fiber optic illuminators and lighting systems. My designs can be seen in the Las Vegas skyline and other prestigious places.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Then, can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I remember during my first year in medical practice, I thought I would try to take on the extremely stressful task of doing my own business taxes. What I learned is that hiring a professional CPA is a must. It’s just best to lean on a pro who knows about the intricacies of tax law. Not only will it keep you out of trouble with the IRS, but it could also end up saving you money in the long run. They say CPA’s don’t cost you money — they save you money! I will stick to hair restoration and leave the financial side up to my accountant.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I’ve always been eager to learn everything I can. That’s why I pursued both an engineering and a medical degree. I would also say that I’m quick on my feet and can confidently make decisions while under pressure. That’s why I have also spent time working in emergency medicine. I’m also a natural problem solver. I love the challenge of tackling urgent issues and figuring out more efficient ways to accomplish tasks.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Right now, I’ve been dedicating a lot of my spare time to painting. It’s one of my great passions in life, and I share my art on my personal Instagram page. One of my favorite quotes is by Maya Angelou, and I live by it. She said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” When I’m painting on a regular basis, I find that I feel more creative when I’m working in my hair restoration practice.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview about Digital Transformation in Healthcare. I am particularly passionate about this topic because my work focuses on how practices can streamline processes to better serve their patients. For the benefit of our readers, can you help explain what exactly Digital Transformation means? On a practical level what does it look like for a medical practice to engage in a digital transformation?

Simply put, digital transformation takes place when innovative technology replaces the old way of doing things. For example, why send a fax when you can just shoot someone an email? In the medical world, digital transformation is everywhere. One of the most basic ways we observe it is when it comes to digitized medical records. This helps eliminate a problem that doctors are notorious for — bad handwriting. In more complex scenarios, digital transformation can be seen in advanced surgical instruments and screening devices.

What are the specific pain points that digital transformation can help address in a medical practice?

Technology often provides for increased efficiency regardless of the use case. The medical world is fast-paced by nature, so using digital transformation to get faster test results or automate tasks, for example, can save medical practices a significant amount of time and money. Additionally, every medical practice should continually strive for better patient outcomes. Using the latest innovative tools can help foster a higher success rate for patients.

What are the obstacles that prevent a medical practice from engaging in a digital transformation?

I think it can give businesses pause to pivot when their systems are working “good enough.” Sometimes people have an “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” mentality. If systems and softwares are accomplishing the bare minimum, why pivot? However, the way technology is moving, it’s best to stay current rather than risk falling far behind the curve. For one thing, patients are attracted to practices that embrace the latest technology. Digital transformation can also help save businesses time and money, so it’s important to really educate yourself and understand what’s out there and there are solutions that can fill a gap in your business.

Managing a healthcare facility is more challenging than it has ever been. Based on your experience or research, can you please share with our readers a few examples of how digital transformation can help a medical practice to provide better care? If you can, please share a story or example for each.

The best example I’ve witnessed during my career in medicine is in regard to surgery. I played a role in the development of the ARTAS system for robotic hair transplant surgery, and robotics is an area that continues to amaze me. These days, robotic surgical systems are creating so many benefits for patients in the areas of gynecology, general surgery, urology and more. Sometimes, these procedures can be done through a single incision, providing for a virtually scarless surgery. Robotic surgery also has a lower risk for complications and provides faster healing times, which is great all the way around.

Can you share a few examples of how digital interactions or digital intake processes can help create a frictionless patient experience and increase access for patients?

During the pandemic, we saw an increased incidence in telehealth visits, and I don’t think it’s likely we’ll move backward in this area. Telemedicine is on the verge of a renaissance in my opinion, and I’m excited to see what the future holds in this area.

Regarding digital intake processes, I always like to make the process as easy as possible for patients. I have patient forms available to them on my website, but I also offer the option to fill them out the old-fashioned way in the office. I think being able to cater to people in this way is a great personalization tactic.

Based on your opinion and experience, what are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Effective Medical Practice” and why.

1. Teamwork.

At my practice, everyone is in a good groove of working together. That sense of camaraderie is what I believe drives our consistent five-star ratings from patients.

2. Brand consistency.

It’s so important to get your branding to a good place. You want people to recognize you, and you want everything associated with your business to look professional. I hired a professional graphic designer right out of the gate so that people could start associating my practice with a certain aesthetic. You want to do this as early as possible so that you can work toward building an established, recognizable brand.

3. A fully optimized website.

Hire a professional marketing team to help you build a comprehensive search engine optimization strategy. Jae Pak Medical has high visibility online, and I know it’s because we invest heavily in this area. It doesn’t matter how great you are if people can’t find your business online.

4. A collection of social proof.

Building a solid library of social proof can really help a medical practice to acquire new customers. Research shows that people are more likely to do business with brands that their friends recommend. At my practice, we’ve had people come in who chose us based solely on online reviews.

5. Constant innovation.

No matter what industry you’re in, It’s important not to get stuck in your ways. Don’t be afraid to expand your horizons and experiment with new ways of doing things. Had I not done this, I wouldn’t have obtained eight patents.

Because of your role, you are a person of significant influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most people, what would that be? You never know what your ideas can trigger.

It would definitely have to do with exposing youth to different forms of art. My art classes in school had a big impact on me. Unfortunately, when school budgets are tight, the art budget is usually the first thing to go. I think founding a nonprofit that helps to fill this gap would be a worthwhile endeavor.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Visit my website at www.jaepakmd.com

This was truly meaningful! Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your expertise!

About The Interviewer: David McNeil is the President of PatientPop, a Tebra company, a market leader in practice growth technology. McNeil is highly committed to helping the company build a modern go-to-market organization that delivers great value to practices in a time of rapid change in healthcare. McNeil’s business insights have been featured in publications such as Medical Economics and Los Angeles Business Journal.