Meet Reut Ron Pagi, MD | Pediatrician and Founder – My 1st Clinic

We had the good fortune of connecting with Reut Ron Pagi, MD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Pagi, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The care my patients receive.

My goal at opening My 1st Clinic was to ensure that each and every child that comes into the clinic knows that they are my number one priority and that they get my undivided attention along with the care that they need.

There is no one size fits all when it comes to parenting. I take the time to listen to the parents’ wants and needs and work with them to come up with the plan that is best-suited for their child. I don’t want the parents to ever feel rushed and to always feel comfortable to ask all their questions – no matter how big or small.

I take responsibility for my patients and am always there for them, night or day. I have access to text and voice messages left after hours, so I am always available for emergencies. I often see my patients in the evenings or weekends, when needed, to avoid them having to go to the emergency room or urgent care. As a parent myself, I understand the comfort of knowing that there is someone on call that I can count on.

I really provide that concierge medicine, without the concierge fee – because I strongly believe that this is how every child should be treated.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
About 2 years ago, I found myself at a crossroads. I was in a place where I needed to make a drastic decision about my career path.

It was at that time that I decided to fulfill my dream and open my own clinic – a place where I could care for kids the way I believe every child should be cared for.

Being the boss allows me to be completely hands-on in the care of my patients. I decide how many patients to see a day and how much time to spend with each patient. We make sure to carefully schedule my patients so they’re never sat in a crowded waiting room or waiting for more than a few minutes.

We are able to avoid our patients being exposed to each other. For example, we never have a newborn’s family in the same space as a school aged kid who may be coming in for a sick visit. Our patients are not exposed to a large busy office with many medical staff, patients and physicians – which, these days, is priceless.

Once I decided to open my business, it took a year to get it up and running. The first 6 months I spent looking for the perfect location that would be accessible and convenient for the patients, but also a pleasant and relaxing space for them, too. Kids are known to dislike going to the doctor, but I wanted to change all that. I wanted to set up a clinic where kids would ask their parents to visit Dr. Pagi, which I believed I have achieved even in the short time I’ve been open.

Now, I do have patients that ask to come see me, and when they are in the area, they often pop in to the clinic to say “hello” and pick a toy from the toy box. This always brightens my day. It is also so fun to run into a patient at the nearby park and get a huge smile and a hug.

Once I found the location for the clinic, it took another 6 months to get the permits and build it like I envisioned it. Having realized the growing importance of mental health management for children and adolescents, I used this time to further expand my abilities to care for patients’ mental health needs. I participated in a 6 month program for pediatricians to learn to care for patients’ mental health needs beyond what is taught during pediatric residency. This was in line with my goal to be able to provide all the care a child needs, to see a child as a whole – the body, the mind, the soul and the family unit that they present with.

Being a business owner and parent, I strive to achieve a work/life balance. I am often able to plan my schedule around school events – sometimes even taking an hour off to take my daughter to a gymnastics class. At the same time, being the owner and sole pediatrician does come with responsibilities. I often meet patients at the clinic in the evenings and weekends when they need me. I do everything I can to see my patients and avoid referring them to the ER or urgent care unless absolutely necessary.

Now that the clinic is up and running, and thriving, I continue to focus on my number one goal: to make each patient feel that what they are going through matters and that I am here for them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Does my friend have kids?

I often have tourists with sick kids make last minute appointments at the clinic and love sharing my favorite LA spots for kids.

My family loves the ocean and, really, this is the best part of LA. On weekends, you can often find us in Marina Del Rey on a boat or at Mother’s Beach playing in the sand. Other days, we visit Santa Monica pier and Third Street Promenade.
I always tell any visiting friend that they can not miss popping in to join a BounceLA class at Annenberg center.

On colder days, the California Science Center and imax theater are great places to visit. There is always something new to learn!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My patients!! I am so grateful for the interactions I have with my patients and their families, and that I am able to be there for them, care for them and assist with what they need – from the very minor concerns to the larger concerns that require more time and attention.

I am very appreciative of my mentors and teachers at the institutions where I learned to practice medicine. Having trained in Pediatrics for 3 years at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit followed by 3 years in Pediatric Nephrology at UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital, I was able to receive invaluable experience in caring for children. I was fortunate to learn from the best. As a pediatric trainee, you work 80+ hours a week. Even with the hardships that come with that, I appreciated that every hour in the hospital, every patient I treated, I gained experience and knowledge to care for my patients in the future.

And, of course, I couldn’t do this without the support of my husband and my parents who believed in me to succeed through every single test in medical school, every 30 hour call in residency, every difficult day in fellowship that kept me late in the hospital. I am also incredibly grateful to my two amazing daughters who have made their own sacrifices and have championed my most recent efforts in opening my own clinic and completing my recent pediatric nephrology boards. I hope to inspire them to work hard to achieve anything they set out to do.

Website: www.my1stclinic.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/my1stclinic/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/My1stClinic/