One thing you should know about me is that I love golf. So, I’d like to share a quote from one of the best to ever play: Tiger Woods. He said, “you can always get better.” I take this to mean that you shouldn’t settle for satisfaction; you should aim for greatness—to be the best you possibly can. And while I probably won’t become a U.S Open Champion like Tiger, I can certainly shoot to be the best physician and healthcare executive I can possibly be. This means treating a patient’s mind, body, and spirit so they can go home happier and healthier than when I first met them. This means giving my employees cutting-edge resources and technologies so they can perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. This also means changing the healthcare industry forever.
HELLO. MY NAME IS DR. PARAMJIT CHOPRA. SOME CALL ME A HEALTHCARE DISRUPTER, INFLUENCER, AND INNOVATOR, BUT MY FRIENDS CALL ME “ROMI,” SO YOU MAY CALL ME THAT.
Originally, I come from Mumbai, India, which inhabits over 20 million people. If you don’t know what life is like in India, understand that it can be hard at times. However, it is filled with extremely hard-working people who are well-equipped to overcome this hardship. I witnessed my parents, who woke up early every day to take the overcrowded public transportation, work 12-hour days, six days a week to provide for me and my family. When my time came to work as a teenager, I experienced the same adversity they did. However, because my parents instilled their relentless work ethic in me from a young age, I was diligent in everything I did. Another thing to know about India is that the work culture is extremely competitive because there are so many people. If you don’t perform, then you are easily replaceable by the countless others looking to take your job. You fear getting fired for making a mistake—any mistake. In fact, I often remember the stress this caused my parents. It was these experiences, however, that made me who I am today, so I am extremely proud and humbled to be Indian and have grown up in Mumbai.
Fast-forward to 1989. It was then that I made the move to Boston to attend Harvard Medical School, which was my first experience in the United States. I was in a foreign place unlike anything I’ve experienced before, but I brought my culture, including that work ethic, with me because that was a part of my identity. Just as Tiger Woods wouldn’t have been a 15-time major champion without
practice, lessons, and dedication, I wouldn’t have become the physician and entrepreneur I am today without my work ethic. It led me to a fellowship with Brigham and Women’s Hospital as well as the many positions I’ve had over the years.
I’ve been Chairman of the Department of Interventional Radiology at Rush University Medical Center, an associate professor, and have had leadership positions in large academic and private hospitals. As an entrepreneur, I’ve started and managed several healthcare businesses as a consultant and been an advisor to several large medical device and pharmaceutical companies. And through all these positions, I’ve never forgotten the most important element of healthcare: the patient. The patient is always at the forefront of everything I do and everything I will do in the future. In fact, I left those bureaucratic positions at academic and private hospitals because financials became more important than the patient. I often heard, “The surgery was a success, but the patient died.” This didn’t align with my values, so I began to think about how to establish a patient-centered culture all while prioritizing company growth. This led me to my next adventure: MIMIT Health.
I’m the Founder, President, and CEO of MIMIT Health, one of the fastest-growing, independent, multi-specialty physician groups in Illinois. We provide world-class healthcare by using minimally invasive treatments and implementing healthy lifestyle strategies to heal a patient’s mind, body, and spirit. This is my vision in action—a way to truly focus on patient centricity. Therefore, I disagree when someone says I’m in the business of healthcare
I’m in the business of taking care of people first and foremost. I don’t care if you want to talk about care models as B2B or B2C because it’s all H2H, human-to-human, as far as I’m concerned. When you’re ill, you don’t go to a building; you want to go to another person.
