The Secret to Scaling a Values-Driven Business (from a Surgeon Who Did It) | Ep 237 with Dr. Charles Ruotolo Founder of Total Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Dr. Charles Ruotolo is more than a surgeon—he’s a systems thinker reshaping how we experience healthcare. In this episode, he shares how he built Total Orthopedics & Sports Medicine into one of the most respected orthopedic practices in the New York metro area, while leading innovation in urgent care access, AI integration, and patient-centered longevity services.

Key Discussion Points:

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  Why most injuries after 40 stem from one overlooked mistake

  
  


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  The mindset, repetition, and humility behind surgical mastery

  
  


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  Building Total Orthopedics & Sports Medicine like a five-star hotel

  
  


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  The strategic rollout of Total Ortho Express urgent care locations

  
  


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  How AI and virtual surgery are transforming the operating room and front desk

  
  


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  Creating Total Wellness: a proactive center focused on aging and vitality

  
  


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  Lessons on scaling a physician-first, patient-obsessed practice

  
  

Takeaways:

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  Repetition and outcome-tracking are what separate good surgeons from great ones

  
  


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  A thriving practice puts physician well-being and patient experience at the center

  
  


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  The best business moves in healthcare are often the most human ones

  
  


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  Technology should empower—not replace—the doctor-patient relationship

  
  

Closing Thoughts:
Dr. Ruotolo isn’t just treating injuries—he’s building a new healthcare model from the ground up. One rooted in empathy, speed, innovation, and trust. In a world of waitlists and red tape, his work is a blueprint for how medicine can—and should—evolve.