About The Independent Physician
Meet the Surgeon Behind the Mission
Daniel Choi, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedic spine surgeon, independent practice founder, educator, and physician advocate.
Through honest conversations with physicians who’ve built careers outside corporate healthcare, he’s helping to create a clear roadmap for those considering the independent path.
Physician Wealth Building
Staff Hiring
Billing & Collections
Medical Real Estate
Direct Primary Care
Daniel Choi, MD, FAAOS
Surgeon. Founder. Advocate.
Daniel Choi, MD, is a Harvard-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon whose career has been guided by the belief that physicians do their best work when they have the freedom to put patients first.
As a nationally recognized leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, Dr. Choi has treated thousands of patients with advanced techniques designed to reduce pain, minimize risk, and shorten recovery time. His commitment to delivering highly personalized care ultimately led him to establish his own independent practice.
What began as Spine Medicine & Surgery of Long Island has since expanded into New Jersey and grown to include seven physicians across five locations, offering a full spectrum of surgical and non-surgical care. Building and leading that practice gave Dr. Choi firsthand insight into both the challenges and possibilities of independent medicine.
His leadership extends beyond the practice as well. Dr. Choi serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and contributes to healthcare policy discussions at the state and national levels.
As host of The Independent Physician, he draws on his experience as a surgeon, practice owner, and advocate while amplifying the voices and stories of his colleagues.
Expertise
Education and Credentials
Undergraduate Education
Northwestern University
- Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Medical Degree
Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine
- Honors Program in Medical Education
Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Spine Surgery Fellowship
Harvard Medical School | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Combined Neurosurgical and Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship
The Independent Physician
The Conversations He Needed and Couldn’t Find
To build his private practice from the ground up, Dr. Choi had to learn an entirely different side of medicine, one that his years of medical education and surgical training never covered.
He had to find the right space, secure financing, invest in technology, hire a team, navigate insurers, build referral relationships, and make countless decisions without an established blueprint. Along the way, he turned to other independent physicians for advice and guidance.
Dr. Choi created The Independent Physician to make those conversations accessible to everyone. By asking accomplished practice owners how they started, what they risked, what they learned, and what they would do differently, he’s giving other doctors the insight he could have benefitted from at the beginning of his own journey.
The result is an honest, unfiltered look at independent medicine from the people who have lived it.
LISTENING ONLINE AT:
Beyond the Practice and the Podcast
Supporting a Stronger
Future for Independent Medicine
When Dr. Choi isn’t with his patients or interviewing colleagues on the podcast, he actively works to protect physician independence.
He represented the Medical Society of the State of New York at the American Medical Association House of Delegates, where he participated in national discussions addressing reimbursement, regulatory barriers, scope-of-practice issues, and the pressures facing independent physicians.
He has also brought the perspective of a practicing surgeon and private practice owner to healthcare policy conversations with state and federal leaders. Across these efforts, he’s championed patient choice, clinical autonomy, and a stronger future for independent medicine.
For Dr. Choi, advocacy and practice ownership are connected. Both are about keeping medical decisions where they belong: between physicians and their patients.
Mission and Vision
Equipping Physicians to Choose–and Succeed in–Independent Medicine
The mission of The Independent Physician is to inspire physicians, particularly those early in their careers, to consider the road less traveled, and equip them for success with candid insights from top doctors across the country.
Private practice is not easy, and it’s not right for everyone. But it is a real and viable option for physicians who want greater control over their standards of care, their professional lives, and their futures. Every conversation is designed to make that option easier to understand and more realistic to pursue.
The Vision
The podcast is the beginning of a broader platform for independent medicine: a place where physicians can exchange knowledge, learn from their colleagues, build community, and amplify perspectives too often missing from conversations about healthcare.
Over time, The Independent Physician aims to grow into a resource that connects physicians across specialties and career stages through interviews, original content, learning opportunities, and events.
The larger goal is to create a healthcare ecosystem in the United States that puts patient care and health outcomes above shareholders.
What Guides the Conversation
Candor Over Platitudes
Dr. Choi approaches interviews with curiosity, respect, and a willingness to ask for the specifics. The goal isn’t to glorify private practice, but to give physicians an honest understanding of what it requires and what it can make possible.
01
Transparency
We go beyond the highlight reel to discuss the real numbers, difficult decisions, unexpected setbacks, and trade-offs behind every independent career.
02
Wisdom
We’re amplifying the voices and stories of private practice owners and encouraging guests to share the advice they wish they’d received before taking their own first steps.
03
Community
The podcast and platform connect physicians across specialties, backgrounds, and career stages so no one has to navigate building an independent practice alone.
04
The Preservation of Medicine
We advocate for a model of care that protects the physician-patient relationship and gives doctors the autonomy to uphold their own clinical standards.
The Independent Physician
Independence Is Possible.
Learn How It’s Done.
Hear real stories, practical lessons, and hard-earned advice from physicians who chose to build careers on their own terms.
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