Delving into Healthcare Insights
Healthcare Musings
This is the official podcast of Hesham A. Hassaballa, MD, a NY Times-featured Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician, Author, and Healthcare Executive. Healthcare Musings discusses healthcare delivery and policy. Healthcare Musings Substack: http://healthcaremusings.substack.com
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Sept. 1, 2026
Dr. H's Verbal Hassaboluses: Another Reason I Don't Like The System-Based Note
I really, really do not like the system-based note and presentation. After a recent stretch of night shifts, I further explain why this way to document is so undesirable.
Aug. 25, 2026
AI in Revenue Cycle: Why Terry Cameron is Optimistic
AI is increasingly being used in revenue cycle. Providers are using AI to code better, and payers are using AI to adjudicate claims and issue denials. An "AI arms race" seems to be ensuing. Terry Cameron, former CEO of Sound Advisory Services, is optimistic about the increasing use of AI in revenue cycle. I, however, am not so optimistic as he is. In this episode of the Healthcare Musings podcast, we discuss this divergence of opinions. This episode is sponsored by Buttermilk Cafe in Downers
Aug. 18, 2026
Many Times, Morbidity Can Be Worse Than Mortality
We are in the business of trying to stave off mortality. It is the life-blood of Critical Care Medicine. Here's the thing: sometimes, morbidity can bring a lifetime of suffering, and it can be worse than mortality. In this episode of Healthcare Musings, Dr. Hassaballa reflects on the paradox of morbidity being worse than mortality.
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Aug. 11, 2026
Is Health Insurance Actually Insurance?: My Conversation with Dr. Reinier Schuur
Is health insurance actually insurance? Is this why costs are so high? Are there other ways to pay for healthcare? I asked this and many more questions of Dr. Reinier Schuur, health policy analyst with the Center for Modern Health, a health policy think tank. Our conversation was thought-provoking. Center for Modern Health: https://substack.com/@reinierschuur Article: https://open.substack.com/pub/centerformodernhealth/p/break-up-big-coverage-not-big-medicine?r=2d9b5g&utm_medium=ios
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Aug. 4, 2026
Voltaire In The ICU - La Deuxième Partie
Continuing in the mini-series “Voltaire in the ICU,” Dr. Hassaballa discusses end-of-life care and how best to frame the question of what people want done to themselves at the end of life.
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July 28, 2026
Voltaire in the ICU
"Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien." These words were written by Voltaire, and it is popularly rendered as "The perfect is the enemy of the good." In the ICU, I have to make decisions every day on critically ill patients, and frequently, I have to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Sometimes, doing something is worse than doing nothing at all. In this latest episode of the podcast, Dr. Hassaballa discusses how he heeds the advice of Voltaire when he works in the ICU.
