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…
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…
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…
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.
"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 US House passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2026 on July 14. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine “condemned” the bill. For me, as a sleep physician, I also want DST to be permanent. I don’t buy the circadian misalignment arguments. Sleep Research Society position statement: https://sleepresearchsociety.org/sleep-research-society-position-statement-supports-adoption-permanent-standard-time/
I was blessed to be a guest on the Healthcare Leadership Show by Marion Spears Karr. We had a wonderful conversation about gratitude, and how it is the physician leader’s superpower. Marion Spears Karr on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionspearskarr
Once again, randomized control trial data show that aggressive fluid strategies in septic shock are not harmful. Dr. Hassabolus is vindicated, yet again. Many thanks to the PulmCCM Substack for its excellent analysis of the critical care literature: https://open.substack.com/pub/pulmccm/p/early-vasopressors-are-superior-to?r=2d9b5g&utm_medium=ios
The things we say have an impact. The words we use actually do matter. In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses the impact of changing one word in a phrase can have on the people with whom we interact. It’s part of how habit becomes ritual.
Traditionally, the word “respect” means “high regard.” When we delve into its Latin root, however, we get a much deeper understanding. For me, it has changed my behavior. This week’s episode is a reflection on last week’s amazing conversation with Marion Spears Karr. Episode Link: https://www.healthcaremusings.com/taking-gratitude-from-habit-to-ritual-my-conversation-with-marion-spears-karr/
As leaders, do we thank our teams sincerely? Or is it simply a habit without any purpose or meaning? My conversation with Marion Spears Karr, CEO of Inflow Executives and founder of the Authentic Gratitude Communication Framework (AGCF) Program, really brought home those questions to me as a leader. Marion…
On June 7, 2009 my eldest daughter, Bayan, died from complications of lymphoma. Ever since that day, there have been songs that have helped me deal with the grief of her loss. I call them, “The Soundtrack of my Grief.” The song I reflect on here is “Weightless,” by Natasha…
Will AI replace all Doctors? How good is the medical literature? What about the hype in Medicine today? I asked these and many more questions of Dr. Bobby Dubois, and our conversation was insightful and illuminating. Dr. Bobby's Podcast: https://drbobbylivelongandwell.com/ **Please note: There was a problem with the audio in…
When I first started practicing, progress notes in the medical record said nothing because physicians did not write legibly. Now, we have multi-page progress notes that are legible and also say nothing. Why are we still here?
This is the first in a new series of soliloquies by Dr. Hassaballa called “Dr. H’s Verbal Hassaboluses.” And for the very first one, he advises Residents and Fellows to PLEASE stop writing system-based notes.
While we all trained at the Academy, most of the care provided to patients occurs in the Community. And it seems that, more and more, the research output from the Academy is not clinically relevant to the Community. So, I wanted to discuss this with Dr. Scott Matson, an Academic…
Six years ago, today, was the darkest day of the Covid 19 pandemic for me. And it was good for me that all my emotion came out at the time it did.
The purpose of the healthcare system is to heal the sick, and unfortunately, it seem that the system has strayed from this purpose. Gil Bashe, Chair of Global Health and Purpose for FINN Partners, reminds us of this purpose in his excellent book, "Healing the Sick Care System: Why People…
Sepsis is the number one diagnosis treated in most intensive care units across the world, and it can be very deadly in short order. Yet, is sepsis even a disease? "No," according to Dr. Rafael Olive Leite, aka, the "Thoughtful Intensivist" on Substack. According to him, the whole "sepsis epistemology"…
The healthcare system is supposed to be centered around just one person: the patient. According to Matthew Zachary, however, the healthcare system has failed miserably in its mission. Of all the voices that have been heard on this podcast, the one that hasn't been heard is that of the patient...until…
The 2026 Surviving Sepsis Guidelines were released last March in Chicago. Among the dozens of recommendations, there are 17 “strong” recommendations. In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa speaks about these 17 strong recommendations and its implications on clinical practice. Surviving Sepsis Guidelines: https://sccm.org/survivingsepsiscampaign/guidelines-and-resources/surviving-sepsis-campaign-adult-guidelines
The new Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines were released late last month in Chicago. This week’s episode highlights the most important changes to Dr. Hassaballa. Hint: Dr. Hassabolus is vindicated again. Read the entire guidelines here: https://www.sccm.org/survivingsepsiscampaign
Physicians’ jobs today are very hard. There are so many demands on their time, and there is not enough time in the day to do everything they need to do. So it is understandable that a busy clinician would ask “Who Cares?” When it comes to Clinical Documentation Improvement, or…
Both obesity and protein calorie malnutrition are major comorbid conditions (MCC), and they are frequent targets of post-discharge denials by payers. In this episode of Healthcare Musings, Dr. Hassaballa explains why it is so important that these diagnoses are not only documented, but why our plan to address these conditions…