Episodes

Fear and the COVID Response: A Conversation with Dr. Joseph Marine
March 10, 2026

Fear and the COVID Response: A Conversation with Dr. Joseph Marine

It has been six years, almost to the day, since I saw my first Covid patient in the ICU. So much has changed since then. In this insightful interview, Dr. Joseph Marine, a Johns Hopkins Cardiologist and Professor of Medicine,...

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Returning Goals of Care Conversations to Where They Belong
March 3, 2026

Returning Goals of Care Conversations to Where They Belong

The hospital ED or ICU is the absolute worst place to have a goals of care conversation.

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Do We Need A PCP For Everything?: My Conversation with Dr. Bobby Scott
Feb. 24, 2026

Do We Need A PCP For Everything?: My Conversation with Dr. Bobby Scott

Primary Care is in trouble. The job is very hard, doesn’t pay as much as it should, and the numbers of PCPs is dwindling. How can we save the field? Dr. Bobby Scott has another novel idea to help reduce the burden on Primary ...

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Saving Primary Care: Dr. Colleen Smith’s Novel Idea
Feb. 17, 2026

Saving Primary Care: Dr. Colleen Smith’s Novel Idea

There is a dire shortage of Primary Care Physicians, and it is projected to get even worse. We need Primary Care Physicians, and creating more Residency slots takes years to come to fruition. This week’s guest on the Healthca...

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What’s It Really Like To Run A Hospital?: My Conversation with Ken Kaufman
Feb. 9, 2026

What’s It Really Like To Run A Hospital?: My Conversation with Ken Ka…

There is a common perception that hospitals are nonstop, money making machine machines. Reality, however, it’s quite different. In this episode, I sit down with Mr. Ken Kaufman, a Managing Director at Kaufman Hall. He gives a...

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What's the Deal With the New Dietary Guidelines? I Asked America's Cardiologist.
Feb. 2, 2026

What's the Deal With the New Dietary Guidelines? I Asked America's Ca…

There has been an uproar on the part of some over the new dietary guidelines published by the government ( www.realfood.gov ). Is the uproad justified? I asked the perfect person: America's Cardiologist, Dr. Mohammed Alo ( ht...

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A Day in the Life of a TeleIntensivist Leader: Dr. Mirko Villanueva
Jan. 26, 2026

A Day in the Life of a TeleIntensivist Leader: Dr. Mirko Villanueva

Telecritical care is part of the future of Critical Care Medicine in the United States and world. There are various models of implementing TeleICU programs, and one of them is a “hybrid” between on site and tele ICU. How can ...

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Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure: Decoding What It Is (and Isn’t) in the Face of Denials.
Jan. 19, 2026

Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure: Decoding What It Is (and Isn’t) in…

Acute hypoxic respiratory failure is diagnosed by one of these three criteria: PaO2 less than 60 mm Hg SpO2 less than 90% PaO2/FiO2 ratio < 300 That's it. Payers like to add all sorts of clinical criteria alongside this. This...

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Get Off The SOFA: Winning the Fight Against Sepsis Denials
Jan. 12, 2026

Get Off The SOFA: Winning the Fight Against Sepsis Denials

Increasingly, insurance companies and third-party auditors are denying sepsis claims and DRGs based on the “Sepsis-3” article published almost 10 years ago. Specifically, they contend that if there is no SOFA score of 2 or gr...

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Leadership, Compassion, and the Future of AI in Critical Care: My Appearance on the Becker's Healthcare Podcast
Jan. 5, 2026

Leadership, Compassion, and the Future of AI in Critical Care: My App…

I was honored to be a guest on the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast. During the episode, I discussed how AI is transforming clinical care; the irreplaceable human elements of medicine; and the leadership values that guide my work....

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The Soundtrack of My Grief: "You Are The Piece of Me I Wish I Didn't Need"
Dec. 30, 2025

The Soundtrack of My Grief: "You Are The Piece of Me I Wish I Didn't …

Ever since the death of my daughter on June 7, 2009, I have written and reflected on many things that remind me of her, including many popular songs. It is one of the ways the Lord saved my life after her death. Today, on her...

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Can AI Chatbots Make End-of-Life Decisions?
Dec. 22, 2025

Can AI Chatbots Make End-of-Life Decisions?

Can an AI Chatbot version of you make an end-of-life decision if you cannot make it on your own? This possibility was brought up to me on a previous episode with Eiman Abdelmoneim . I was so intrigued by the possibility that ...

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Metabolic Encephalopathy: Essential Guide to Accurate Documentation
Dec. 15, 2025

Metabolic Encephalopathy: Essential Guide to Accurate Documentation

Metabolic encephalopathy is a state of global cerebral dysfunction caused by systemic metabolic or toxic disturbances. Its presence raises the severity of illness of those patients afflicted with it, and it is a frequent deni...

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The Sepsis Confusion: SIRS, SOFA, and CDI…Oh My!!!
Dec. 8, 2025

The Sepsis Confusion: SIRS, SOFA, and CDI…Oh My!!!

There are two competing definitions of sepsis, called "Sepsis-2" and "Sepsis-3." They are vastly different, and it is causing enormous confusion with respect to diagnosing and coding for sepsis. I assembled a panel of experts...

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Seeing Healthcare From 30,000 Feet: My Conversation with Scott Becker
Dec. 1, 2025

Seeing Healthcare From 30,000 Feet: My Conversation with Scott Becker

Scott Becker, Founder and Publisher of Becker's Healthcare , has a unique perspective on the state of the healthcare system in the United States. So, I wanted to sit down with him and get his insights as well. He had amazing ...

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More People Are Turning To AI Chatbots: How Doctors Can Properly Deal With This
Nov. 24, 2025

More People Are Turning To AI Chatbots: How Doctors Can Properly Deal…

The NY Times had an article detailing how people are turning to chatbots because they are frustrated with the medical system. As a physician and patient myself, I completely sympathize with both groups. We need to fix this pr...

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Is American Healthcare Doomed To Be A Zero Sum Game?: My Conversation With Jeff Alter
Nov. 17, 2025

Is American Healthcare Doomed To Be A Zero Sum Game?: My Conversation…

Insurance payers have the money. Providers - hospitals and doctors - want the money. This seems to be an irreconcilable conflict. Is there a middle way? I asked the perfect person this question: Jeff Alter of Sound Physicians...

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“Poof, It’s Sepsis”: Are Doctors Using AI To Inappropriately Bill Patients?
Nov. 10, 2025

“Poof, It’s Sepsis”: Are Doctors Using AI To Inappropriately Bill Pat…

There is a growing battle between payers and providers, each using AI to get the most money. Are doctors and hospitals using these tools inappropriately? Articles: AI by Doctors: https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/20/ai-scribe-...

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Revolutionizing The Care Economy: My Conversation With Neal Shah of CareYaya
Nov. 3, 2025

Revolutionizing The Care Economy: My Conversation With Neal Shah of C…

One of the most challenging aspects of our healthcare system is elder and sick care at home. Who can do it? How can you afford it? It can cause enormous stress. Neal Shah, CEO of CareYaya, knows this challenge firsthand, and ...

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Using AI To Become a "10x Doctor": My Conversation with Eiman Abdelmoneim
Oct. 27, 2025

Using AI To Become a "10x Doctor": My Conversation with Eiman Abdelmo…

How will Artificial Intelligence affect physicians? Will it take their jobs? Will it kill all of humanity? There are so many questions with respect to AI and healthcare, and so I had the perfect guest on to get answers to all...

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Women in Medicine: Challenges and Opportunities
Oct. 20, 2025

Women in Medicine: Challenges and Opportunities

I sat down with three amazing women leaders in the Medical field - Dr. Chia-Shing Yang, Dr. Simran Matta, and April Burke PA - and had a wide-ranging conversation about the challenges facing women in medicine and leadership, ...

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“Surgical Consultation Recommended”
Oct. 13, 2025

“Surgical Consultation Recommended”

I understand why so many Radiologists put this phrase in their reports. It can frequently make things worse, and this is one of the many bad things fear of a malpractice suit has wrought.

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What’s The Deal With Potassium In The ICU
Oct. 6, 2025

What’s The Deal With Potassium In The ICU

No matter which ICU in which I work, I am asked to keep the potassium levels more than 4. Is there any evidence for this?

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“They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To”: My Conversation With Dr. Richard Abrams
Sept. 29, 2025

“They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To”: My Conversation With Dr. Ri…

I have railed against some traits and trends of new students and residents these days. My conversation with one of my teachers, Dr. Richard Abrams, taught me a valuable lesson and made me change my attitude.

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