Episodes

Telecritical care is definitely part of the future of our field. And yet, the literature surrounding telecritical care implementation and outcomes in the ICU is conflicting. In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa explains how the model of telecritical care implementation makes all the difference in the world.

Dr. Eugene Yeh is a telecritical care specialist and program director. I caught up with him at the CHEST 2026 Conference in Phoenix, where we discussed his research showing improved outcomes with a proactive telecritical care model in a rural hospital in the Midwest.

Shakespeare wrote, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." For the physician, there are many things that he or she must do that is perceived as a burden. We must never forget that these things are duties that come out of the privilege of being a Doctor. In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa reflects on the phrase in Shakespeare and what it means to him as a Doctor.

Dr. Rod Fontenette, board-certified Emergency AND Critical Care Medicine physician, told me that in the military, they always said, "One Team, One Fight." In this episode of Healthcare Musings, Dr. Hassaballa reflects over this phrase and what it means to him in light of his previous conversation with Dr. Fontenette.

"They don't make Residents like the used to." I have been saying that a lot. So, when I sat down and spoke with a Resident, Dr. Kumail Hussein, you know what I couldn't help but keep saying? "Fair Enough."

I frequently get triggered when an Emergency Medicine colleague calls me and says, "I want to admit this patient to the ICU..." But then I sat down with a colleague and friend who works in both, Dr. Rod Fontanette, and I came away with a whole new appreciation of life across the hall from the ICU. Guest information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roderick-w-fontenette-md-mhcm-cpe-facep-fccm-b9160250/

In honor of World Sepsis Day 2026, and Sepsis Awareness Month, Dr. Hassaballa discusses how sepsis is the great impostor, and if we are not constantly vigilant, it is liable to sneak up and take our patients' lives.

"They don't make residents like they used to." I have said that again and again, and I am becoming more and more of a curmudgeon as I get older in my career. I believe with the changes implemented in modern Residency and Fellowship, trainees are being set up for failure. Well, I spoke to one of "them," one of the new generation of physicians, to get his take. Third-year Family Medicine Resident Dr. Kumail Hussain is my latest guest on the podcast. It was a great conversation, and I learned a...

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.

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 ...

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.

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

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 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.

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 Spears Karr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionspearskarr

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 Bedingfield. Song on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/weightless-less-is-more-version/402882140?i=402882221

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 the first third of the recording, which I tried to fix as best I could. Apologies for the glitch.**

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.