Episodes

It would be a travesty and a shame to have your documentation belie the truly great clinician you are. So it's high to focus on the assessment and plan, so we can really show the world the wonderful work we're doing on a daily basis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

In this latest lecture, Dr. Hassaballa goes over acid base disorders and how to recognize them, as well as mixed acid-base disorders and chronic compensation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

This week is National Respiratory Care Week (October 23-29). As an ICU medical director who works every single day hand in hand with respiratory therapists, as well as having the honor of being the Medical Director of Respiratory Therapy at the Chicago Area Hospital which serves as my base, I wanted to take some time out to really highlight the absolute importance of respiratory therapists and their role in the care of a critically ill patient. We cannot do our jobs properly without respiratory...

In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses his feeling that the term "DNR," or "do not resuscitate, should be replaced with the term "AND," or "allow for natural death." Some institutions have adopted this change, and Dr. Hassaballa thinks this should be more widespread. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses medical necessity denials: what they are and how to deal with them. Resources: Interqual: https://www.changehealthcare.com/clinical-decision-support/interqual MCG: https://www.mcg.com/client-resources/news-item/mcg-27th-edition-care-guidelines/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa goes over the different types of shock and how to recognize their hemodynamic profiles. Errata: I meant to say that LVEDV is estimated by LVEDP, which is estimated by Left atrial pressure, which is estimated by pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. Also, V = IR and R = V/I. I regret the errrors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

Clinician burnout is a crisis, and it is something that needs to be addressed by everyone in leadership in healthcare. In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa shares his advice about those who feel obligated to stay after their shift is done so they don't "dump" on their partners. Read more about burnout here: https://www.ama-assn.org/about/leadership/burnout-health-crisis-doctors-and-patients This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epi...

In honor of Sepsis Awareness Month, Dr. Hassaballa recounts a case of a patient who died from sepsis in the ICU more than a decade ago, a case that has stayed with him ever since. Resources: https://www.sccm.org/SurvivingSepsisCampaign/Home This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

The FDA approved the latest Covid booster, and the CDC recommends everyone get it. In this episode of the Healthcare Musings Podcast, Dr. Hassaballa shares his own thought process on whether to get the vaccine or not. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa talks about why he stopped drinking Diet Coke. And no...it has nothing do with cancer. Links: WHO Statement on aspartame: https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released Microbiome and nonnutritive sweeteners: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)00919-9?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867422009199%3Fshowall%3Dtrue Nonnutritive sweeteners and weight gain: https://...

Insurance company denials are terribly frustrating. There are a number of causes, and in this series, we will explore the types of denials and what we can do to mitigate them. Resources: "From the Appeals Desk": https://healthcaremusings.substack.com/t/from-the-appeals-desk Association for Healthcare Appeals and Denial Management (AHDAM): https://www.ahdam.org/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcarem...

Sometimes, "minimal vent settings" is not sufficient to truly test spontaneous breathing in a ventilated patient. In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses why that is. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa reflects over a flight delay on one of his work trips. It reminded him that compromising passenger safety for customer convenience is a nonstarter in the Airline industry. The same should be true with Medicine. Article about medical errors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

Dr. Hassaballa discusses hypoxic respiratory failure and oxygen delivery and why he doesn't care about pO2. Read more about oxygen delivery here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/essential-equations-for-anaesthesia/oxygen-delivery/266FB17B43BD69713233B026B885DBCD Correction: The number is 1.34 mL oxygen per gram of hemoglobin. Dr. Hassaballa regrets the error. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healt...

In this episode of Healthcare Musings podcast, we discuss sepsis: its definition and principles of management. Relevant References: Sepsis 3 Definition: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2492881 Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines: https://www.sccm.org/Clinical-Resources/Guidelines/Guidelines/Surviving-Sepsis-Guidelines-2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

This lecture is about the basics of mechanical ventilation, given in the ICU on August 9, 2023. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.substack.com

CMS is proposing another 3.34% cut in physician payments, on top of what has already been cut. The math is simply unsustainable. It is not about "greedy doctors." It is about the financial viability of medical practices. Dr. Hassaballa weighs in. Read the accompanying article at: https://healthcaremusings.substack.com/p/the-unsustainable-math-of-medicare This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healthcaremusings.s...