"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.…
"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.…
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.
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…
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…
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…