Healthcare Musings
Episodes
”The Job Picks the Person”
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Continuing my series for Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month, I have a conversation with my colleague, partner, and friend about why we chos...
Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month: A Conversation I Had With Credentialing Specialists
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
May is Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month. I kick off a series of conversations about why Critical Care with a group of Credentialing Speci...
Towards Patient and Family Centered Care
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa interviews patient experience executive and patient advocate Dominic Kayatta about a negative experience of a family whose loved one di...
There is No ”Care” in Healthcare Without Nurses
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa expresses his appreciation and gratitude to Nurses everywhere. Happy Nurses Week 2024! This is a public episode. If you would like ...
ICU Nights - Part 3
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this third installment of his lecture series on nights in the ICU, Dr. Hassaballa discussed arrhythmias and abnormal laboratory studies at night. ...
Never Take People’s Trust For Granted
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A recent KFF poll indicated that 95% of people, across party lines, trust physicians for accurate health information. This must never be taken for gra...
In Defense of the Noncompete Clause
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The FTC has just issued a ruling banning noncompete clauses in employment contracts with some exceptions. I think there is much more nuance than the F...
Don’t Skimp on Your Sleep
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new Gallup poll, published April 19, 2024, shows that more Americans feel they do not get enough sleep each night. In this latest episode, Dr. Hassa...
Journal Club: Physician Empathy and Chronic Low Back Pain
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this new series on Healthcare Musings, we discuss important journal articles in the medical literature. In this first episode of Journal Club, Dr. ...
From the Appeals Desk: Acute Respiratory Failure
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this latest episode in the series, "From the Appeals Desk," Dr. Hassaballa discusses acute respiratory failure and how to protect yourself and miti...
Getting a Job Part 4 - The Employment Agreement
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You have had your interview; you have looked at the practice location; you have met the leadership and potential future coworkers. You like what you s...
Getting a Job Part 3: The Employed Model with Productivity Incentives
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Continuing our series on what every Resident and Fellow needs to know about getting a job. In this episode, we explore employed models with productivi...
Cybersecurity in Healthcare: A Conversation with Matt Knox
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I had a great conversation with Mr. Matt Knox, CIO of a major healthcare organization in the United States. We discussed cybersecurity and all things ...
It’s About Time: CDC Changes COVID Isolation Guidance
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa discusses the new COVID isolation guidelines and how they make total sense. CDC Link: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/preventi...
Getting a Job: What Every Resident and Fellow Needs to Know - Part 2
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of the "Getting a Job" series discusses the traditional private practice model. What is it? What are the pros and cons of this increasingly unc...
Getting a Job: What Every Resident and Fellow Needs to Know - Part 1
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa embarks on a new series of episodes on Healthcare Musings about getting a job. First things first: if they offer you an eye-popping sal...
ICU Lecture Series: Nights in the ICU Part 2
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is part 2 of Dr. Hassaballa's lecture on common issues in the ICU at night. And it ends like it started: DON'T PANIC. This is a public episod...
ICU Lecture Series: Common Problems at Night in the ICU
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa gave this lecture to IM Residents about common problems they may face taking care of patients at night in the ICU. This is a public...
Advice for the Match Part 2
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
in this latest episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses a crucial aspect of the NRMP. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with oth...
My Advice For Students Entering the Match
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As students start entering their rank order lists, Dr. Hassaballa shares advice he gives his students going into Residency. Link: https://www.nrmp.or...
ICU Lecture Series: ”SIMV Only Belongs in Coffee”
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Synchronized Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation, or SIMV, is an older ventilator setting that we do not use anymore. In this latest ICU Lecture, Dr. H...
The ”30 Day Readmission” Denial
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses the most frustrating denial he deals with: the "30 Day Readmission" denial. It is purported to be similar to...
What is the Two-Midnight Rule?
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Starting in 2024, Medicare Advantage plans must follow the Two-Midnight Rule. So, it behooves all clinicians to know that this rule is and document ap...
We Get Shafted Here With Our Food
07 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa reflects on how it is too bad that food here in the United States is so much more processed than overseas. This is a public episode...
If I Ever ”Found God on the Corner of First and Amistad”
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa speaks about what would have happened if he "found God on the corner of First and Amistad." It would have been so different than the in...
When My Daughter Became ”Weightless,” I Became the ”Owner of a Broken Heart”
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa reflects over two of the songs God used to save his life: "Weightless," by Natasha Bedingfield - https://youtu.be/AUx...
Why December is Such a Tough Month
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
December is a difficult month for me and my family. This is because in December, on the 30th to be exact, our eldest daughter was born in 1996. And sh...
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Is There a Doctor on the Plane?” - Lessons Learned
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I had to tend to a sick fellow passenger recently while traveling on a plane. This incident taught me some valuable lessons. This is a public epis...
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Is There a Doctor on the Plane?”
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Someone was ill on my flight back home from a work trip, and I recount the experience…and gratitude for being able to help. This is a public epi...
Dr. Hassaballa is a Guest on ”Crossing the Chasm” Podcast
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The original episode is here: https://soundphysicians.com/podcast-episode/?podcast_id=8173&track_id=1678458171 Check out the "Crossing the Chasm" ...
Get the F@&^ Out - Part 2
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is absolutely possible to thoroughly document your patient encounter AND get out on time and go home. It is NOT mutually exclusive. This is a p...
Take the Time to Document Well
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 pla...
ICU Lecture Series: Acid Base Disorders
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 compe...
Celebrating Respiratory Therapists
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 thera...
We Should Abandon the Term ”DNR”
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
From the Appeals Desk: Medical Necessity Denials
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa discusses medical necessity denials: what they are and how to deal with them. Resources: Interqual: https://www.chan...
Shock and Hemodynamics
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 L...
Get the F*^& Out…
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Ruthless Monster That is Sepsis
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ha...
To Jab or Not to Jab?
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The FDA approved the latest Covid booster, and the CDC recommends everyone get it. In this episode of the Healthcare Musings Podcast, Dr. Hassaballa ...
Why I Stopped Drinking Diet Coke
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 asparta...
From the Appeals Desk: Prior Authorization Denials
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Extubation With T-Piece: When and Why
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes, "minimal vent settings" is not sufficient to truly test spontaneous breathing in a ventilated patient. In this episode, Dr. Hassaballa disc...
Just like the Airline Industry, Safety Has to be Nonnegotiable in Healthcare
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Lectures from the ICU: Hypoxic Respiratory Failure
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Hassaballa discusses hypoxic respiratory failure and oxygen delivery and why he doesn't care about pO2. Read more about oxygen delivery here: htt...
Lecture from the ICU: Sepsis
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Healthcare Musings podcast, we discuss sepsis: its definition and principles of management. Relevant References: Sepsis 3 Definiti...
Lecture Series: Mechanical Ventilation
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 di...
The Unsustainable Math of Medicare Physician Payment Cuts
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 "gree...