Can Doctors “Gaslight” Their Patients?

9 months ago
Dr. Hesham A. Hassaballa

I was taken aback by the term used in the article published in JAMA Network Open: Medical gaslighting has been…

The Classic Sleep Deprivation Experiments

10 months ago

In the classic sleep deprivation experiments, two rats were placed on a disk that can rotate over water. They had…

Death Is Not A Failure

10 months ago

In my conversation with Dr. Elaine Chen of Rush University Medical Center, who is both an Intensive Care and Palliative…

The Battle Against An Ignoble Death

2 years ago

The battle against critical illness in the ICU is self-evident. The battle against an ignoble death is paramount for me.

It’s About Time: CDC Changes COVID Isolation Guidelines

2 years ago

At Long last. The CDC has updated its guidelines with respect to Covid isolation. This has been a long time coming,…

Violence in Healthcare Should Never Be “Just Part of the Job”

2 years ago

The NY Times published an article about violence against healthcare workers. It was heart-wrenching to read: Last year one of my patients…

Just Like the Airline Industry, Safety Has to be Non-negotiable in Healthcare

3 years ago

I travel quite a bit for work. For the most part, it runs smoothly. There are times, however, where it…

The Unsustainable Math of Medicare Physician Reimbursement Cuts

3 years ago

Let me get this out of the way: Yes, physicians earn a very good living. Many, if not most, physicians…

Why I Stopped Drinking Diet Coke

3 years ago

For more than a year, I have stopped consuming diet soda. My go to drink was Diet Coke, and it…

Dr. Hassaballa’s Latest Book is Now Available: “How Not To Kill Someone in the ICU”

3 years ago

The intensive care unit can be a very intimidating place, not only for patients, but for their doctors and nurses…

New Research Clarifies Cause of Myocarditis After mRNA Vaccine

3 years ago

Vaccination against SARS CoV-2 has made a tremendous difference and impact on the course of the SARS CoV-2 pandemic. This…

Reflecting on the End of the COVID Public Health Emergency

3 years ago

On April 10, 2023, President Biden signed H.J. Res. 7, which ended the national emergency order for COVID-19. The Public…

From The Appeals Desk: Brevity Beware

3 years ago

Clinician documentation is everything. It tells the story of the patient's current condition and what is being done to fix…

This Sleep Doctor Disagrees With AASM: Keep Daylight Savings Permanent

3 years ago

On March 13, most of the country "sprung forward" its clocks and entered into daylight savings time. The American Academy…

Are Early Morning Laboratory Studies Really Necessary in Hospitalized Patients?

3 years ago

Whenever we get sick with an infection, a very important component of our treatment and recovery plan is sufficient sleep.…

In Defense Of The Noncompete Clause In Healthcare

3 years ago

In early January 2023, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a new rule banning noncompete clauses in employment contracts. According to the FTC,…

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Taught Us Talk Is Cheap

3 years ago

To me, the most profound part of the famous "I Have a Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came at…

The Scientific Case For a Scarf (Or A Mask)

3 years ago

It is common knowledge that respiratory viral infections - such as common colds, influenza, RSV, and now COVID-19 - are…

A Screen Is No Substitute

3 years ago

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person work and fundamentally altered the dynamic of in-person meetings, many of my administrative…

Your Best Defense Against Denials: DOCUMENTATION

3 years ago

We have been traveling on a journey through the very frustrating, annoying, and obnoxious world of health insurance company denials.…

We Get No Credit For Being Good Clinicians

3 years ago

I was honored to be on a panel of experts for a webinar on sepsis denials by payers, especially commercial insurance companies.…

When A Healer Cannot Be Healed

4 years ago

I sat with him for hours. We spoke and spoke and spoke at length over why he could no longer…

The Ruthless Monster That Is Sepsis

4 years ago

The fever and diarrhea were relentless. For almost one week straight, it just would not stop. That was despite good…

From The Appeals Desk: The “30 Day Readmission” Denial

4 years ago

Insurance company denials are terribly frustrating. They delay prompt processing of claims. They require annoying extra steps to get paid.…

ICU Rule #8: Treat The Patient

4 years ago

I can make abnormal numbers go away...that doesn't mean I have done the patient any good.

Every Single One Of Us Will “Lose The Battle” One Day

4 years ago

All of us, one day, will "lose the battle" of illness, accident, or condition. The question is: will we have…

ICU Rules #6 and #7: Your Ego Can Be Dangerous

4 years ago

I had known the patient well. She was just in my ICU a few weeks previous with a perforated bowel…

From The Appeals Desk: Know Your Sepsis

4 years ago

Among the many types of denials from insurance companies that come across my desk, one I have been seeing more…

The Top Five Rules of the ICU

4 years ago

I could be panicking on the inside. But if I panic on the outside, it could mean the difference between…

The Grief Is Right Under The Surface

4 years ago

It can be a random sound, or picture, or song, and that is all it takes to bring it all…

Sigh of Relief As Nurse Sentenced to Probation

4 years ago

RaDonda Vaught, the former Tennessee nurse convicted of two felonies related to a drug error, was sentenced to three years…

Of Sisyphus and COVID

4 years ago

There is character from Greek mythology named Sisyphus. This man was condemned to push a large boulder up a hill,…

The Invisible Lifeline: Why Supplies, Not Just Science, Determine Patient Care

11 hours ago

In the health system, news coverage naturally gravitates toward breakthroughs. A new therapy, a diagnostic powered by artificial intelligence, or…

Nature as Infrastructure: Why the Urban Tree Is an Investable Asset

4 days ago

I first learned about the urban heat island effect in a high school geography class. It was one of those…

From AI Excitement to Execution: Why Health Leaders Must Now Master the “How”

2 weeks ago

Artificial intelligence is advancing in health care faster than almost any other technology in modern medical history. According to research…

The Shift from Pure Modernity to Human-Centered Modernity

2 weeks ago

Throughout the history of science, it has rarely been the case that any phenomenon has remained permanent and unchanging. Theories,…

We Have to Earn Better Vaccine Coverage Rates

2 weeks ago

Mandates and strong recommendations have been the key to successful vaccination programmes protecting people for decades in Europe and North…

Brain Organoids: Promise, Limits, and What Comes Next

2 weeks ago

Brain organoids, sometimes called “mini-brains,” are three-dimensional clusters of human brain cells grown in labs from pluripotent stem cells. These stem cells can become…

How Transactional Medicine Threatens the Future of Your Health

3 weeks ago

Patients rarely describe healing in technological terms. They speak instead about whether someone listened, if their physician remembered them and…

Is Your LLM Mentor Human Enough?

1 month ago

In every professional and personal sphere—be it business, medicine, engineering, or parenting—we inherently need a mentor. However, we don't need…

India: The Growing Focal Point for Health Innovation

1 month ago

India is no longer simply a market to watch. It is a nation shaping the future of global health innovation,…

GLP‑1 Medications in Later Life: Why the “Miracle Shot” Needs a Senior‑Specific Safety Lens

1 month ago

When GLP-1 medications like semaglutide began to gain attention, many people saw them as a breakthrough. For some people, these…

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