Can Doctors “Gaslight” Their Patients?

7 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

8 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

9 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

1 year 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

2 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

2 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

3 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

3 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

3 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

3 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

3 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

3 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,…

Home Cooking Means Hidden Health Dangers for You

3 hours ago

Economic change brings on lifestyle change, and with less money available to buy prepared foods, millions are now cooking at…

Constructive Arousal vs. Eliminated Anxiety

6 hours ago

My current mindset for creating a deep connection between technology and humans is based on applying strong theories from behavioral…

The Best Dating Game in Health Innovation Happens Just Off the Main Stage

2 weeks ago

Every January, San Francisco undergoes a transformation. For one week, the city shifts into high gear for the life sciences…

The Real Disruption in Healthcare Isn’t AI. It’s the Rise of the Intelligent Health Consumer

2 weeks ago

There’s a quiet but consequential misunderstanding happening in healthcare right now. Across boardrooms and conference stages, leaders talk about artificial…

Biotech Showcase at 18: The Other Center of Gravity

2 weeks ago

Every January, San Francisco becomes a temporary capital of global health innovation. The pilgrimage is familiar. Leaders from biotechnology, pharmaceuticals,…

Laugh and Learn to Live This Year

3 weeks ago

Laughter is one of those human behaviors that feels “light,” but it leaves measurable footprints in the body. Over the…

Why Biological Learning Demands the Friction We Seek to Delete?

3 weeks ago

This short piece, as always, is born out of my passion for studying how theories can help us use Artificial…

AI in 2026 – Boom, Bust or Backlash in Healthcare?

3 weeks ago

It was the fall of 2022 when large language models and Generative AI burst out of research labs and onto…

From Bread to Barriers: When Health-Care Access Becomes the Crime

4 weeks ago

Les Misérables was never truly about bread. Bread was the spark, hunger the condition, and desperation the predictable outcome of…

Promise, Progress and Perspective: Key Takeaways from SABCS 2025

1 month ago

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) is one of the largest gatherings where researchers, patients, and drug developers come…

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