Healthcare Musings
This is the official podcast of Hesham A. Hassaballa, MD, a NY Times-featured Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician, Author, and Healthcare Executive. Healthcare Musings discusses healthcare delivery and healthcare policy, including the effects of artificial intelligence on the medical field.
This is the official podcast of Hesham A. Hassaballa, MD, a NY Times-featured Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician, Author, and Healthcare Executive. Healthcare Musings discusses healthcare delivery and healthcare policy, including the effects of artificial intelligence on the medical field.
Episodes

2 days ago
2 days ago
33 min
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

Jul 7, 2026
The Vindication of Dr. Hassabolus III
Jul 7, 2026
Jul 7, 2026
10 min
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

Jul 1, 2026
The Words We Use Actually Do Matter
Jul 1, 2026
Jul 1, 2026
7 min
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.

Jun 23, 2026
The True Meaning of The Word “Respect”
Jun 23, 2026
Jun 23, 2026
6 min
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/

Jun 16, 2026
Jun 16, 2026
37 min
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 Spears Karr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionspearskarr

Jun 9, 2026
Jun 9, 2026
5 min
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 Bedingfield.
Song on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/weightless-less-is-more-version/402882140?i=402882221

Jun 2, 2026
Jun 2, 2026
43 min
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 the first third of the recording, which I tried to fix as best I could. Apologies for the glitch.**

May 26, 2026
May 26, 2026
10 min
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?

May 19, 2026
May 19, 2026
8 min
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.

May 12, 2026
May 12, 2026
35 min
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 Clinician-Scientist at the University of Kansas. Our conversation was very enlightening.
Dr. Matson’s Substack: https://substack.com/@behindtheslides





