Healthcare Musings

"They Don't Make Them Like They Used To": My Conversation with Dr. Adam Cifu

Dr. Adam Cifu is an award-winning Medical Educator and general internist at the University of Chicago. He also writes for the fantastic Substack, Sensible Medicine. I had a wonderful conversation with him about Medical Education and how it has changed and not changed over the years. 
 
Dr. Cifu's books: https://www.adamcifu.com/books
Sensible Medicine Substack: https://www.sensible-med.com/
 

Sleep in the ICU: The Classic Experiments

In the first of a two-part series about sleep in the intensive care unit, Dr. Hassaballa discusses the classic sleep deprivation studies and their implications on our own sleep. 

Every Measles Death Is Too Many

Unless one has lost a child, then he or she can never know the horror of the parents who just lost a child to measles in Texas. 
For the latest on the Texas Measles Outbreak: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025 

Faith in the ICU: Stories of Wonder

In the latest installment of the Faith in the ICU Series, Dr. Hassaballa recounts a story that has always stayed with him. 

ICU Lecture Series: The ICU Liberation Bundle

In this latest episode of the ICU Lecture Series, Dr. Hassaballa lectures to staff about the ICU Liberation Bundle. 
Link: https://sccm.org/clinical-resources/iculiberation-home/abcdef-bundles 

What Is A Blood Transfusion, Truly?

Despite multiple specialty society guidelines recommending not to transfuse blood if the hemoglobin levels are above 7-8 g/dL, many physicians disregard the recommendations. Why is that? Dr. Hassaballa discusses this issue. 
 
Article referenced in the show: https://www.pulmccm.org/p/guidelines-on-red-cell-transfusion 

ICU Lecture Series: Metabolic Acidosis

In this latest ICU lecture series, Dr. Hassaballa discusses metabolic acidosis: how to diagnose it and what to do about it. 

Great Minds in Medicine: Dr. Elaine Chen

What would someone who is BOTH a Critical Care and Palliative Care Doctor say about palliative care in the ICU? I asked one. 
 
Links from the show: 
The Coleman Palliative Medicine Training Program: https://colemanpalliative.org/
 
Research Articles referenced in the episode: 
Norton SA, Hogan LA, Holloway RG, Temkin-Greener H, Buckley MJ, Quill TE. Proactive palliative care in the medical intensive care unit: effects on length of stay for selected high-risk patients. Crit Care Med. 2007;35(6):1530-1535. doi:10.1097/01.CCM.0000266533.06543.0Chttps://journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/toc/2007/06000Braus N, Campbell TC, Kwekkeboom KL, et al. Prospective study of a proactive palliative care rounding intervention in a medical ICU. Intensive Care Med. 2016;42(1):54-62. doi:10.1007/s00134-015-4098-1https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-015-4098-1Ma J, Chi S, Buettner B, et al. Early Palliative Care Consultation in the Medical ICU: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial. Crit Care Med. 2019;47(12):1707-1715. doi:10.1097/CCM.0000000000004016https://journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/fulltext/2019/12000/early_palliative_care_consultation_in_the_medical.5.aspxCampbell JL, Piscitello GM. Does Reframing Do Not Resuscitate to Beneficial Care Only Increase Acceptance of No-CPR Orders?. Chest. 2025;167(1):211-221. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2024.08.027https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012369224050748?via%3DihubHochberg CH, Gersten RA, Aziz KB, et al. The Real-World Effect of Early Screening for Palliative Care Criteria in a Medical Intensive Care Unit: An Instrumental Variable Analysis. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2025;22(2):247-254. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.202407-702OChttps://www.atsjournals.org/journal/doi/full/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202407-702OCPiscitello GM, Lamadrid VJ, Post Z, et al. The Effect of Triggered Palliative Medicine Consults on Nurse Moral Distress in the Medical Intensive Care Unit. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2022;39(9):1039-1045. doi:10.1177/10499091211049398https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10499091211049398
 

From the Appeals Desk: Coding Clinics and Sepsis

Many payers state that a 2016 Coding Clinics article allows them to deny sepsis DRGs. This is not true, and Dr. Hassaballa goes into the article and what is specifically says about sepsis. And, he issues an unequivocal condemnation of the murder of Brian Thompson. 

Great Minds in Medicine: Dr. Sergio Zanotti

In the latest installment of the "Great Minds in Medicine" series, I sit down with Dr. Sergio Zanotti, Critical Care Chief Medical Officer for Sound Physicians. We had a wide-ranging discussion about medicine, critical care, and healthcare in general. It was, perhaps, one of my favorite conversations. 
 
Discussed during the podcast: 
 
The Ventilator (Hidden Brain Podcast): https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-ventilator/
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (book): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diving_Bell_and_the_Butterfly