Real world data shows that, yes, vaccination against COVID-19 really does save lives. — I think, at this stage in the pandemic, that we are beyond stressing over whether or not people are vaccinated against SARS CoV-2. I think, just like with masking in public, we should just “live and let live.” If you want to be vaccinated and doubly boosted (like I am)…

On November 8, we had another election in this country. It was historic by many measures, and millions of our fellow Americans stood in line and had their voices heard by casting their ballot. …

We were made to be together. No screen could ever be a substitute. — Even before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person work and fundamentally altered the dynamic of in-person meetings, many of my administrative functions occurred virtually. Every week, I would have operations calls and strategy meetings via phone and either Zoom, WebEx, or Microsoft Teams. …

We have been traveling on a journey through the very frustrating, annoying, and obnoxious world of health insurance company denials. Whether it be a denial for medical necessity, “30-day readmissions,” or accurate diagnoses, it is a waste of time and resources, and it is a barrier to providing the proper…

No, we get denials from insurance companies… — I was honored to be on a panel of experts for a webinar on sepsis denials by payers, especially commercial insurance companies. I had previously written about “knowing your sepsis,” especially since different payers use — and hold us to — different definitions for the same disease process. …

As both an ICU physician, and a father of a sepsis patient, I have seen its brutality firsthand. — The fever and diarrhea were relentless. For almost one week straight, it just would not stop. That was despite good antibiotic therapy. This was supposed to be the easiest round of chemotherapy — the maintenance round — and we were supposed to be home free for the summer. Supposed to…

Just never do it — I knew early on in my medical career that I wanted to be a Critical Care Medicine specialist. I knew early on in my medical career that I wanted to spend my days and nights caring for people at their most vulnerable. …

This denial is perhaps the most frustrating denial with which I have to contend — Insurance company denials are terribly frustrating. They delay prompt processing of claims. They require annoying extra steps to get paid. And, frequently, they require spending more money on denial and appeal experts such as myself to help fight them. …

I can make abnormal numbers go away…that doesn’t mean I have done the patient any good. — In the Intensive Care Unit, we are surrounded by numbers: heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and a whole host of laboratory values. Any or all of them can be abnormal, and they are frequently abnormal all at once. …