Retired internist and Professor Emeritus of Clinical Medicine Dr. Neil J. Farber joins Big Blend Radio on publication day, during Health Literacy Month, to talk about his new book, Treating a Broken System: A Physician's Cure for the Healthcare Crisis (Boyle & Dalton). After more than 40 years as an internist, educator, and communication researcher, Dr. Farber explains why he believes better communication among patients, physicians, and healthcare administrators is where the fix begins, and shares practical tips patients can use at their very next appointment.
Watch the episode below or listen to / download the audio-only version on Podbean:
Conversation Highlights
Why he wrote the book for three audiences, patients, physicians, and administrators, and how its first half focuses on helping patients and physicians communicate better.
How his own experience as a patient, after decades of teaching communication to physicians, made the healthcare crisis personal.
Why you get asked the same questions at every visit, and how that front-loaded work leaves less and less time with the physician.
Practical tips for your next appointment: bring a list of your concerns, bring someone with you (or ask to have them join by phone or Zoom), and record the visit.
What shared decision making looks like, and why the best physicians lay out the options, say what they suggest, and ask what the patient thinks.
Why AI note-taking tools can still add work for physicians, who have to check carefully what the software writes.
What he calls "assembly line medicine," and why feeling like "a cog in a machine" isn't sustainable for physicians or patients.
Why telling physicians to be more resilient isn't an answer, and a Mayo Clinic approach in which administrators listen to physicians and back the changes they come up with.
A Valley fever story showing how curiosity about who a patient is, and where they've been, can change a diagnosis.
Why caregivers and families are a fourth audience for the book, and his advice to find a new physician if yours won't let you bring someone along or record the visit.
About the Book
Treating a Broken System: A Physician's Cure for the Healthcare Crisis (Boyle & Dalton, October 5, 2026) looks at the human side of medicine, including how physician burnout contributes to longer wait times, rushed appointments, and communication failures. It also offers practical strategies that help patients advocate for themselves and help physicians reconnect with why they entered medicine. Dr. Farber says the book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and any bookstore, and that his royalties beyond his publicity costs are going to charity.
About Dr. Neil J. Farber
Dr. Neil J. Farber is Professor Emeritus of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. After practicing general internal medicine in the Philadelphia area for 28 years, he spent 12 years as a Professor of Clinical Medicine at UC San Diego, retiring in 2019. He has been named a Top Doctor of San Diego five times, served on the FDA Non-Prescription Drug Advisory Committee, and has published more than 60 research papers, with a focus on patient-physician communication skills and medical ethics. He is also the author of Serendipity. Visit: NeilJFarber.com
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