Book excerpt: Achieve optimal patient outcomes and build positive health care relationships with this timely and essential guide Patient relations, satisfaction, and engagement are more important than ever. Many patients today research their conditions online, and are the targets of marketing campaigns by hospitals, medical device manufacturers, and the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, some will bring a consumer mindset to the exam room and even demand tests and treatments that are of questionable value. This new health care landscape makes the ability to clinically negotiate with patients an increasingly important skill. Understanding Clinical Negotiation helps clinicians navigate patient desires toward mutually defined goals. The first guide of its kind, this important resource will equip clinicians with the insights and pragmatic skills needed to strike the right balance between care and costs, while ensuring the satisfaction and safety of every patient. Understanding Clinical Negotiation features: Real-world vignettes incorporating scenarios encountered in research and practice Clinical pearls and summary bullet points for each chapter Actionable lessons that can be applied immediately in practice Deeper Dive sidebars with additional insights and information Strategies for fostering patients’ full disclosure of relevant information Methods for raising awareness of and managing emotions in clinical care Best practices for collaborative decision-making in diverse populations