Litigation produces one winner, one loser, and can entail delays, expenses, and damage to relationships. It is important to weigh the potential costs and benefits before filing a lawsuit,and the option of alternative dispute resolution techniques such as arbitration, mediation, fact-finding, and negotiation to pursue a reasoned, practical, and intuitively satisfying resolution.
Negotiation strategies effectively can be applied to disputes involving CAM therapies, in a way that effectively preserves ongoing relationships between provider and patient, provider and hospital, and/or patient and hospital, that may be critical to current care. Such strategies can help forestall litigation, ideally minimize malpractice risk, and facilitate healing interactions that effectively negotiate health care crises.