The papers in this special issue on communication in health care can be summarized in one easy and powerful message: communication is the royal pathway to patient-centerd medicine. Approached from differen angles, the linkage between communication and patient-centered medicine is the common theme that is covered by all authors. Underlying are two distinct assumptions: the first is, that patient-centerd medicine is a relevant aim in health care; the second, that communication is an important tool to achieve that aim. Both assumptions deserve some explorations. (aut. ref.)