What is the future of medicine?  Examining how quickly technology is changing the future of medicine it is important to ask the question what does the future hold for doctors in a technology driven medical industry. Examining the potential disruptions technology will have on the distribution of healthcare, it is important to assess the impact on key stakeholders: doctors, hospital administrators, and patients.  

Hospitals in California are experimenting with telepresence robots controlled by doctors from a remote location.  It is hoped that these doctor controlled robots will be able to increase access to specialized hospital care to rural areas.  The telepresence robots allow doctors to log in with a computer or iPad and at the patient’s bedside the doctor is able to see and speak to the patient and access all available electronic records.  Dr. Alan Shatzel says, "Literally, we compress time and space with this technology. No longer does distance affect a person's ability to access the best care possible."

Questions still remain on the adoption of telepresence medicine.  Will doctors and hospitals in rural areas accept such technologies, especially sense they currently require a nurse or another doctor in the room to conduct the physical inspections?  Will rural hospitals be able to take on the additional costs of renting the telepresence robots and doctors who man them?