Patients in hospitals can stay with their loved ones virtually using virtual reality goggles, removing the stress and feelings of loneliness that often accompany extended stays in a ward. Cancer patients have greater chance of survival because oncologists are tailoring therapy to their tumor’s molecular makeup. A disabled patient recently walked down the aisle with the love of his life thanks to a medical exoskeleton. Scientists are even working to create the tricorder from Star Trek - a true medical multi-tool that can identify most disease with a simple scan.

The problem is when we walk into the general practitioner’s office it’s hard to feel the same. This is what my work aims to change by talking with innovators, understanding the implications of what they’re working on, and then helping patients, doctors, and regulators make the most of them.

Another part of the problem is that disruptive innovations are not well known among patients, doctors, and even regulators. Medical education is focused on age-old technology and if anything, cautions doctors against embracing change. Patients, on the other hand, cannot be expected to understand the often highly complex innovations that developers and scientists come up with. While the value of “user experience” has been understood for years in the tech sector, medical innovators still rarely design their solutions with the patient or physician in mind.

As Susannah Fox, the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, wonderfully pointed out, we need a cultural, not a technological revolution. If all stakeholders of medicine acknowledge that technologies are here to support, assist, and extend us, we will face amazing times. The history of computing shows that to truly transform our everyday lives, technological advance must be made useable by a large group of people.

Eventually, the point of care will shift from the clinic to wherever the patient is, and prevention will finally win out over treatment as people start quantifying themselves and improving their life choices based on health data that they seamlessly produce. These changes will increase the average lifespan of humans tremendously across the globe.

All societies will need to prepare, as our current systems can’t handle a whole generation of people living well into their hundreds.

Genetic engineering, enhancement, and therapy present other types of ethical issues. Though financial differences still make the lives of the rich very different from those of the poor, modernity made it possible to climb the social ladder through sheer skill and determination. This would end if technology could create biological differences among people only because some of them can afford to augment their capabilities while others cannot.

These are just some of the dangers we face if regulators don’t create frameworks for disruptive health innovation. But governments cannot hope to regulate what they don’t understand, so innovation has been lacking in some areas (like artificial intelligence) and slow in others (like direct to consumer genomics).

Meanwhile, patients are frustrated. As they gain access to smart, powerful technology that can be used to diagnose and design treatment for their conditions, they will use them even if they’re not yet correctly tested and regulated - a move that will put patients at risk and result in chaos. The story of Theranos is a powerful example of these dangers.

With innovations like wearable sensors, direct to consumer genetics, and online medical resources, patients can now learn as much about their health as physicians. This is great, as it allows them to live better and contribute to health decisions for better outcomes, but most of them are not yet equipped to use these tools responsibly. Much of medical advice online is plain wrong, but patients are putting the word of bloggers above that of their doctors if it better fits their views. Trust in physicians is the lowest in 50 years, even though medical outcomes are steadily increasing.

Though technology is causing this upheaval, a cultural change is needed to resolve it. Physicians must learn to work with patients and treat them as equal partners, while patients must assume more responsibility for their health and learn to be better judges of health information. This shift will result in a patient-centered healthcare system that ensures patients are motivated to stay healthy and helps doctors do their jobs better with the aid of technology.

Some say technology will replace 80% of doctors in the future. I disagree. Instead, technology will finally allow doctors to focus on what makes them good physicians: treating patients and innovating, while letting automation do the repetitive part of the work. The job of healthcare professionals today is improving upon those skills that make them exceptional human beings.

My motto is that if a certain technology can replace me because it’s cheaper, faster, and more efficient than me, I would like to get replaced. One of the most important traits of all healthcare professionals though, is empathy, which is among the hardest to replicate artificially. If providers combine this with an understanding of digital solutions and a knack for innovating in their practice, they won’t have to worry. They should have more time for patients, spend less time on mind-numbing repetitive tasks, and overall enjoy their work more.

Last but not least, all the stakeholders in medicine are active online and having their voices heard through social media channels, so providers should listen to them and ask questions before making decisions that have an impact on our lives. Furthermore, every hospital manager and decision maker could invite patients to the table.

We don’t have to wake up groggy and miserable if we measure our sleep quality and use devices to wake us up at the perfect moment in the morning. We can measure data about our physical activities and use running apps to motivate ourselves for exercise and as a result, live better. We now have easy access to our blood pressure, ECG, stress levels, and more. By obtaining data, we can learn more about our mental, physical, and emotional health. It is more about using data to improve our lives rather than just dealing with devices. Those will get thinner, smaller, and cheaper by time.

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To bring Dr. Bertalan Mesko to your organization, please contact Michael Frick at: Mike@Speaking.com