Dr. Alan Shatzel, medical director of the Mercy Telehealth Network, is displayed on the monitor RP-VITA robot as it moves through Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael, Calif. The robots enable physicians to have a different bedside presence as they “beam” themselves into hospitals to diagnose patients and offer medical advice during emergencies. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Dr. Alan Shatzel, medical director of the Mercy Telehealth Network, is displayed on the monitor RP-VITA robot as he waits to confer with Dr. Alex Nee at Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Dr. Alan Shatzel, medical director of the Mercy Telehealth Network, is displayed on the monitor RP-VITA robot at Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael, Calif.