Doctor Robot Will See You Shortly

Johnson & Johnson proposes to replace anesthesiologists during simple procedures such as colonoscopies -- not with nurse practitioners, but with machines. Sedasys, which dispenses propofol and monitors a patient automatically, was recently approved for use in healthy adult patients who have no particular risk of complications. Johnson & Johnson will lease the machines to doctor's offices for $150 per procedure -- cleverly set well below the $600 to $2,000 that anesthesiologists usually charge.

Anesthesiologists warn about complications, but the company says that in 1,700 trials, no patients have required rescue by an anesthesiologist. (In fact, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval in part on data showing that the system reduced the risks associated with over-sedation.) The doctors will continue to fight this incursion on their turf. In today's cost-cutting environment, however, these machines may well become standard for more and more procedures. Just using them for uncomplicated colonoscopies could save more than $1 billion a year.