We're a nation in love with the drama of the medical world - from fast-paced hospital life to the race to discover cures for diseases. In Smart Medicine, William Hanson brings to life the fascinating true world of doctors and nurses and reveals the revolutionary changes that will soon be sweeping through the medical community: pharmacies that double as walk-in clinics; health services that will be delivered online; electronic records that hold the history of every drug or blood test you ever took. You might go to a genome specialist to identify the ticking time bomb in your genes, or you might show a rash to your doctor via videophone from thousands of miles away. The plethora of new options will change the way you and your doctor make decisions. Sophisticated yet written in easily accessible language, this is a penetrating look at the new world of medicine.

"A fascinating journey though medical history. By demonstrating what in the physician's soul is enduring and what is changing, Dr Hanson helps readers understand their interaction with healthcare." - Peter Pronovost, M.D., author of Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals "Bill Hanson's new book Smart Medicine peers into the crystal balls to see where our profession is heading. I hope that it will illumine a path to a more enlightened and humane profession in which we both faithfully labor." - Walter Bortz, M.D. author of Next Medicine "As William Hanson shows in this invaluable new book Smart Medicine, the information technology revolution is about to transform how doctors work with each other, understand their patients, and are held accountable. In an engaging style, Hanson tells how this transformation will make medical care safer, better, and more efficient." - Gregg Bloche MD, author of The Hippocratic Myth

William Hanson, M.D., is the author of The Edge of Medicine. He is Professor of Anesthesia and Critical Care and the Chief Medical Information Officer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His research has been featured in national and international publications, including Popular Science, U.S. News &World Report, and he has been a guest on NPR's Fresh Air as well as television documentaries on the Discovery Channel.