Utah launches first-in-the-nation AI prescription pilot that refills meds without doctors

AI starts autonomously writing prescription refills in Utah

The state of Utah is allowing artificial intelligence to prescribe medication refills to patients without direct human oversight in a pilot program public advocates call "dangerous." The program is through the state's "regulatory sandbox" framework, which allows businesses to trial "innovative" products or services with state regulations temporarily waived. The Utah Department of Commerce partnered with Doctronic, a telehealth startup with an AI chatbot. Doctronic offers a nationwide service that allows patients to chat with its "AI doctor" for free, then, for $39, book a virtual appointment with a real doctor licensed in their state. But patients must go through the AI chatbot first to get an appointment. According to a non-peer-reviewed preprint article from Doctronic, which looked at 500 telehealth cases in its service, the company claims its AI's diagnosis matched the diagnosis made by a real clinician in 81 percent of cases. The AI's treatment plan was "consistent" with that of a doctor's in 99 percent of the cases. Now, for patients in Utah, Doctronic's chatbot can refill a prescription without a doctor, for a $4 service fee . After a patient signs in and verifies state residency, the AI chatbot can pull up the patient's prescription history and offer a list of prescription medications eligible for a refill. According to Politico, the chatbot will only be able to renew prescriptions for 190 common medications for chronic conditions, with key exclusions, such as medications for pain and ADHD, and those that are injected. Caution The first 250 renewals for each drug class will be reviewed by real doctors, but after that, the AI chatbot will be on its own. Adam Oskowitz, Doctronic co-founder and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, told Politico that the AI chatbot is designed to err on the side of safety and escalate any case with uncertainty to a real doctor. "Utah's approach to regulatory mitigation strikes a vital balance between fostering innovation and ensuring consumer safety," Margaret Woolley Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, said in a statement. For now, it's unclear if the Food and Drug Administration will step in to regulate AI prescribing. On the one hand, prescription renewals are a matter of practicing medicine, which falls under state governance. However, Politico notes that the FDA has said that it has the authority to regulate medical devices used to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease. In a statement, Robert Steinbrook, health research group director at watchdog Public Citizen, blasted Doctronic's program and the lack of oversight. "AI should not be autonomously refilling prescriptions, nor identifying itself as an 'AI doctor,'" Steinbrook said. "Although the thoughtful application of AI can help to improve aspects of medical care, the Utah pilot program is a dangerous first step toward more autonomous medical practice," he said."The FDA and other federal regulatory agencies cannot look the other way when AI applications undermine the essential human clinician role in prescribing and renewing medications."

Utah Becomes First State to Let AI Prescribe Medication

Utah has launched a first-in-the-nation pilot program that will allow an AI system to renew 190 commonly prescribed medications for patients with chronic conditions. Some medications with the potential for abuse, like pain management and ADHD drugs, are excluded, according to Politico. The program will initially cost $4 per renewal but will eventually be either covered by insurance or offered at an annual fee. Utah is undertaking the program with Doctronic, a health-tech startup that launched in 2023. Doctronic already offers AI medical tools designed to automate some of the work typically performed by physicians, including a chatbot that provides free medical consultations and generates follow-up notes for physicians as needed. At the heart of Doctronic's work is removing barriers to healthcare access, cutting down costs, and easing the burden on healthcare workers, and AI can certainly do that, at least to some extent. Artificial intelligence tools are increasingly used by healthcare professionals around the country, with a recent OpenAI report claiming that 46% of American nurses use them weekly. The report also claims that 7-in-10 healthcare-related conversations with AI chatbots happen outside of normal clinic hours. Per Politico, the decisions made by Doctronic's AI system matched those of human clinicians 99.2% of the time, and the system will be held to the same level of responsibility as a doctor would be for any claims of malpractice. But AI is far from a perfect technology, and mistakes can prove to be fatal in healthcare contexts. The AI could fail to catch certain drug interactions or other patient red flags, leading to disastrous consequences for patients. AI systems are also prone to being gamed, including shockingly via poetry, and that can create a dangerous loophole that can be abused by patients struggling with addiction. There is also the issue of biases. According to a recent Financial Times report, some medical AI tools tend to downplay the concerns of women and stereotype some races and ethnicities while making their diagnoses. While Utah is so far the only state offering the AI renewals, Doctronic is reportedly in discussion to expand the practice to Texas, Arizona, and Missouri, and is weighing a path to nationwide approval. The legality of it all is interesting. States broadly get to set their own rules on how medicine can be practiced within their borders, and an AI that independently renews prescriptions would technically be governed under that category. But AI-enhanced medical devices fall squarely under the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration, which itself is going through a reevaluation of how it regulates AI deployment in health.

Utah launches first-in-the-nation trial that lets AI renew your prescription

Utah's agreement with the AI company Doctronic lets it renew existing prescriptions for about 200 commonly prescribed drugs. (Jayla Whitfield-Anderson/Reuters) Need to top up your prescription for asthma medication? If you're in Utah, you can do it in minutes from your web browser for a $4 fee -- without talking to a doctor. Utah residents can now use an artificial intelligence chatbot to renew some commonly used prescription drugs under a first-in-the-nation pilot program. Regulators say the experiment could inform the future of AI-driven health care in the state.

Utah allows nation's first AI drug prescriptions

Why it matters: Proponents say AI will save patients money and time, especially in rural areas, where physicians are few and far between. * But critics say potential errors and misuse could threaten patients' safety. Driving the news: State officials launched the pilot program last month via New York-based tech startup Doctronic, which uses AI to refill certain prescriptions for patients with chronic conditions, Politico reported Tuesday. * 190 commonly prescribed drugs are eligible. Some medications, such as painkillers, injectables and ADHD drugs, are excluded. * Only refills are available via AI; the initial prescription must be issued by a human doctor. Doctronic says it refers requests to human physicians if there's any doubt about whether a prescription should be refilled. The other side: In a statement to Politico, American Medical Association CEO John Whyte said, "While AI has limitless opportunity to transform medicine for the better, without physician input it also poses serious risks to patients and physicians alike." * AI may miss clinical observations and warning signs a physician would notice, say critics, who fear that patients experiencing addiction could manipulate the automated system to get prescriptions that a human doctor would likely deny. By the numbers: Doctronic's data showed its AI's prescription recommendations matched those of human doctors in more than 99% of cases, Utah Department of Commerce spokesperson Melanie Hall told Axios. How it works: A button at the top of Doctronic's website directs Utahns to AI prescription renewals, where patients confirm they're in Utah and share selfies and photo ID. * Doctronic lists your medications and refill availability. A chatbot asks about your pharmacy, symptoms, other drugs you take, and changes to your medical history. * If the bot determines your prescription is ineligible for a refill, you can obtain a code for a free video consult with a doctor. * Early Utah customers may need to do that, as Doctronic is requiring physicians to review the first 250 prescriptions in each drug class before full automation, Politico reported. Case in point: When I used the site to refill a normally eligible prescription in Salt Lake City, I was denied and transferred to a video chat with a doctor. (I ultimately declined the scrip because I already refilled it recently.) Zoom out: The program is being administered by the state's Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, which works with companies developing AI technology that "is going to come up against a regulatory hurdle," Hall said. * The office is authorized by state lawmakers to draft "mitigation agreements" that waive certain rules -- say, that only doctors can prescribe some drugs -- while the state monitors "potential issues that may result in harm to consumers," Hall said. What's next: Utah's program could shape how other states handle AI prescriptions, per a statement from state regulators.

Utah Tests Allowing AI to OK Prescription Refills Without Physician Signoff | PYMNTS.com

Prescription renewals account for a large volume of primary care activity, often involving stable patients with no recent changes in condition. Automating those decisions could reduce delays for patients while allowing clinicians to focus on more complex cases. The initiative also arrives as consumers are turning to AI for everyday decision-making, including health-related questions. According to PYMNTS Intelligence, more than 60% of consumers now use AI tools as a starting point for daily tasks, signaling that AI has moved from novelty to mainstream utility. That behavioral shift is reshaping expectations for speed, availability and digital access across industries, including healthcare. Under Utah's pilot, the AI system evaluates patient data against rules defined by clinicians and approved by regulators. Those rules consider factors such as medication type, treatment duration, adherence history, and the absence of red flags like adverse reactions or missed follow-ups. When the criteria are met, the system can authorize a refill without a physician reviewing the request in real time. Physicians remain responsible for setting the initial treatment plan and defining the parameters under which renewals are allowed. The system logs every decision, creating an audit trail that health systems and regulators can review. Cases that fall outside predefined thresholds are routed back to human clinicians rather than handled autonomously. That structure reflects a cautious regulatory approach. Utah has not granted AI independent clinical authority. Instead, it allows software to act as a delegated agent within narrow boundaries. Operationally, however, the distinction is meaningful. By eliminating the requirement for a physician click on every routine refill, the model removes a step that has long limited the impact of decision-support tools. The move also aligns with broader industry adoption trends. PYMNTS reports that 27% of health systems now hold commercial AI licenses, reflecting growing institutional comfort with deploying AI beyond experimentation and into operational roles. The pilot raises questions that extend beyond prescription renewals. Liability remains a central issue. Utah regulators have emphasized that participating providers retain responsibility for patient outcomes, regardless of whether a human or an algorithm executed the refill. That approach places pressure on health systems to tightly manage rules, monitoring and escalation pathways. Patient trust may be equally important. While consumers have shown growing comfort using AI to understand symptoms or navigate healthcare information, clinical actions carry higher stakes. PYMNTS reported that AI is increasingly functioning as an informal front door to healthcare, with many consumers turning to AI tools when clinicians are unavailable or systems are difficult to access.