Utah has become the first state in the United States to allow artificial intelligence, instead of a doctor, to renew certain medical prescriptions. The programme is part of a new pilot initiative, which was rolled out last month in partnership with health-tech start-up Doctronic. It allows an AI system to handle prescription renewals for patients with chronic conditions without direct human involvement. The programme is being closely watched as an early test of whether patients and regulators are willing to trust artificial intelligence with one of medicine’s most sensitive responsibilities, reported Politico.
The move reportedly raises questions about safety, accountability and regulation, particularly as the Food and Drug Administration has not yet weighed in on Doctronic’s programme. If the agency decides it has authority to regulate this use of AI, it could slow or complicate any broader expansion.
State officials said that the approach could help address rising healthcare costs and clinician shortages, especially in rural areas.
Health care expenses continue to climb while providers are increasingly stretched, said Margaret Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce. Automating routine prescription renewals could ease pressure on clinicians while reducing costs for patients, she added.
Busse said the programme is also intended to “provide a pathway to innovation for entrepreneurs who are using AI in creative ways that may be bumping up against regulation.”
Medical groups, however, have raised concerns about delegating prescribing decisions to artificial intelligence.
According to Politico, in a statement, Dr John Whyte, CEO and executive vice president of the American Medical Association, 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.”
One concern is that people with addiction could try to misuse the system to get drugs. Another concern is that the AI might miss warning signs or drug interactions that a doctor would notice.
Busse said, “The company has to do that kind of trust building with their patients. We want it to be done in such a way that people will trust that Utah is looking at this carefully and is not being cavalier about how we granted this regulatory mitigation.”
Al Carter, CEO and executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, said AI is already used in prescription fulfilment and consultations, but cautioned, “The one challenge from a board of pharmacy standpoint is how do you regulate all this technology, and is this technology good for health care?”
Data with Utah regulators showed Doctronic’s AI matched physicians’ treatment plans 99.2% of the time across 500 urgent care cases, according to the company.
“The AI is actually better than doctors at doing this,” said Dr Adam Oskowitz, Doctronic co-founder, adding, “When you go see a doctor, it’s not going to do all the checks that the AI is doing.”
Oskowitz said the system escalates cases to physicians when there is uncertainty, with doctors reviewing the first 250 prescriptions in each medication category. The AI is also covered by a malpractice insurance policy.