Utah OKs Prescription Refills by AI

“Healthcare has become too complex and expensive for Utah families,” State Senator Kirk Cullimore, who sponsored legislation the created the pilot program, said in a press release. “Utah is leading efforts to simplify costs and lower prescription drug prices through our ‘regulatory sandbox,’ which fosters innovation and helps patients get the medications they need while reducing costs and building trust in the process. This partnership with Doctronic reinforces the principle of ‘doctor, not device,’ ensuring automation supports, rather than replaces, human judgment as we lead the nation in responsible healthcare policy.”

The announcement, through the Utah Department of Commerce’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, enables patients to renew their prescriptions on the Doctronic platform, which uses AI to prescribe routine refills.

The project aims to integrate AI into a persistent clinical pain point – medication management, which is often juggled between a patient’s care team and pharmacists. Medication adherence is one of the largest drivers of improved outcomes, while failure to adhere to doctor’s orders is one the largest causes of adverse outcomes. It’s estimated that more than half of all patients talking prescription medications are not following their doctor’s orders.

“Medication non-compliance is one of the largest drivers of poor health outcomes and preventable healthcare costs, responsible for over $100 billion in avoidable medical expenses annually,” Adam Oskowitz, MD, PhD, a physician at UCSF Medical Center and co-founder of Doctronic, said in the press release. “Improving access to medication renewals will directly impact this by improving medication compliance and reducing unnecessary emergency room visits.”

Healthcare leaders have long discussed how AI might be integrated into clinical care, filling roles that take clinicians away from their patients and reduce administrative burdens. This project tests the theory that AI can, in effect, “replace doctors” on certain tasks.

“We ultimately need to begin grappling with where is the appropriate place where providers aren’t in the loop,” Brian Anderson, MD, co-founder and CEO for the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) told HealthLeaders in a 2024 interview. “I think that’s going to be one of the real challenges.”

The project also tests the power of states to dictate AI policy, as opposed to waiting for the federal government to plant its flag. Utah is one of the first to create a so-called sandbox for AI regulation, alongside Arizona and Texas (Wyoming is working on one as well). In addition, California, New York, Illinois, Utah and Nevada have enacted laws focused on regulating AI chatbots that might dispense dangerous or harmful advice.