Utah Becomes First State to Allow AI to Renew Medical Prescriptions Without Doctor Approval
Summary
Utah launches groundbreaking pilot program allowing AI to automatically renew medical prescriptions for chronic conditions without doctor approval, sparking safety concerns from medical groups as the FDA weighs potential regulation of the controversial technology.
Key Points
- Utah launches the first U.S. pilot program allowing AI to renew medical prescriptions without human doctor involvement through health-tech startup Doctronic
- The AI system handles routine prescription renewals for chronic conditions across 190 commonly prescribed medications, excluding pain management and ADHD drugs for safety reasons
- Medical groups express concerns about patient safety risks while the FDA has not yet determined whether it will regulate this AI application as a medical device