Utah recently greenlit an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered health platform that will allow patients with chronic conditions to automate their medication renewals.
The Utah Department of Commerce’s Office of AI Policy said it is partnering with Doctronic, an AI health platform, to become the first state-approved program in the nation to allow AI to participate in medical decision-making for prescriptions.
Utah’s Office of AI Policy will evaluate the platform’s clinical safety protocols, patient experience, and real-world effectiveness under the oversight of the state’s regulatory sandbox framework, the press release said.
Medication refill timelines and adherence, patient access and satisfaction, safety outcomes, workflow efficiency, and cost impacts, will all be measured as part of those evaluations.
The pilot aims to “demonstrate that safe, well-regulated AI can improve adherence, prevent avoidable hospital visits, and reduce healthcare spending, while keeping clinicians at the center of care,” the state said.
“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. “By creating a supportive environment for companies like Doctronic AI, the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy provides the certainty necessary for them to develop impactful solutions while prioritizing the well-being of Utahns.”
Pilot findings will be publicly shared to inform future state and federal AI policies to help create a national model for healthcare-related AI regulation, the Office of AI Policy said.
Beyond driving data-informed AI regulation, the office said that the pilot was launched to address medication noncompliance, calling it one of the “largest drivers of preventable health outcomes and avoidable medical spending.”
“With prescription renewals accounting for roughly 80% of all medication activity, Utah and Doctronic aim to test how autonomous AI can help close gaps in access, reduce delays that lead to medication lapses, and improve outcomes for millions of people managing chronic conditions,” the Office of AI Policy said.
Utah has joined Arizona and Texas in launching state-level AI sandboxes to test AI’s suitability within certain industries. Wyoming is also creating a regulatory sandbox.