Name: Utah launches state-approved AI program to handle prescription refills
Uploaded: 2026-01-07T04:04:55.280Z
Duration: 2 min 7 s
Description: Utah launches state-approved AI program to handle prescription refills

Utah launches state-approved AI program to handle prescription refills

Utah

Utah officials have announced a partnership with Doctronic to introduce an artificial intelligence system for handling prescription medication renewals. The program, which will operate for up to one year, is designed to streamline the process by allowing patients to renew prescriptions online without a doctor's visit, while implementing safety protocols and restrictions on certain medications.

The AI system verifies residency, reviews current medications, and asks health questions similar to a doctor's assessment. Safeguards include escalation to a human doctor if safety concerns arise, and the service will not refill controlled substances like opioids. State officials emphasize that the program's success will depend on consumer acceptance and that regulatory mitigation is limited and carefully considered.

I'm FOX 13 News reporter Jeremy Toms in downtown Salt Lake City outside Utah's Department of Commerce where we talked with state officials about a new partnership they've announced today with a company that will bring AI into renewing your prescription medications. We believe very strongly that there's a lot of benefit that can come from artificial intelligence to us as humans. Executive Director Margaret Woolley-Bussey explained that her office of AI policy is allowed to break down regulatory barriers for companies who use this kind of technology. In this case, Doctronic will have up to a year to offer their online services, which seek to save time and money by cutting out the need for doctor's visits. You come to the site, we verify that you're in Utah. We then actually go find all the medications that you are on. You're going to select which medication you want to renew and then the AI is going to ask you questions just the same way a doctor would. Co-founder Dr. Adam Oskowitz says this will have narrow use cases and is restricted from refilling certain drugs like opioids. It will also have other guardrails like an escalation protocol. If at any point either the patient feels uncomfortable, the pharmacist feels uncomfortable, or the AI determines that this isn't safe, you get escalated to a human doctor. John Pullman with the OneUtah Health Collaborative says as Utah becomes a sort of AI sandbox, this technology could be a bright spot in creating a more affordable health care future. You've got to recognize Utah is such a rural state, so distance and convenience matters a lot in what people are able to do for their health. But for those who are still unsure of the automation, Busse says it is consumers who will ultimately determine the success of this product. We're not promoting this product. We're simply saying we think that given the risks and the opportunity and the way that we can mitigate those risks, that we are comfortable giving them this small amount of regulatory mitigation. That's all we're saying. In Salt Lake City, I'm Jeremy Toms, Fox 13 News, Utah.

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