The state of Utah is allowing artificial intelligence to prescribe medication refills to patients without direct human oversight in a pilot program public advocates call “dangerous.”
The program is through the state’s “regulatory sandbox” framework, which allows businesses to trial “innovative” products or services with state regulations temporarily waived. The Utah Department of Commerce partnered with Doctronic, a telehealth startup with an AI chatbot.
Doctronic offers a nationwide service that allows patients to chat with its “AI doctor” for free, then, for $39, book a virtual appointment with a real doctor licensed in their state. But patients must go through the AI chatbot first to get an appointment.
This is an interesting development in the use of AI in healthcare. It will be fascinating to see how this impacts patient care and pharmacy practices in Utah. It’s an exciting time for technology in medicine!
the integration of AI affects patient outcomes and doctor-patient relationships. It’s also worth considering the safeguards in place to ensure accuracy and patient safety as this technology evolves.