AI starts autonomously writing prescription refills in Utah

"The first 250 renewals for each drug class will be reviewed by real doctors, but after that, the AI chatbot will be on its own. Adam Oskowitz, Doctronic co-founder and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, told Politico that the AI chatbot is designed to err on the side of safety and escalate any case with uncertainty to a real doctor."

"For now, it's unclear if the Food and Drug Administration will step in to regulate AI prescribing. On the one hand, prescription renewals are a matter of practicing medicine, which falls under state governance. However, Politico notes that the FDA has said that it has the authority to regulate medical devices used to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease."

""AI should not be autonomously refilling prescriptions, nor identifying itself as an 'AI doctor,'" Steinbrook said. "Although the thoughtful application of AI can help to improve aspects of medical care, the Utah pilot program is a dangerous first step toward more autonomous medical practice," he said."The FDA and other federal regulatory agencies cannot look the other way when AI applications undermine the essential human clinician role in prescribing and renewing medications."

Utah will pilot an AI chatbot to handle prescription renewals after the first 250 renewals per drug class are reviewed by physicians. The chatbot is programmed to prioritize safety and escalate uncertain cases to doctors. State officials described the approach as balancing innovation with consumer safety. The Food and Drug Administration's regulatory role remains uncertain because prescription renewals fall under state medical practice, while the FDA asserts authority over medical devices. Watchdog groups criticized autonomous refilling and the lack of oversight, calling the pilot a dangerous move toward more autonomous medical practice.

Read at Ars Technica