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The Utah Medical Licensing Board sent a letter to the state's Department of Commerce this past week, requesting suspension of a pilot testing automation of prescription renewals.
In its letter, the board says that it has a duty to ensure any technology-driven prescription refills do not compromise patient safety.
"We must not allow AI or other financial motivations to override this obligation, yet that is precisely what occurred here," board members said.
WHY IT MATTERS
Utah's automated system for 30-, 60- or 90-day medication renewals already prescribed by a licensed provider was launched with Doctronic, a vendor of an artificial intelligence-powered doctor consultation platform, without the Utah Medical Licensing Board's review, according to a report by CBS affiliate KUTV.
"The medical board is tasked with protecting the public in the state of Utah," board members said in the letter, published by KUTV on Saturday. "While we support the legislative mandate to explore AI implementation, we also have a stewardship to protect Utah citizens."
Bypassing physician oversight for refills poses significant patient safety risks, the body said.
"Each refill requires reassessment and clinical decision-making to safely adjust doses, monitor for side effects, contraindications or new drug interactions, and ensure the medication remains effective," said members of the licensing board.
"Patients who continue refilling medications without assessment may remain on outdated or suboptimal therapy for months or years. There is a reason prescription refills require physician authorization."
The state's Department of Commerce reportedly defended the project in a response to the local news outlet's queries and asserted that legal requirements do not mandate the medical board's involvement.
Licensed medical professionals were consulted prior to the launch, the department said by email. "We engaged in extensive consultation."
Further, the department went on to say that the current phase of the pilot "does not allow autonomous fulfillment of prescriptions."
"All prescriptions are currently reviewed by a licensed physician in addition to the AI system before they are issued," according to the story.
The state added that it will assess whether to proceed with autonomous prescribing – with the board's input.
THE LARGER TREND
Technology is being used to expand healthcare access for rural and uninsured populations in many ways, especially in states like Utah that have an AI sandbox program that is attractive to health AI developers like Doctronic.
Last year, a federal AI Action Plan called for establishing regulatory sandboxes or AI Centers of Excellence to deploy and test AI tools.
Then, in January, Utah announced the prescription pilot – the first of its kind to test AI in medical decision-making – aimed at helping patients with chronic conditions refill prescriptions by cutting care delays and improving access.
Leading efforts to "simplify costs and lower prescription drug prices through our 'regulatory sandbox' fosters innovation and helps patients get the medications they need while reducing costs and building trust in the process," said State Sen. Kirk Cullimore Jr., in a statement at the time.
Earlier this month, Doctronic, which raised $40 million in Series B funding, was announced as one of 150 accepted applicants under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions program, a results-based Medicare payment model.
The company has agreed to participate in the voluntary reimbursement program under the Early Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic track.
ON THE RECORD
"This pilot enables critical research into the viability of AI as an extender for healthcare, especially for those with limited access to healthcare, such as those living in rural areas or those without insurance coverage," the Utah Department of Commerce is reported to have said.
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
