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AI Now Prescribes Psychiatric Meds in Utah
4 Apr
Summary
- An AI chatbot in Utah is now prescribing psychiatric medication.
- The AI will only renew low-risk medications like SSRIs.
- This pilot program aims to ease doctors' administrative burdens.
A healthcare provider in Utah has launched a pilot program allowing an AI chatbot to prescribe psychiatric medication, marking a significant development in digital health. The AI system, provided by Doctronic, will initially focus on renewing prescriptions for lower-risk medications like SSRIs for depression, excluding habit-forming drugs. Consumers will answer a series of questions about their health and current medications to qualify for a renewal, with the service costing approximately $20.
The Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy highlighted that automating safe, routine prescription renewals could alleviate administrative burdens on doctors and improve patient access to medication. During the program's initial phase, a human doctor will review all AI-generated prescriptions, a safeguard intended to be gradually phased out. Despite these measures, some mental health professionals have voiced concerns about an AI's ability to understand a patient's unique context and needs for active management.
Utah's regulators will collect data over the one-year experiment before considering any permanent legal changes. The company behind the AI, Legion Health, expresses optimism about potentially expanding the service to other U.S. states rapidly.
