Utah Launches Pilot Program for AI Chatbot to Renew Prescriptions

Utah officially launched a first-of-its-kind regulatory pilot program that allows artificial intelligence (AI) to handle routine prescription renewals, a move designed to alleviate severe provider shortages while placing pharmacists at the center of a new digital clinical workflow. Under a 12-month agreement executed in late 2025, the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy and the Division of Professional Licensing granted companies like Doctronic LLC the authority to use generative AI to authorize medication refills for state residents.^1,2

“I appreciate that they are hoping to streamline medication access. However, it would not be prudent for an AI to authorize renewals of previously prescribed medications—especially ones regarding mental health care,” Mohamed Jalloh, PharmD, a member of the Drug Topics^® Editorial Advisory Board, said in an interview. “For example, many psychiatric medications may need to be adjusted due to sudden extraordinary events; therefore, it is unlikely an AI bot would be able to accommodate this.”

About the New AI Program

Although the program covers a wide range of nearly 200 common medications for chronic conditions, it specifically includes noncontrolled psychiatric maintenance drugs such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), and escitalopram (Lexapro) to address a mental health access crisis affecting an estimated 500,000 residents.

“I knew it was just a matter of time until AI began prescribing drugs. So, I'm not surprised that we're seeing a pilot project to test how well AI will do in appropriately issuing prescriptions to continue drug therapy,” David Nau, BSPH, PhD, professor of social and administrative pharmacy at Ohio Northern University, said in an interview. “The project was initiated by the Office of AI Policy in the Department of Commerce. The Division of Professional Licensing—which oversees the Boards of Medicine and Pharmacy—was made aware of the project but didn't seem to have much involvement in structuring the project. Those boards will need to create rules regarding AI prescribing after the pilot project has concluded.”

The state recognizes that pharmacists currently bear a heavy administrative burden when patients arrive with expired prescriptions, often requiring the pharmacy to spend hours contacting clinics for renewals. The Doctronic AI system is designed to bypass this friction by conducting medical assessments and verifying a patient's identity through photographic evidence of old prescription labels before transmitting a renewal directly to the pharmacy. To ensure transparency, all AI-generated renewals must be clearly identified to the pharmacist as originating from an automated system.^1,2

However, Nau notes that the request for a renewal prescription is the primary responsibility of the patient. Therefore, the AI platform might not work for patients who do not have access to the internet or patients who are not tech savvy.

“Most likely, many patients won't be aware that they have run out of refills until the pharmacy informs them that a prescription can't be refilled. Thus, the pharmacy may still contact the patient's primary care provider for a renewal of the prescriptions for most patients,” Nau said.

To mitigate potential risks during the trial period, the state has mandated a phased auditing process. For the first 250 requests processed by Doctronic, a licensed physician must review every case before the prescription can be sent to a pharmacy to ensure the AI’s decisions match human clinical standards.^1,2

“The physician’s name on the new prescription will be the Doctronic physician. In later phases, the AI will make the decision independently, but the Doctronic physician will still be listed as the prescriber,” Nau added. “Doctronic has acknowledged that the company and its physicians are liable for any problems created by the AI prescribing platform.”

The Implications of AI Chatbots to Renew Prescriptions

As the 12-month demonstration progresses, the data gathered on concordance rates and pharmacist feedback will likely shape future legislation regarding the permanent integration of AI into Utah’s health care delivery system.^1,2

“The Utah regulators will need to create rules for licensure of AI prescribers to address the use of AI prescribing after the pilot project. I anticipate that other states will begin similar projects, and I hope that the boards of medicine and pharmacy in those states will be more actively engaged in writing rules or prompting changes to statutes prior to the launch of AI independent prescribing authority,” Nau said.

Nau added that another concern is a lack of coordination between Doctronic and the patient's primary prescriber. He stated that with the new prescribing method, primary care physicians or other prescribers would not be aware that a prescription was renewed for a patient unless they were actively searching for that information.

“While Utah has also been creating new rules related to pharmacist prescribing, we should hope that pharmacists will have at least as much authority to renew prescriptions as an AI platform that has less information about the patient,” he said. “Pharmacists are aware of all the medications being dispensed to the patient and also have the ability to monitor vital signs and make clinical assessments regarding the continuation of therapy. The Doctronic AI system doesn't have the ability to measure the blood pressure of a patient requesting a renewal of lisinopril, but the pharmacist does.”

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REFERENCES

1. Legion RMA. Agreement between the Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, Legion Health PA, Legion Health, Inc, and the Division of Professional Licensing. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://commerce.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Legion-Agreement.pdf

2. AI Legion Health. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://commerce.utah.gov/ai/regulatory-mitigation/agreements/ai-legion-health/