Utah has become the first U.S. state to permit artificial intelligence to examine patients and prescribe medication without direct human oversight. The program, launched by healthcare startup Nolla Health, is limited to mild-to-moderate acne cases and will run for one year. Patients pay $4.99 per month to use the app, which analyzes their skin and recommends treatment from eight approved medications, according to techspot.com.
Users scan their faces and complete a medical history form through the app. The AI assesses skin oiliness and acne severity, generating a numerical score to guide treatment. Initially, the first 100 prescriptions require doctor review before pharmacy submission. The next 400 prescriptions will be issued by AI with weekly retrospective physician reviews. In the final phase, doctors will review at least 10% of prescriptions monthly, techspot.com reports.
This initiative challenges the assumption that doctors are among the least replaceable professions by AI. It marks a cautious but notable shift in healthcare delivery, with AI taking on diagnostic and prescribing roles under limited conditions. The phased oversight approach aims to balance innovation with patient safety, setting a precedent for AI integration in medical treatment.
The program’s phased rollout includes a final stage where physicians review a sample of prescriptions monthly. This approach seeks to ensure safety while expanding AI’s role in healthcare, with the initial focus on acne treatment patients using Nolla Health’s app.