Utah is now the first state to allow residents to renew their medications online through a commercial AI platform — without needing to speak with their doctors’ offices first.
The state’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy announced on Jan. 6 that it had partnered with Doctronic, an AI-native health platform, for this yearlong pilot program started in December 2025. Doctronic would allow 30-, 60-, or 90-day refills for 190 commonly prescribed drugs, Axios reported. Medications such as painkillers, injectables and drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are excluded for safety reasons. The program only covers refills, still requiring initial prescriptions to be issued by medical professionals.
This development provides a jumping-off point for journalists to pursue plenty of second-day story ideas. I have listed some below.
Here’s how it works
A button at the top of the company’s website directs Utah residents to AI prescription renewals, where they can confirm they are in the state and share selfies and photo identification, according to Axios. The platform then lists a person’s medications and refill availability. A chatbot then asks about the person’s pharmacy, symptoms, other drugs taken and any changes to their medical history. If the system approves the renewal, it sends a prescription directly to a pharmacy, with a $4 charge per renewal.
If the chatbot deems a prescription ineligible for refill, it offers a code for a free video consult with a doctor.
Some express safety concerns
Margaret Busse, executive director of the Utah commerce department, told Politico that automating routine prescription renewals could be a way to ease pressure on providers and lower costs for patients.
The department said in the news release that it will “rigorously evaluate the platform’s clinical safety protocols, patient experience, and real-world effectiveness. The effort aims to demonstrate that safe, well-regulated AI can improve adherence, prevent avoidable hospital visits, and reduce health care spending, while keeping clinicians at the center of care.”
To that end, Doctronic is requiring physicians to review the first 250 prescriptions in each drug class before going completely autonomous, and it secured a malpractice insurance policy that holds the product to the same level of responsibility as a doctor, according to Politico. The company also will submit a monthly report to Utah’s AI policy offices disclosing the number of renewals accepted and denied, a random sampling of prescription applications, and other data to assess the tool’s effectiveness, the Washington Post reported.
But some medical groups already are expressing concern.
“While AI has limitless opportunity to transform medicine for the better, without physician input it also poses serious risks to patients and physicians alike,” John Whyte, M.D., CEO and executive vice president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement reported by Politico.
Concerns include the potential for people struggling with addiction to try to obtain drugs inappropriately, or that no one may catch the subtle clinical signs or drug interactions a medical professional would, the Politico article said.
“We do not support it and think it is a bad idea,” Michelle McOmber, CEO of the Utah Medical Association, wrote to The Washington Post. “There are so many good ways you could use AI in health care but AI should NOT be making care decisions.”
Al Carter, Pharm.D., the CEO and executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, also questioned the process, Politico reported, while acknowledging that some pharmacists use AI during their prescription fulfillment process and for patient consults. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to comment to Politico.
Meanwhile, the technology could go further. The company said it is in discussions with states such as Texas, Arizona and Missouri, Politico reported. The company’s co-founder said he expects to see “a dozen other states approve something like this in 2026,” according to The Hill.
Story ideas
Journalists could do follow-on stories by pursuing multiple angles, including:
- Talk to users in the state about their experience with the platform – Was it more convenient or more cumbersome than gaining prescription refills through their doctors’ offices?
- Talk to physicians in the state – What are their thoughts about patients using this platform instead of coming to them?
- Look into the privacy/security angle – how is patients’ information being protected?
- When and where could this technology spread? Contact regulators in states like Texas, Arizona and Missouri to see why they find it potentially appealing.
Resources
- Utah and Doctronic Announce Groundbreaking Partnership for AI Prescription Medication Renewals – news release from Utah Department of Commerce.
- Artificial intelligence begins prescribing medications in Utah – Politico.
- Utah becomes first state to allow AI to approve prescription refills – The Hill.
- Utah permits nation’s first AI drug prescriptions – Axios.
- Utah launches first-in-the-nation trial that lets AI renew your prescription – Washington Post.
