AI starts writing acne prescriptions without a doctor's visit in one state
Utah has become the first state to let an artificial intelligence (AI) program prescribe medication without a doctor writing the prescription, starting with acne treatments.
Utah has become the first state to allow artificial intelligence to write prescriptions for acne treatments without a doctor's visit. The state approved a pilot program on October 5 from Nolla Health, a New York City-based company. The AI program scans patients' faces via their app and takes into account their medical history to diagnose acne severity.
It then prescribes one of eight topical acne medications, which are dispensed to a pharmacy. Physicians will initially review the AI's work for the first 100 patients, then weekly for the next 400, and eventually perform spot-checks monthly. Doctors will still be listed on the prescriptions, even though no human writes them. The AI program is seen as a cheaper alternative to traditional dermatologist visits, costing around $5 a month for the app and compounded medicines around $50 a month.
However, experts warn that AI should not practice medicine independently and need to meet high standards. Utah also approved pilots from two other companies, but they will need regulator approval before reducing human oversight.
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