Utah pilots autonomous prescription renewals to speed access for chronic care
Utah's Department of Commerce Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy has launched a first-of-its-kind pilot with health platform developer Doctronic. The program authorizes an AI system to participate in medical decision-making for prescription renewals, giving patients with chronic conditions 24/7 access to refills. Pharmacists process those renewals, which helps cut delays and reduce administrative load on clinicians.
The state will evaluate clinical safety, patient experience and workflow impact, with results shared publicly to guide future policy.
Why this matters for healthcare teams
Prescription renewals represent roughly 80% of medication activity. Treatment noncompliance remains a major driver of preventable outcomes and avoidable spend.
"Medication noncompliance is one of the largest drivers of poor health outcomes and preventable healthcare costs, responsible for over $100 billion in avoidable medical expenses annually," said Dr. Adam Oskowitz, Doctronic cofounder.
Faster renewals can close care gaps, keep patients on therapy and free up clinician time for higher-acuity needs.
How the pilot works
Patients with chronic conditions request renewals through the AI platform at any time. The system issues legally authorized refills that pharmacists can process within existing workflows. Guardrails keep clinicians in the loop: Utah leaders stress "doctor, not device," meaning automation supports - and does not replace - human judgment.
"Healthcare has become too complex and expensive for Utah families," said State Sen. Kirk Cullimore Jr., who pointed to the state's regulatory sandbox as a path to simplify costs and lower prescription prices while building trust.
What Utah will measure
The Office of AI Policy will assess safety, equity and operational value across a defined set of metrics:
- Medication refill timeliness and adherence
- Patient access and satisfaction
- Safety outcomes and escalation performance
- Workflow efficiency for pharmacists and clinicians
- Total and administrative costs
Regulatory sandbox momentum
Utah's AI sandbox offers structured relief to test tools while safeguarding consumers. "Utah's approach to regulatory mitigation strikes a vital balance between fostering innovation and ensuring consumer safety," said Margaret Woolley Busse, executive director of the Department of Commerce. The state will share pilot findings to inform future state and federal AI policies.
Arizona and Texas have launched similar sandboxes, and Wyoming is preparing one. Nationally, the federal AI Action Plan encouraged sandboxes or centers of excellence to test tools and share results. Lora Sparkman, a patient safety leader at Relias, called participation essential to build trust: "The sandbox idea is a really good idea - as long as the medical community is at the table."
What to watch - and how to prepare
- Define clinical guardrails: eligibility criteria, contraindications, pharmacist escalation paths and physician oversight.
- Integrate with pharmacy workflows: queue management, workload balancing and clear documentation into the EHR.
- Track leading indicators: refill cycle times, adherence lift in target cohorts and signal detection for safety events.
- Update patient consent and communications: set expectations on turnaround, refills per protocol and when to contact a clinician.
- Engage governance early: compliance, privacy, security and bias monitoring with transparent reporting.
On the record
"This is a major milestone to demonstrate how AI can improve access to care and health outcomes," said Matt Pavelle, Doctronic's co-CEO. The approach "enables patients, pharmacists and physicians to work together more efficiently, with measurable results that benefit the entire healthcare system. We hope other states follow Utah's lead."
"This partnership with Doctronic reinforces the principle of 'doctor, not device,' ensuring automation supports, rather than replaces, human judgment as we lead the nation in responsible healthcare policy," added Sen. Cullimore.
Skill building for healthcare teams
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