AI chatbots can now be used to reissue prescriptions without a doctor's consultation.
In Japan, if a prescription expires, you generally need to see a doctor again to have it reissued. However, in the United States, it is possible to renew a prescription without a doctor's visit. Furthermore, a pilot program has been announced in Utah, USA, that will use AI to renew prescriptions.
Chatbots are now prescribing psychiatric drugs | The Verge
The state of Utah in the United States has announced that it will use AI to allow psychiatric prescriptions to be renewed (reissued) without the need for a doctor. State authorities say this could lead to cost reductions and alleviate the shortage of medical care, but doctors have expressed concerns that the system is opaque and risky, and that it is unlikely to actually provide psychiatric care to those who need it most.
The state of Utah has announced a pilot program that will allow Legion Health 's AI chatbot to update psychiatric prescriptions under specific conditions. The pilot program will run for one year.
AI Legion Health - commerce.utah.gov
https://commerce.utah.gov/ai/agreements/ai-legion-health/
Legion Health is a San Francisco-based startup that promises to provide patients in Utah with 'fast and easy prescription updates' for a monthly subscription of $19 (approximately 3,000 yen). The program is scheduled to launch in April 2026, but at the time of writing, only a waitlist has been published.
This program has strict limitations on both the types of medications it covers and the eligibility criteria for eligible patients. According to the Utah AI Policy Office, Legion Health's AI chatbot can only update prescriptions for 15 relatively low-risk maintenance medications already prescribed by a physician. Specifically, these include medications used to treat anxiety and depression, such as fluoxetine (brand name: Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine , and hydroxyzine (Atarax).
Furthermore, for the AI to update prescriptions, patients must be deemed 'stable.' Specifically, individuals whose medication type or dosage has recently changed, or who have been hospitalized in a psychiatric ward within the past year, are ineligible for AI prescription updates. In addition, patients must undergo an in-person or formal check-up by a healthcare provider every 10 prescription updates or every 6 months, whichever comes first.
Please note that this system cannot issue new prescriptions and does not support medications that require continuous medical monitoring, such as blood tests.
Even in the United States, it is rare to entrust this kind of clinical authority to AI, but in January 2026, Utah announced a pilot program in collaboration with healthcare technology company Doctronic to let AI handle prescription updates.
AI Doctronic - commerce.utah.gov
https://commerce.utah.gov/ai/agreements/doctronic/
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in AI, Posted by logu_ii