A health care company announced Monday that it has received authorization for a pilot program in Utah allowing artificial intelligence to issue initial prescriptions, including acne treatment.<\/p>\n
Nolla Health, which is based in New York City, introduced the program in a blog post announcing the “AI-powered prescriptions,” its acne treatment prescription process, which will roll out in three stages.<\/p>\n
The company said the pilot is the first in the U.S. authorized by a state regulator to allow AI to issue initial prescriptions, and that it was authorized after working with the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy.<\/p>\n
The company says the program is designed to close “the access gap” to healthcare, in this case, by avoiding the appointment wait times and costs associated with visiting a dermatologist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company said the Nolla Derm application “will prescribe effective acne treatment from $4.99 a month” and require “no office visit.”<\/p>\n
The post said Utah residents 18 and older can download the app and begin the process at a discounted rate of $4.99 per month.<\/p>\n
After verifying their identity, providing informed consent and filling out an intake questionnaire, patients take a “quick five-angle face scan.”<\/p>\n
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<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>“In about 10–15 minutes, this generates a personalized treatment plan and, if appropriate, an initial prescription,” the post said.<\/p>\n
The pilot will roll out in three stages with physician involvement in each, according to the company.<\/p>\n
In the first stage, which includes the first 100 patients, “two licensed physicians independently review and approve every AI-generated prescription before it reaches the patient.”<\/p>\n
In the second stage, which will include up to 500 patients, “Nolla Derm issues prescriptions directly, and a physician reviews every case after the fact, at least weekly.”<\/p>\n
In the third stage of the pilot, a 10% sample of prescriptions each month will be reviewed by a physician. A physician will also review “every case involving an escalation or a side effect.”<\/p>\n
The company said stages one and two would last at least four and eight weeks, respectively.<\/p>\n
“Moving to the next stage requires meeting safety targets, including 95% agreement with physicians and zero serious adverse events, and written approval from the state,” the post said.<\/p>\n
The post continued, “Patients can message a licensed physician through the app at any time, at no extra cost.”<\/p>\n
The company said acne treatment was a viable starting point for the technology because it is “well understood, low risk, and backed by decades of clinical evidence.”<\/p>\n