Utah becomes first state to let artificial intelligence prescribe acne medication

Artificial intelligence is officially writing medical prescriptions without a doctor in the room. Utah just became the first state in the country to allow artificial intelligence to prescribe zit medicine with no direct doctor oversight. Patients in Utah can now scan their face in an app from telehealth startup Nolla Health. The artificial intelligence scores the severity of the acne and recommends one of 8 approved topical treatments. The app costs about $5 a month. The medications run around $50 a month. That price is a lot cheaper than a typical dermatology visit, which usually runs $150 to $300. Doctors are not entirely out of the loop just yet. A physician reviews the first 100 patients prescriptions before they go out. That same doctor then checks the next 400 prescriptions after the fact. After that initial rollout, a real doctor reviews at least 10% of prescriptions each month. Not everyone is happy with this digital medical shift. American Medical Association Chief Executive Officer John Whyte tells Bloomberg that artificial intelligence tools shouldn't autonomously be trying to practice medicine. If your teenager needs skin cream, at least you won't have to spend 3 months waiting in a crowded waiting room reading magazines from 2018. More states are likely to watch how this Utah experiment plays out before changing their own medical rules. You might soon see similar apps in your local app store if this pilot program succeeds.