The state of Utah, through the Utah Department of Commerce’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Doctronic, the AI-native health platform, to give patients with chronic conditions a faster, automated way to renew medications. This agreement marks the first state-approved program in the country that allows an AI system to legally participate in medical decision-making for prescription renewals, an emerging model that could reshape access to care and ultimately improve care outcomes.
Medication noncompliance is one of the largest drivers of preventable health outcomes and avoidable medical spending. With prescription renewals accounting for roughly 80% of all medication activity, Utah and Doctronic aim to test how autonomous AI can help close gaps in access, reduce delays that lead to medication lapses, and improve outcomes for millions of people managing chronic conditions.
Under this partnership, Doctronic will become the first AI to legally prescribe routine refills by deploying its autonomous AI health platform, designed for fast, private, and personalized prescription renewals, within Utah’s regulatory sandbox framework. The Office will rigorously evaluate the platform’s clinical safety protocols, patient experience, and real-world effectiveness. The effort aims to demonstrate that safe, well-regulated AI can improve adherence, prevent avoidable hospital visits, and reduce healthcare spending, while keeping clinicians at the center of care.
“This is a major milestone to demonstrate how AI can improve access to care and health outcomes,” said Matt Pavelle, Co-CEO of Doctronic. “This partnership with Utah 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.”
Utah is at the forefront of AI-powered innovation, leveraging its regulatory framework to foster partnerships with mission-driven companies like ElizaChat, Dentacor, and now Doctronic. By providing temporary regulatory relief that enables innovation and crafting agreements that facilitate the deployment of AI in healthcare, the state aims to foster innovation, enhance patient care, strengthen provider capacity, and reduce costs. Through these collaborations, Utah seeks to demonstrate real-world results that inform best practices for the safe and effective adoption of AI across the healthcare system.
“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 Utah Department of Commerce. “By creating a supportive environment for companies like Doctronic AI, the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy provides the certainty necessary for them to develop impactful solutions while prioritizing the well-being of Utahns.”
Utah’s model arrives as more states explore similar approaches—Arizona and Texas have created AI Sandboxes, and Wyoming is preparing its own—reflecting a growing national push for safe, testable pathways for autonomous AI in regulated industries.
“Health care has become too complex and expensive for Utah families. Utah is leading efforts to simplify costs and lower prescription drug prices through our ‘regulatory sandbox,’ which fosters innovation and helps patients get the medications they need while reducing costs and building trust in the process,” said Senator Kirk Cullimore, sponsor of the legislation that created regulatory mitigation authority. “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.”
Physician and Doctronic Co-founder Dr. Adam Oskowitz underscored the clinical stakes: “Medication non-compliance is one of the largest drivers of poor health outcomes and preventable healthcare costs, responsible for over $100 billion in avoidable medical expenses annually. Improving access to medication renewals will directly impact this by improving medication compliance and reducing unnecessary emergency room visits.”
Doctronic’s AI allows patients to safely renew and manage prescriptions in minutes, anytime, reducing missed doses and care disruptions while easing administrative burdens on clinicians. Pharmacists can process renewals more efficiently, and physicians can focus on higher-impact care.
The pilot is tracking medication refill timeliness and adherence, patient access and satisfaction, safety outcomes, workflow efficiency, and cost impacts. Findings will be shared publicly to inform future state and federal AI policy. Operating within Utah’s regulatory sandbox, the program tests innovative solutions safely, creating a national model for high-stakes AI regulation in healthcare.
