Utah AI Prescribes Acne Treatments in Pilot Program

A Utah health care company received state authorization Monday to pilot an artificial intelligence program that can issue initial prescriptions, including for acne treatment. Nolla Health announced the program, called "AI-powered prescriptions," which will launch in three stages. This pilot is the first in the U.S. authorized by a state regulator to allow AI to issue initial prescriptions, following collaboration with the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy.

Nolla Health designed the program to address healthcare access issues by eliminating appointment wait times and dermatologist visit costs. The Nolla Derm app will offer acne treatment prescriptions for $4.99 per month and requires no in-person visit. Utah residents 18 and older can download the app. After identity verification, informed consent, and completing an intake questionnaire, users will perform a quick, five-angle face scan.

This scan will generate a personalized treatment plan and, if appropriate, an initial prescription within 10–15 minutes. The pilot involves physician oversight in each of its three stages. For the first 100 patients, two licensed physicians will independently review and approve every AI-generated prescription. In the second stage, Nolla Derm will issue prescriptions directly to up to 500 patients, with a physician reviewing each case afterward, at least weekly. During the third stage, physicians will review a 10% sample of monthly prescriptions, plus all cases involving an escalation or side effect.

Stages one and two will each last at least four and eight weeks, respectively. Advancement to subsequent stages requires meeting safety targets, including 95% agreement with physician reviews and zero serious adverse events, along with written state approval. Patients can message a licensed physician through the app at any time without additional cost.