In a move that would transform medical practice, a US lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow artificial intelligence (AI) models to be qualified as health practitioners able to prescribe drugs.
The Healthy Technology Act of 2025 (HR 238) – introduced by Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ) – would update the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and extend the definition of a practitioner to include AI and machine learning technologies. It was first introduced in Congress last month and has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
AIs would be able to prescribe medicines if “authorised by the state involved and approved, cleared or authorised by the Food and Drug Administration and for other purposes.”
The text of the bill is vanishingly short and does not give any indication of the drugs that might be prescribed by AIs or the indications or clinical settings that may come into scope. Schweikert introduced a similar bill in January 2023, which did not make it beyond the committee stage.
Even with the caveats included in the bill, the move has been met with scepticism as most doctors consider that we are a long way from the reality of AIs being able to decide – reliably – whether a medicine is safe and effective for a patient.
Nevertheless, the intention is clearly to lay the groundwork for a future where that may be possible. At the moment, AIs like large language models (LLMs) are already being used to assist radiologists and other medical specialists in making diagnoses that could inform prescribing decisions, along with taking the legwork out of routine administrative and clinical tasks.
One study published in The Lancet Digital Health last year, which explored the use of an LLM to respond to patient messages, concluded that while these tools could reduce physician workload, improve the consistency of physician decisions, and improve information-gathering, current models “are insufficient to understand clinical utility and risks because LLMs might unexpectedly alter clinical decision making.”
The authors continued: “Physicians and institutions must exercise caution as the healthcare industry embraces these advanced technologies, because it is imperative to balance their innovative potential with a commitment to patient safety and care quality.”
Schweikert also tabled another bill last month (HR 193) asking the Health and Human Services (HHS) department to issue guidance on payment under the Medicare programme for certain health technologies that use AI, such as remote monitoring devices.
18 February, 2025