Salt Lake City – October 05, 2026 -- Nolla Health has become the first company in the country authorized to let an AI system issue initial prescriptions, starting with acne treatment for adults in Utah through its Nolla Derm app for $4.99 a month.
The approval, granted after months of work with the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence, lets Nolla's AI prescribe acne medication directly to patients 18 and older, bypassing the waitlists and office visits that keep most people from ever seeing a dermatologist.
Nolla targets a gap affecting 100,000 Utah residents
An estimated 100,000 people in Utah live with active acne at any given time, but only 10% ever see a dermatologist, according to the company. The average wait for an appointment in the state is 61 days -- nearly double the national median -- and 11 Utah counties have no dermatologist at all. Visits that do happen can cost up to $300.
Nationally, more than 80% of U.S. counties are considered healthcare deserts, affecting over 120 million people, roughly one in three Americans.
Patients get a prescription within minutes of a face scan
Eligible Utah residents download the app, complete informed consent, a 10- to 15-minute intake questionnaire, and a face scan. The AI then generates a personalized treatment plan and prescription, delivered to the patient's home or a pharmacy for pickup. If the system can't confidently select a treatment, it refers the patient to a licensed physician instead.
Oversight ramps down in stages: physicians review every AI prescription for the first 100 patients, switch to daily retroactive review for the next 500, and move to weekly spot-checks after that. Patients can message a licensed physician directly through the app at any time.
Clinicians agree with the AI in 96% of cases
According to Nolla Health, licensed clinicians have agreed with the AI's treatment recommendations in more than 96% of real-world cases, with remaining cases involving minor adjustments like topical strength rather than outright disagreement. The system can only choose among pre-approved treatment pathways and cannot improvise or write open-ended prescriptions.
"The real test for AI in healthcare isn't how smart it is. It's whether someone other than the company can shut it off,