As artificial intelligence takes on increasingly sophisticated roles in health care, hospitals should prepare for different states to impose different rules on how the technology can be used, a leading health AI expert has warned. Federal laws and agencies regulate some uses of medical AI, but there is no comprehensive federal framework, leaving states to develop their own rules. With more than 280 AI bills affecting health care introduced in state legislatures in the first half of 2026, according to Manatt Health, the push for state-level regulation is already well underway.
By the end of July, 33 had been signed into law across 22 states, with the regulatory landscape continuing to evolve. Amid that uncertainty, Anderson said hospitals will need ways to monitor AI as they begin using more autonomous, or “agentic,” systems. As AI systems move closer to performing tasks traditionally carried out by clinicians, Anderson said regulators face difficult questions about how well the technology must perform before it is trusted in higher-risk settings.
What about 70 percent?” he asked. The pilot remains in an initial phase in which a licensed medical practitioner authorizes every request. The experiment addresses a common access problem: patients may struggle to see a clinician simply to renew medication, particularly in areas facing provider shortages.
Unlike a refill, a prescription renewal generally requires authorization from a licensed prescriber, and pharmacists typically cannot provide one themselves. But in April, the Utah Medical Licensing Board recommended that the Doctronic program be suspended pending further discussion, arguing that prescription renewals require clinical reassessment and raising patient-safety concerns. Anderson said even medication renewals – which he described as a relatively low-risk use of the technology – can carry risks.
Anderson said he hopes a broader federal framework will eventually make the system easier to navigate.
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