Beijing to ban AI-generated online medical prescriptions

Beijing plans to ban online medical prescriptions that are generated by artificial intelligence, according to a draft rule on internet-based medical services released by the capital's health authorities on Monday.

The rule is aimed at regulating medicine management in online medical services, the Beijing Health Commission said. Other measures to achieve this goal include a ban on providing medicine before the prescription is made, as well as a ban on making inventory statistics of prescriptions for commercial purposes.

The 41-article draft establishes rules for different parties involved in internet-based medical services, including hospitals, doctors, patients and supervisors.

For example, it requires doctors who offer online medical diagnosis to have practiced clinical medicine for at least three years. To make sure that they are not impersonated by other people or artificial intelligence, doctors are required to register with their real names before receiving patients online.

Meanwhile, doctors should tell patients that they are obliged to provide real identification information and should not impersonate other people to receive medical help. If doctors find patients unsuitable to continue internet diagnosis, they should terminate internet services immediately and guide patients to brick-and-mortar hospitals, the rules said.

Medical records generated by online services need to be kept for at least 15 years, the rules said, adding that the process of diagnosis, including conversation, audio and video records, should be kept for at least 3 years. It said that the chain of information regarding prescribing, order-picking at pharmacy and delivery should be traceable.

The commission requires internet medical facilities to publicize their fees for reference, adding that restrictions regarding fees for practitioners, such as the ban of for-profit patient referrals and requiring patients to buy medicine or consumables at designated places, also apply to internet-based service.

The commission is seeking public feedback on the draft rules until Sept 16.