DURHAM, N.C -- October 5, 2026 -- Vega Health has been selected as an independent, third-party evaluator for the Utah Office of AI Policy’s AI Regulatory Sandbox. Through the sandbox, the Office of AI Policy has created the opportunity to expand access to and safely test emerging AI technologies that can improve outcomes for populations and communities across Utah.

By working with objective, third-party evaluators like Vega Health, the Office of AI Policy will be able to make data-backed decisions about which vendors to include in its AI sandbox. Furthermore, enabling this layer of objective and independent evaluations will improve public trust in the AI technologies that are deployed while increasing the safety of each implementation.

As a Trusted Third-Party Evaluator, Vega Health will:

  • Provide infrastructure to safely and securely test AI model performance before deployment;
  • Benchmark AI models across historical or real-time patient encounters at Vega Health partner sites to simulate how the model might perform during a pilot rollout;
  • Validate technical claims made by applicants with real-world performance data;
  • Audit the accuracy of AI decisions; and,
  • Share the real-world independent evaluation of models with applicants and the OAIP.

The results of each independent evaluation will be shared back to the state to help inform sandbox participation and guardrails. Vega Health will also provide results back to the applicant to enable product improvements.

“Third party evaluation of AI is important so that users of the technology don't have to rely solely on vendor performance claims,” said Mark Sendak, CEO and Co-Founder of Vega Health. “Utah’s health systems and patients deserve to know that AI tools being piloted under regulatory relief are accurate, safe, and validated before deployment. Vega Health is well positioned for this role because we have experience conducting independent model evaluations and generating evidence in support of health systems and their priorities. We are grateful to the Office of AI Policy for selecting us for this important role in the oversight of the nation’s first AI sandbox for healthcare.”

Vega Health’s evaluation toolkit – including retrospective, gold-standard, and silent trials – enables health systems to make decisions about safe and effective AI implementation in clinical settings. By leveraging this capability to support Utah’s OAIP, Vega Health is advancing data-driven AI decision-making and verifiable outcomes across the healthcare ecosystem.

About Vega Health

Founded by a group of experienced healthcare and technical operators, Vega Health is the trusted partner for health systems working to safely and securely deploy AI solutions. The company’s proprietary platform supports end-to-end AI lifecycle management from pre-deployment evaluation to post-implementation monitoring, enabling health systems to harness AI for measurable impact. To learn more, visit www.vegahealth.com.

Contact

Emma Beavins

Media@vegahealth.com