The director of the National Institutes of Health previously floated — then walked back — the idea of an autism registry, alarming researchers and parents.

By Ahmed Aboulenein and Sriparna Roy WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal health agencies will create a database of autism patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid that researchers will use to study the causes of autism spectrum disorder,

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are partnering to develop a real-world data platform in the US that some observers say amounts to a registry for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).