The U.S. Health and Human Services department will start a research project to examine medical data and records of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees who have been diagnosed with autism, health secretary Robert F.

WASHINGTON >> 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, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

The governor's office said the executive order is in response to rising concerns about efforts to create federal autism registries or databases without legal safeguards or accountability.