Latest news with #AutismSelfAdvocacyNetwork
CNN
07-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
HHS to build Medicare, Medicaid database on autism, other chronic illnesses
See all topics The US Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday unveiled a pilot program for the National Institutes of Health to tap into Medicare and Medicaid data in its search for the root causes of autism The database — which HHS said will draw from insurance claims, medical records, and data from wearable technology such as smartwatches — is one of the first steps in HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s bid to find the causes of autism 'by September.' Yet early signals from health officials that they would build a database to track autism were met with swift rebuke from advocacy organizations and doctors. NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya's initial description last month of a 'new autism registry' with 'broad coverage' of the U.S. population raised red flags and questions about privacy, the Autism Science Foundation said in a statement shortly after the news. The Autism Self Advocacy Network lambasted the project as an example of how this administration has 'completely frozen out autistic people.' HHS nodded to those concerns in its announcement Wednesday. It said NIH and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will start with a data use agreement focused on Medicare and Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, then establish a 'secure tech-enabled mechanism' that will share data with 'timely, privacy and security compliant data exchange.' The agencies will eventually build the pilot database out to share data on chronic illnesses and their economic burden, HHS said. 'Ever since the registry was first announced, there was an enormous sense of fear in the autism community, and they have concerns: Who's going to have access to data? How are those data going to be used?' Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of Boston University's Center for Autism Research and leader of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, told CNN. There are also limitations to CMS data, Tager-Flusberg said. 'If you're talking about Medicare and Medicaid, that only focuses on certain portions of the population.' Medicaid is a federal and state partnership covering low-income adults and children. Medicare is a federal program primarily for Americans 65 and older, although younger people with disabilities are also enrolled. There are permissible uses of CMS data for medical research but very stringent privacy laws, Jeff Wurzburg, former HHS general counsel and a health care regulatory attorney at Norton Rose Fulbright, told CNN before Wednesday's announcement. 'One of the primary, overarching goals of CMS is protection of the beneficiary. So it's certainly legitimate and reasonable to raise questions about how this data will be collected and protected.' Autism advocates and scientists have also questioned Kennedy's claim that health agencies would find the causes of autism by September, a timeline that Bhattacharya already appeared to walk back. 'Science happens at its own pace. We're accelerating and cutting the red tape that normally comes with putting together a scientific program like this,' he told reporters on April 22. 'We'll have, I hope, in September, something that in place where the scientists that want to want to compete for these awards will be able to do that.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Author donates ‘Walking Man of Chapel Hill' proceeds to autism groups
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — As April marks Austim Awareness Month, one local author's latest release has specific ties to the month, not only in the story but also in the proceeds. Roger Browning first wrote 'The Walking Man of Chapel Hill' in just two weeks, seven years ago, but it took time to develop the main character's relatability and authenticity regarding his mental disorder as he carries traits some might relate to autism. Hotter'N Hell Hundred named in 10 best road cycling events for 2025 While the book itself is fiction, the story's basis comes from actual events that transpired in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2018, when two factions of Americans collided over the removal of statues. Browning wanted the story to be authentic and separate from both factions, bringing to life JW. 'All my profits, I'm not taking a penny of it. I'm donating my writing to this, and they're going to four different organizations. The first one on my list is the Roundup for Autism,' Browning said. 'It's an important one to me; it's kinda local, and it helps people get the right information they need for their caregivers, for people who are on the spectrum to be able to live out their lives without draining them financially, gives them educational tools, things like that.' In addition to the Bobby Norris Roundup for Autism, Browning's proceeds will go to the Autism Self Advocacy Network, the Child Mind Institute, and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 'The Walking Man of Chapel Hill' can be purchased on Amazon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
