Health
Autism funding increases but surveillance is a challenge
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 28, 2006
The amount of money spent by federal agencies on activities related to autism has grown significantly over the past five years but legal barriers are preventing public health officials from determining the true prevalence of this disorder, according to a July report published by the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO determined that a 2003 reinterpretation of privacy laws by the U.S. Dept. of Education effectively blocked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from accessing student records, which are viewed as a necessary part of surveillance activities. Congress ordered the agency and the CDC to complete a report on ways to overcome these challenges by June 2005. However, the report has yet to be completed.
In response to this finding, the GAO is recommending that the relevant departments work together to identify ways for the CDC to be able to use these records for autism surveillance.
Neither the Dept. of Health and Human Services nor the Dept. of Education supported the recommendations, arguing that they already are working together and that privacy considerations were paramount.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/08/28/hlbf0828.htm.
