Videoconferencing Can Increase Patient Access To Stroke Specialists; Immediate, Thorough Testing Needed After

High-quality videoconferencing can increase patient access to stroke specialists, especially in rural or other underserved areas; and a transient ischemic attack (TIA), once known as a "mini" or "warning" stroke, should be treated with the same urgency as a full-blown stroke, according to two separate scientific statements and a policy statement.

Media Advisory: Stanford Podcast Says Government-run Health Care Is Not The Solution

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Stanford University's Victor Fuchs agree on one key aspect of health-care reform: President Obama should scuttle the public agency option.

Undiagnosed Diabetes Costs U.S. $18 Billion A Year

About 6.3 million Americans have diabetes without knowing it, and complications from their undiagnosed disease account for an estimated $18 billion in U.S. healthcare costs each year, U.S. researchers said.

Prior studies have shown that diabetes cost the U.S. economy about $174 billion in 2007 in medical expenses and lost productivity.

Coffee In Pregnancy May Up Cleft Lip Risk Slightly

A new study has linked coffee consumption in early pregnancy to a slightly increased risk of having a baby with cleft lip -- but the findings shouldn't be cause for alarm, according to one of the scientists who did the research.

"Clefts are a very rare outcome," Dr. Allen J. Wilcox. "Even if it were true, it would contribute a very small risk to an individual woman. But in fact we don't really know that it's true."

N.Y. Doctor offers Flat-Rate Care For Uninsured

A New York doctor is offering flat-rate health care for the uninsured for $79 a month, but he has run afoul of state insurance regulations in a case that challenges the established norms of the U.S. health system.

U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged a major overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare industry, which operates on a system of private health insurance and state-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs for the elderly and poor.