The House of Representatives agreed to pass the Senate's one-month Medicare payment fix bill Monday afternoon. The bill will delay the 2010 23% cut to physician reimbursements until Jan. 1 once the president signs it into law.

Republicans and Democrats expressed support for a long-term fix before passing the temporary measure, with Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.) stating they'll be back in December to delay the cut again.

Physician associations agree, saying Congress must continue to fix the Medicare payment formula. "While this short-term delay helps ensure that physicians can continue to care for seniors for the next month; congressional action early in December to stop the cut for one year will inject stability into the Medicare program and ensure that Medicare delivers on its promise of health coverage for America's seniors," AMA President Cecil B. Wilson said in a statement. "It is crucial that Congress act well before the January 1 deadline so there are no disruptions in care for seniors."

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology (HIT) reports the Drummond Group and Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) have certified 115 electronic health record (EHR) products. Physician practices must use a certified EHR product to meet meaningful use standards under the EHR Incentive Program.

CMS has launched the official website for its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, a new department within the agency that's tasked with developing and testing new payment systems and policies that will reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.

More commonly called the "Innovation Center," this department will be a "much-needed driver of innovation aimed at improving health care for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries," said Acting Innovation Center Director, Richard Gilfillan, MD, in a prepared statement. "The center will identify and test care models that provide beneficiaries with a seamless care experience, better health and lower costs."

The center is already beginning to test several projects (read more on CMS Innovation Center) ...

CMS Administrator Don Berwick, MD, is scheduled to testify before a Senate committee on Wednesday. Dr. Berwick will discuss the Medicare program and the impact of the health care reform bill to the U.S. health care system, according to a release of his prepared remarks. He'll attempt defend the new law and tout its benefits.

Dr. Berwick's visit to Capitol Hill should be welcomed by senators that were deprived the chance to question him during a confirmation hearing. President Barack Obama chose to appointment Dr. Berwick to the CMS post during a summer recess, which allowed the former pediatrician to take office without having to go through the normal confirmation process. Senators criticized the president for this, noting the importance of the position that oversees hundreds of billions of dollars in health care spending every year.

This month's midterm elections saw a rousing Republican victory in Congress, upending Democrats' hold on the House of Representatives by the biggest margin in seven decades. However, the sweeping health reform law passed in March was not the primary reason voters gave for their choices, according to a new poll by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. Most voters said the economy was the biggest deciding factor, along with their party choice and views of the candidates themselves.

Here's the breakdown of which issue voters said was their top reason for voting as they did, according to Kaiser (read more on voters and repealing health reform) ...