Don’t Fear the Federal Register0

The article was first published on June  24, 2013, at CorporateComplianceInsights.com.

“’What is the use of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?’”

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

When it comes to federal regulations, there is an unfortunate dearth of illustrations. Instead, promulgation comes solely through the written word, as it did recently on the first business day in June 2013, when the Federal Register published volume 78, Number 108.  Born from an act of Congress known as the “Federal Register Act” (49 Stat. 500-503 (July 26, 1935)), the Federal Register will be 78 years old this summer and boasts its own international standard serial number (ISSN 0097-6326). By its own admission, “[t]he Federal Register provides a uniform system for making available to the public regulations and legal notices issued by federal agencies.  These include Presidential proclamations and Executive Orders, federal agency documents having general applicability and legal effect, documents required to be published by act of Congress, and other federal agency documents of public interest.”

The value of the Register is beyond measure. To be sure, regulatory transparency is a fundamental tenet upon which industry leaders must rely, and health care compliance professionals are certainly no exception. … Read more →