Did you know that there are two different guidelines used by regulatory agencies to develop a compliance survey? The law and the regulation associated with the law. Laws define the expected behavior or procedure and outline consequences for violations of the law (i.e. monetary penalties). Regulations tell you how to adhere to the law.

There are two types of laws that everyone must adhere to, federal and state. Everyone in the country must adhere to federal laws, but State laws change depending on your geographical location. Regulatory bodies, such as State based Departments of Health, take the law and create regulations, which tells you how to adhere to the law. The key is to make sure you are aware of all of the laws and regulations; they are different.