A final rule to establish a National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners is close to publication.

The rule was cleared last week by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the last stage before publication in the Federal Register.


The rule, which has been in the works for years, is part of an ongoing effort by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to improve regulation of driver health issues.

It will establish training, testing and certification standards for medical examiners, and create a registry of the examiners who meet those standards.

It also will require examiners to electronically transmit information about the driver to the agency. And it will establish a process for disqualifying examiners who don't meet the standards.