View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2009/09/28/104126.htm
Dr. Larry Ferachi, a Baton Rouge board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who has served as team physician for the LSU football and basketball teams since 1995, has been named medical director for the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s Office of Workers’ Compensation.
Ferachi’s appointment is the next step in the establishment of evidence-based medical treatment guidelines for workers’ compensation benefits, an initiative that began with legislation by Sen. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, and was signed into law in July.
With the development of guidelines and the implementation of an enhanced dispute resolution system, it is expected that the amount of time injured workers spend off from work will be greatly reduced. The LWC Office of Workers’ Compensation will administer the effort, which also includes the establishment of a medical advisory council.
As medical director, Ferachi will assist the medical advisory council with the development of the medical guidelines. The council – made up of at least one orthopedic surgeon, neurosurgeon, neurologist, interventional pain management physician, family practice physician, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists and a representative from the Chiropractic Association of Louisiana – will review current guidelines and provide recommendations for a medical treatment schedule to guide treatment for workplace illnesses and injuries.
Members of the council, appointed to two-year terms by the director of the state workers’ compensation office, are expected to be named in the coming weeks.
In addition to his private practice with the Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic, Ferachi serves as an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery for the LSU Health Sciences Center at Earl K. Long Hospital. His credentials include memberships in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Louisiana State Medical Society, East Baton Rouge Parish Medical Society, Hughston Sports Medical Society and Tulane Caldwell Medical Society. He served as team physician for Southeastern Louisiana University football and basketball from 1984-1992.
Source: Louisiana Workforce Commission