Dr. Larry Ferachi pictured above in his capacity as
team physician for the LSU football team.

 

Dr. Larry Ferachi Named Medical Director for Louisiana Office of Workers’ Compensation 

Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Surgeon to Look at
Medical Guidelines for Injured Workers

 

BATON ROUGE - 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.

 

“Dr. Ferachi joining our team as medical director is a big step toward enhancing access to proper care for those receiving workers’ compensation benefits,” said Curt Eysink, LWC executive director. “We want to ensure that injured workers get efficient and timely medical treatment so that they can return to gainful employment faster and so that costs for employers and insurers will be reduced.”

 

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.

 

“We are extremely pleased to add to our team someone of Dr. Ferachi’s caliber. His intellectual ability, clinical experience and teaching skills are all impressive, but when one also factors in the high level of respect Dr. Ferachi garners within the medical community, we believe that his leadership provides the state with another incredible opportunity to move the workers’ compensation system forward.” said Chris Broadwater, director of the Office of Workers’ Compensation, in announcing Ferachi’s appointment.