< Back to front page Text size – +

Richard Iorio to serve as physician on Peabody Indemnification Board

Print | Comments () Posted by Susannah Blair March 5, 2012 10:00 AM

E-mail

By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent

Mayor Ted Bettencourt recently appointed Dr. Richard Iorio to serve as the appointed physician on the Peabody Indemnification Board. The three-member board is responsible for reviewing and acting on claims made by city public safety employees pertaining to injuries suffered in the line of duty. By state law, it is composed of the mayor; the city solicitor, who is currently Mike Smerczynski; and an appointed physician.

The particular role of the physician is to provide professional expertise in helping to evaluate the status and prognosis of injuries for which claims have been filed. The physician slot on the board has been vacant for more than 10 years, according to Chris Ryder, Bettencourt’s chief of staff. During that time, he said the function has been carried out for the city by Meditrol, a Chicopee-based medical claims administration service. Bettencourt, who took office in January, opted to fill the position.

Iorio will receive a $500 annual stipend for his service. Iorio grew up in Peabody and currently resides in Boxford. He is a professor of orthapaedic surgery at Boston University School of Medicine and director of adult reconstruction at Lahey Clinic.