The biggest study ever of women who had ovarian tissue removed, frozen and transplanted suggests the experimental technique is safe and can help about one-third of them to have babies.

The Lawrence population has grown in the past 20 years, from about 66,000 people in 1990 to an estimated 90,000 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And with that growth comes demand for services such as health care.

Lawrence residents have several family medicine practices to choose from, and voters in the 2015 Best of Lawrence contest have chosen their top three medical practices in the Best Family Doctor category.

Family Medicine Associates, Lawrence Family Medicine and Obstetrics and Lawrence Family Practice Center are this year’s three finalists (in no particular order), and it’s a top-three repeat from last year’s Best of Lawrence. Representatives of all three practices think they offer the right mix of strategies when it comes to caring for patients of all ages and keeping them healthy and happy.

Lawrence Family Practice Center

4951 W. 18th St., 841-6540, lawrencefamilypractice.com

Kimberley McKeon, a physician with Lawrence Family Practice Center, said the quality of care she and her fellow doctors and staff provide is what makes the practice stand out.

“Our clinic has been serving the Lawrence community since 1977, and (we) have many patients who have been with our practice just as long,” she said.

The practice provides obstetric care to its patients, and the doctors deliver their own patients whenever possible. They also offer a wide variety of services, from a weight-loss clinic to laser and cosmetic services.

Patient visits are complemented by access to external information such as lab results via the clinic’s “patient portal” website. There is also a coordinator for the weight-loss program that works directly with patients.

McKeon said all the clinic’s physicians see patients who are referred from Health Care Access for free. They also see nonresidents referred from the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department for obstetric care for free.

McKeon said the physicians and staff do whatever they can to make patients’ experience with the clinic a positive one, including offering a walk-in clinic, a lab and x-ray services on site.

“I think our reputation for providing quality care is what keeps patients satisfied and coming back,” McKeon said. “We also strive to have a friendly, knowledgeable staff available to assist patients and make them feel comfortable during their visit.”

She said patients get to see their own physicians as much as possible, which helps physicians provide quality, comprehensive care for patients and their families.

“And when a patient can tell that the doctor they are seeing not only remembers who they are but also truly cares about their health and well-being, they are more satisfied with their visits and become more active participants in their health care,” McKeon said.

Lawrence Family Medicine & Obstetrics

1220 Biltmore Drive, 331-1700, lfmo.com

Lawrence Family Medicine & Obstetrics puts the “family” in family medicine, said Barb Riley, practice administrator.

“We are so family-oriented,” Riley said. “We have physicians that have been in the community for 30-plus years.”

And that longevity in the community means providing a continuity of care that patients at the clinic have come to expect over that time. They’ve seen families start and grow and have watched as patients’ needs change as they age.

Riley said patients at Lawrence Family Medicine & Obstetrics are treated like individuals from the beginning.

“The receptionists welcome them, the nurses get to know them — they just kind of feel like family. You can expect a welcoming, personalized experience,” she said.

Individual physicians are involved in the community, from youth soccer to fundraising. Rod Barnes, a physician with the practice, is a leukemia survivor, and clinic staff forms Team Rod Barnes every year for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. Team Rod Barnes has consistently been a top fundraising team for the charity.

Staff members also participate in Relay for Life of Douglas County, and they often donate to after-prom programs at high schools as a way to give back to the community.

The practice’s strengths range from the personal treatment to the quality medical decision-making by providers, Riley said. The financial staffers offer assistance with billing issues, which can be a source of frustration for many people. And ultimately, she said, they continue every day to strive to help families live healthfully through their stages of life: mothers and fathers before their babies are born, mothers and babies through labor and delivery, and into the stages that follow, from age to age.

“It’s a personal, warm atmosphere here,” Riley said.

Family Medicine Associates

4921 W. 18th St., 830-0100, familymedks.com

When Family Medicine Associates opened, the intent was that the patient be at the heart of everything that the practice did.

Customer service, a positive culture and expectation of excellence are keys, said Kathy Severa, practice administrator. Longer hours, Saturday hours — a resource, a human being that people could reach every day.

“And that has served us very, very well. It keeps us open to what we as customers would want when we go to the doctor. Because we’re constantly putting ourselves in the place of our customer, it helps us do the things we think are helpful to them when choosing care.”

When a patient visits the practice, for the first or 50th time, Severa said patients can expect a knowledgeable and compassionate staff and open communication.

“Our providers treat illness, but as a practice, we are dedicated to wellness and lifestyle change options for our patients for greater long-term health,” she said.

As a practice, Family Medicine Associates participates in charity events related to specific health concerns such as cancer or diabetes. Doctors and staff also support many activities for students in the area with fundraising efforts for sports teams.

“We enjoy being a part of the Lawrence community in every way possible,” Severa said.

Why is the practice a Best of Lawrence finalist? Severa couldn’t define it specifically, but she was quick to give a shout out to the other finalists.

“Many answers to that question come to mind,” Severa said. “What we know for certain is that it makes us very proud to be in the company of other excellent businesses in our area.”