By Wesley Hallman

Alabaster - Dr. Lawrence Lemak and his Lemak Sports Medicine and Orthopedics Clinic in Alabaster have been extremely busy lately.

Lemak, whose primary practice is located at Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham, has taken on a few new roles this fall as he prepares to open his permanent clinic next to Shelby Baptist Medical Center off U.S. 31 in 2010.

Lemak accepted a new role this week as the chief medical officer of the United Football League, which will open its inaugural season Oct. 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lemak is also the chief medical officer for Major League Soccer.

Lemak, who has served as the medical director for the Alabama High School Athletic Association since he began his practice, also recently became the medical director for Shelby County Schools. On top of those responsibilities, Lemak also recently developed LemakHealth.com, a Web site for patients to get up-to-date information from medical experts.

Lemak said he hopes to connect his experience working with professional athletes to high school athletes in Shelby County.

“I would like to do at a local level what I’ve done at the national level,” Lemak said. “I would like to give the same quality of care to our high school athletes that I give to professional athletes.”

Lemak said Shelby Baptist will be heavily involved in his new role with the UFL. Lemak operated on former NFL player Tim Goodwell Monday at SBMC, which he said was the first time a professional athlete has had a procedure done at the medical center.

Lemak said he will routinely operate on professional players at Shelby Baptist as part of his role with the UFL.

“I will assign physicians and athletic trainers for all of the games,” Lemak said. “The athletes will also come to Birmingham for rehabilitation and surgery.”

Lemak said Shelby County Schools superintendent Randy Fuller was instrumental in getting him involved with athletes in Shelby County.

“I met with the Shelby County school board and they suggested it,” Lemak said. “We’re trying to implement as many programs as we can.”

One program will teach coaches how to provide care for an athlete if emergency personnel are unavailable. Lemak said he is using a program developed by the National Center for Sports Safety, which he founded in 2001.

Lemak said it isn’t possible to have an athletic trainer at every game or practice in Shelby County. Lemak said he has worked with the athletic training staff at the University of Georgia, and the school, which has an enrollment of nearly 35,000 students, doesn’t even have the resources to provide an athletic trainer at every game and practice for all of its athletic teams.

“We’re very aware we don’t have enough personnel to go around,” Lemak said. “We would love to see every school have an athletic trainer at all games.”

Lemak’s Web site, LemakHealth.com, will provide patients an additional outlet for healthcare information. Users can contribute to a community blog, create groups and ask questions in forums. The platform will allow patients to connect about living a healthy, active life.

On top of Lemak’s medical roles, he’s also looking forward to opening his new clinic in Alabaster. Lemak said he hopes to move into his new building “the first of the year.”

“I know they’re working like crazy trying to get it finished.” Lemak said.

Read full story on www.shelbycountyreporter.com at:

http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/news/2009/oct/08/lemak-named-medical-director-new-professional-foot/

By Jon Solomon

Even when injured, Tim Tebow draws awareness to a cause. Tebow's concussion has brought more attention on the seriousness of head injuries as No. 1 Florida prepares to play Saturday at No. 4 LSU.

"You never want to see a player get hurt, but this has brought concussion awareness to the Southeastern Conference," said Dr. Larry Lemak, a Birmingham resident and medical director of MLS and the UFL. "We have high school kids who suffer concussions and we tell their parents we're going to sit their son until he's normal, and they don't understand why Johnny can't play."

The culture of football is to brush off injuries and get back on the field. But much more is known about concussions than just a couple years ago. Players who hurry back or suffer multiple concussions risk serious brain injury as early as their 40s.

"This is not one, two, three people. It's many people involved in the evaluation of Tim," Meyer said. "(Tuesday) was a great example. I think we had 12 people in the meeting to clear him to practice - not to play, to practice."

Meyer noted the crowd noise at LSU could be a factor for Tebow. "If the noise bothers Tim, he won't be in the game," Meyer said. "It means he's still symptomatic."

Lemak said a lot of doctors use two weeks as the general barometer for when to return from a concussion.

"But there's no hard science on that," he said. "If you take that period of time plus have normal cognitive testing and show no symptoms, then I don't think anybody could be criticized for playing Tim Tebow. But if they decide to go more conservatively, there's nothing wrong with that, either. This is serious stuff."

Once upon a time, a concussion was called a "ding" in football. Research in recent years has brought more light on the risks. For instance, the NFL released a study last week revealing a connection between dementia and other cognitive injuries and playing in the NFL.

The NFL and some major college football programs use baseline testing to evaluate a player's recovery from a concussion. Players take the test when healthy and get re-evaluated after suffering a concussion.

"I remember retaking it two or three days after a concussion and it was just a complete disaster," said former NFL quarterback Brock Huard, a spokesman for the Brain Injury Association of Washington. "There's more safeguarding now through testing and being aware of symptoms, like being dizzy and nauseous. I think we've learned a lot in recent years."

Last spring, the state of Washington passed the nation's toughest law regulating when high school athletes can return to competition after sustaining a concussion. The law prohibits athletes under 18, who are suspected of sustaining a concussion, from returning without written approval from a licensed health care provider.

The legislation is named after a 16-year-old football player who suffered a life-threatening brain injury in 2006 upon returning to a game after suffering a concussion.

Lemak hopes baseline testing will eventually reach most high schools.

"It costs money and it's always tough to find resources for medical care. And it's fairly time-consuming so you have to have people who can administer the tests," Lemak said. "In time I think it will get down to high schools."

Former Alabama quarterback Walter Lewis remembers learning the tricks of the trade to convince his coaches to play the final series of a loss to Tennessee in 1982. Lewis said he was so off-kilter that he had his running back, Paul Ott Carruth, call the snap count.

"Technology is a lot different than when I was playing," Lewis said. "Tim has a will that is unbelievable and I'm sure that will is going to rise up and play against LSU. But they need to get that No. 2 guy ready."

Read full story on al.com at:
http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1254989713155410.xml&coll=2

By Larry Lemak

As coaches in Alabama and across the country follow the Kentucky trial of former high school coach David Jason Stinson, it's too early to know which way the verdict will go. There is at least another week of testimony and evidence to be presented.

But for now, one thing is clear: This first-of-its-kind case has brought much-needed attention to the important topic of emergency training and safety preparation in youth sports.

Here's the background on the trial in Louisville, Ky., where Stinson is battling charges of wanton endangerment and reckless homicide for the death of 15-year-old Max Gilpin.

The coroner's report says Gilpin died of sepsis, heat stroke and organ failure three days after he collapsed during practice on Aug. 20, 2008, with a body temperature of 107. Last week was week two of the trial testimony.

Witnesses have given conflicting accounts of what happened. Overall, the reports have said that Stinson was pushing his players. Gilpin's father said at least two other players were being treated for overexposure to heat with ice packs before his son collapsed. Two of Gilpin's former teammates testified that Stinson was running the players longer than usual that day.

Witnesses who were on a neighboring field that day testified that Stinson was withholding water and threatening players with being thrown off the team if they quit for a break.

The defense for Stinson says nothing unusual happened during practice that day. Other complicating factors include Gilpin taking Adderall, a popular prescription drug that treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

Side effects of Adderall can include high blood pressure and the risk of sudden death, stroke and heart attack in people who have pre-existing heart conditions.

Read full story on al.com at:
http://www.al.com/opinion/press-register/insight.ssf?/base/opinion/1252833337159900.xml&coll=3

By Adam Smith

Football season is in full swing across the state, which can often prove painful for high school and college athletes.

One of the state’s leading athletic physicians, Dr. Larry Lemak of Lemak Sports Medicine in Birmingham, spoke about his practice, sports injuries and how to prevent them during a speech at Thursday’s Gardendale Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

 Lemak said many injuries can be avoided through research and education, particularly on the part of trainers and coaches.

Lemak-affiliated programs like SMART (Sports Medicine Athletic Related Trauma) and NCSS (National Center for Sports Safety) are putting an emphasis on injury prevention in youth sports. 

He said NCSS is training coaches and officials how to respond to an injury and what to do until help arrives. He said a traumatic sports injury can change a life forever.

 “There is not one parent who would drop their child off at a local community pool if there was not a certified lifeguard on duty,” he said. “That same standard should apply to athletics. That is my goal.”

In addition to programs like SMART and the NCSS, Lemak has also created an endowment awarded to high schools across the state. He said the award recently allowed a Gadsden school to purchase a portable defibrillator.

Lemak also spoke about the dangers of children who play the same sport year-round. He said the strain of year-round sports can be detrimental to joints and can lead to injuries.

 Lemak’s clinic sees about 12,000 patients annually and performs 2,100 surgeries. His clinic specializes in repairing athletic-related injuries on anyone from high school students to professional athletes like Bo Jackson and Evander Holyfield.

 The clinic also sees athletes from colleges across the state, including Auburn and Alabama. Lemak shared an anecdote about a Crimson Tide player waking up from surgery in strange surroundings.

 “I had operated on this Alabama linebacker and my nurses had put him in an Auburn (recovery) room,” he said. “I walked in and said, ‘I’m sorry they put you in this room.’ He said, ‘Doc, it’s been painful.’”

In addition to expanding his offices at Brookwood Medical Center, Lemak’s clinic is also branching out to Alabaster and Gardendale. His son, Matthew Lemak, is one of the developers of Gardendale’s future surgical center. 

Lemak said whenever someone asks him when he’ll retire, he always says “in five years.” 

“I’ve had a nice career in sports medicine and it’s a fun profession,” he said. “I still love to do it and I’ll keep doing it until five years becomes a reality.”

Read full story on www.njeffersonnews.com at:
http://www.njeffersonnews.com/local/local_story_258102632.html?keyword=topstory

By Mike Perrin

Dr. Larry Lemak is expanding his sports medicine business into Shelby County with a new $1.5 million facility next to Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

Lemak Sports Medicine-Shelby, which will be built in a former SouthTrust Bank branch next to the Alabaster hospital, represents the first clinic the noted orthopedic surgeon has opened outside of his central practice at Brookwood Medical Center.

"We're happy to be in Shelby County and growing our practice to make care more accessible for our patients and the citizens of Shelby County," Lemak said in a statement about the project.

The building has been empty for more than four years. Lemak Sports Medicine aims to occupy the building by the end of this year after renovations are completed. The building will have 4,000 square feet of physician office space and 2,500 square feet for outpatient services.

The office will be led by Dr. Mike Patterson, a physician from Tuscaloosa. The practice will focus on sports medicine and outpatient physical therapy. Patterson, a former Florida State University defensive back, will also have access to Shelby Baptist Medical Center for other procedures.

Alabaster MB LLC, a partnership between Lemak and his son Matthew, owns the building. Matthew Lemak's company, the Lemak Group, is a development partner along with Jonathan Lindsey of Southpace Properties Inc., who also brokered the purchase of the building. Jim Strickland of RealtySouth represented the seller of the building.

Matthew Lemak said the practice not only looks to serve Shelby County, but also Chilton County. Patterson already has started lining up high schools to work with for the upcoming football season.

Lemak Sports Medicine provides medical assistance to many high schools and colleges around the state.

Matthew Lemak said the Shelby County practice may add another physician in a year or two if the market demands it.

Meanwhile, the Lemak Group is scouting other parts of the metro area to expand Lemak Sports Medicine. Matthew Lemak said the northern part of the metro area will likely be the next destination for the practice.

The new office comes a year after Dr. Lemak set up his own practice at Brookwood following a split from long-time partner Dr. Jim Andrews. The two men created the Alabama Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center that lasted more than two decades and built an international following.

Read full story on al.coml at:
http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/07/alabama_sports_medicine_doctor.html?FORM=ZZNR3

Birmingham Business Journal - by Jimmy DeButts, Staff

Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics is branching out with a new clinic at Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

The sports medicine practice, founded by nationally renowned surgeon Larry Lemak, will feature recently added orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Patterson at its new Alabaster location. The firm purchased a building off U.S. 31 and expects to operate out of it in the fourth quarter of this year.

“We are very happy to be creating a larger presence in Shelby County, by taking the first step in a strategic growth plan of our practice,” said Matthew Lemak, CEO of Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics, in a statement.

Lemak Sports Medicine was formed in 2007 following the split with fellow orthopedic surgeon James Andrews after a 20-year partnership in a practice that earned global prominence as revolutionaries in the treatment of serious knee and arm injuries. Lemak and Andrews previously practiced together on St. Vincent's Birmingham’s campus. Andrews has a new surgery center at St. Vincent's. Lemak moved his practice’s headquarters to Brookwood Medical Center in 2008.

Read full story on Birmingham Business Journal at:
http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2009/06/01/daily25.html

By Jerry Underwood

Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics said today it is expanding with a new clinic at Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

"We are very happy to be creating a larger presence in Shelby County, by taking the first step in a strategic growth plan of our practice," Matthew Lemak, CEO of Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics, said in a statement.

Lemak Sports Medicine is renovating an office building in Alabaster for the new practice. Dr. Michael Patterson will work out of the office and the Shelby Baptist Medical Center.

The Shelby Baptist location joins Lemak Sports Medicine's Brookwood Medical Center operation, which was formed in 2007.

Read full story on al.com at:
http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/0/lemak_sports_medicine_expands.html

 - by Jimmy DeButts, Staff

Dr. Larry Lemak takes a patient approach to technology upgrades. The federal government is offering $19 billion worth of incentives for health care providers to modernize their records, but the internationally renowned orthopedic surgeon isn’t leaping for the cash. There are too many unanswered questions.

Instead, Lemak is taking a calculated technological step forward by implementing his first electronic data system. The principal of Lemak Sports Medicine believes this system will bridge his antiquated system with a future endeavor into integrated electronic medical records, or EMRs.

Physicians are being prodded to adopt EMRs with incentives worth as much as $44,000 over five years from the federal government. The goal is to create a national network so health care professionals have instant access and can exchange patient data electronically.

Many Birmingham-area hospitals have electronic record programs, such as St. Vincent’s and Baptist Health System, but there is no local integrated file-sharing system.

Complicating the federal goal toward integration are a multitude of EMR vendors with a variety of options that aren’t necessarily compatible with one another. Lemak’s measured response takes that reality into consideration so when his practice implements an EMR system, it will last.

Industry experts said the government’s emphasis on EMRs is an effort to improve the quality of care and use more efficient documentation to lower costs. However, integration standards haven’t surfaced to ensure adopting EMRs will produce the desired results, they say.

St. Vincent’s Health System Chief Information Officer Tim Stettheimer said meshing various EMR programs is “the real challenge” of the government’s strategy. With physicians paying as much as $3,000 per month for EMR service, federal incentive money won’t be enough to recoup implementation costs, he said.

That reality has some providers wary of jumping too quickly into the EMR fold, according to Lemak Group CEO Matthew Lemak. The Lemak Group administers physician practices, including Lemak Sports Medicine.

This summer, Matthew Lemak will implement a documentation system developed by Birmingham-based ComplyMd at his father’s practice. He said ComplyMd’s Web-based patient encounter software is the “most logical, cost-effective” first step to EMRs. That’s why he and his father are gradually moving toward an EMR system. “We’re a long way from there,” Matthew Lemak said. “ComplyMd gets doctors more comfortable doing electronic documentation.”

Nir Menachemi, associate professor of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the first step toward an integrated system is boosting the use of EMRs. He said health care is technologically decades behind other industries and the government’s focus on EMRs is spotlighting that lag and helping spur needed infrastructure. “The political window of support has been opened,” Menachemi said. “The option of waiting on the sideline has expired.”

St. Vincent’s Stettheimer said a hospital with as many as 300 beds could spend $12 million or more on EMRs, depending on the system. While providers who implement EMR systems by 2011 can begin receiving federal incentive money, those that don’t will face reduced Medicare payments after 2015.

ComplyMd CEO Curtis Palmer said his firm’s products are complementary to EMRs and can aid physician comfort with the process of electronically documenting each aspect of patient care. Electronic records offer a better picture of the care provided than their paper predecessors, Palmer said. Those detailed reports are critical as governmental scrutiny intensifies as it tries to trim Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement costs.

Read full story on Birmingham Business Journal at:
http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2009/04/13/story6.html