Connect

“Kayla Gibson regularly goes above and beyond in helping obtain medical records in a very expedient fashion. She's incredibly reliable and professional."

The Nursing Professional Governance Organization honors up to two UVA Health University Medical Center team members each month with a BEE (Being Excellent Everyday) Award.

Chief Medical Officer Reid Adams, MD, and BEE Award Committee Chair Hannah Kolpack surprised Access Associate Kayla Gibson, Heart and Vascular Center, with a BEE Award.

Merry Ellen Barnett, MD, nominated Kayla:

"Kayla Gibson regularly goes above and beyond in helping obtain medical records in a very expedient fashion. She's incredibly reliable and professional. Her dependability greatly enhances/facilitates my ability to provide clinical care. Kayla makes my job much easier on a regular basis and I'm so thankful she's part of my clinical team. Here are just a few examples from recent months:

"In reviewing for an initial visit that was scheduled for the very next day, I realized I needed to personally review the CT images to determine if a patient's aneurysm was true-true new (and therefore prompting an urgent referral to surgery for repair — a highly anxiety inducing situation for patients — or if the aneurysm had been there for a while, and therefore we could simply monitor/manage medically.

"The patient's prior imaging was completed at an out-of-state hospital I'd never heard of. Not only did Kayla contact this out-of-state hospital, she was also able to coordinate with our UVA Health IT/radiology procedural support to get them to send an invite ... so the outside facility could send the images to us. Kayla was able to get all this done so I had the images within 24 hours and then I was able to reassure the patient that the aneurysm had been present for some time; I did not need to urgently refer the patient to surgery. Having the images saved the patient a significant amount of anxiety!

"There was another instance in which a relatively young patient was referred to me for a second opinion on a blood clot and need for anticoagulation. This patient had experienced many 'recurrent' DVTs [deep vein thrombosis] at many different facilities in our state and out-of-state, and had been prescribed 'lifelong anticoagulation.' Kayla persevered and was able obtain all the images from the various organizations so I could personally review them. Because I was able to get the images, I was able confidently to stop the patient's blood thinner; therefore, saving the patient a lifetime of anticoagulation.

"I had a transgender patient with a complex medical history whose care had been fragmented across state lines, occurring both pre-/post-transition and pre-/post-name change. Medical records were of utmost importance for making decisions about this patient's care moving forward. Kayla was able to procure all those records, but also was able to troubleshoot: 'How can we medically-legally get this patient's records in their chart when there are differing names/genders on many of the records?'

"Kayla regularly obtains images/reports for me such that I do not have to duplicate medical tests; thereby, saving our patients' time and money.

"Recently, I was collaborating with a physician in another division. We needed records from an outside facility that's notoriously difficult to get images from. My collaborating physician lamented, 'I requested these records more than two weeks ago and we haven't been successful yet' — to which I responded, 'Let me see what Kayla can do.' Sure enough, Kayla was able to get me the images within 24 hours, allowing the multidisciplinary team to make critical medical decisions regarding anticoagulation and allowing the patient's care to move forward! 

"Without Kayla and her ability to reliably procure medical records in a timely fashion, my job would be infinitely harder. Kayla is a huge part of why I am able to provide the kind of excellent, thorough, and high quality care that I strive to provide. I'm truly thankful for all her hard work!"

Know a Deserving Team Member?

The BEE Award recognizes UVA Health University Medical Center team members who work alongside our nurses to impact patients' experiences — just as bees and flowers depend on one another. Submit a nomination.