Kathy Fezler has worked for Children's Minnesota for the past 12 years. Due to the pandemic, she currently works remotely. Kathy Fezler and husband, Kurt, right, pose with their son, Kodi, in this photo at Chadron State College in Nebraska where Kodi works.

'Amazing place to work'

Minneota native works as Professional Staff Services Manager at Children's MN
"I can honestly say that I love everything about my job and who I work with and for." - Kathy Fezler

Most of us dread going to work each day. For Kathy (Driemeyer) Fezler, a native of Minneota, it's just the opposite.
Fezler, who was often referred to as "Kitty" by her father and close friends in Minneota, is a Professional Staff Services Manager for Children's Minnesota Hospital, one of the largest freestanding pediatric health systems in the United States – with two hospitals, nine primary care clinics, seven rehabilitation and nine specialty care sires.
"Not many people can honestly say they love their job and the people they work with and for," she said. "I can honestly say that I love everything about my job and who I work with and for. It's an amazing place to work for. I thank God for my job every day."
Many parents thank God every day for Children's Hospitals located in Minnesota and across the country. Children's Hospitals provide vital health care to all children, regardless of the family's ability to pay.
"As a non-profit pediatric health care system, Children's Minnesota relies on the generosity of donors and community partners to provide the care our patients and families deserve," Fezler explained. "Thanks to donations we receive, all patients and families receive expert medical care and wraparound services."
Fezler noted that one donation Children's Minnesota received recently showed the power of community.
"The family of a patient who unfortunately passed away wanted to do something in her memory," Fezler told. "They organized a trip to their local Target, the patient's favorite store, to buy gifts and toys to donate. Hundreds of people showed up to shop that day. The family ended up delivering nine pallets of toys, blankets and other gifts for patients at Children's Minnesota."
Because of the pandemic, Fezler and over 700 other Children's Minnesota employees have had to work remotely since March of 2020.
"It's been an adjustment," she said. "However, I've learned to love it. I am a people person, so I do miss the interaction with others, however, we do a lot of virtual meetings, so we see and meet with each other."
Working remotely enabled Fezler to spend more time with her mother Carol and ailing father, Lyle "Jim" Driemeyer, who was in and out of the hospital over the past year before he passed away in January.
"I was able to work while being away from home," she said. "Being able to be with my dad is time I will always treasure. Not everyone has that opportunity. Children's Minnesota isn't just about their patients and families. They truly care about their employees and their families."
Fezler graduated from Minneota High School in 1993. She attended Alexandria Tech for two years and obtained a diploma in Word Processing.
It was at Alex Tech that she met her husband, Kurt and they were married in 1996. Kurt has been a purchaser for Metro Sales, Inc. for the past 25 years. They have one son, Kodi, 22, who works for Chadron State College in Nebraska as a Strength and Conditioning coach.
Fezler landed a job with Health Partners in 1995, working as a Credentialing Technician.
"I always wanted to get a job in health care," she said. "I had no idea what credentialing (the process of establishing the qualifications of licensed medical professionals and assessing their background and legitimacy) was at the time, I just knew it was a step into the healthcare world."
In 1998, Fezler earned a promotion to Assistant Credentialing Administrator. Among her responsibilities was the development and implementation of delegated credentialing.
"I worked with many hospitals and went out and audited their credentialing files," she said. "I worked for Health Partners for five years, then was offered a position at Fairview Health Services (now M Health Fairview) as a Delegated Credentials Coordinator."
One year later, Fezler again was promoted, this time to Internal Business Credentialing Manager. She worked for Fairview Health Services for 14 years.
"I got a phone call one day inquiring about my interest in a position at Children's Minnesota," she stated. "An opportunity I thank God for every day. It's a different culture working for a Children's Hospital versus an adult facility."
She has now been working for Children's Minnesota for the past eight years. She manages the Professional Staff Services department and staff which consists of doctors, nurses, social workers, pharmacists and more. The list of her job duties is lengthy but vital.
"Ultimately, what I do is work for the Medical and Professional staff of Children's Hospital to assure our kiddos are safe," she said. "When others ask me what I do, it's easier to say 'I make sure the doctors and professional staff are the very best and give the very best care to our kiddos.
"I assure that we have the very best doctors and professional staff working for us. I assure that we are meeting the requirement and abiding by the laws. We are somewhat investigators. When someone applies to be on our staff, we verify all of their history, from their medical school, residency, fellowship, licensure, certification, and competency."
That's not the part of the job that is most rewarding to Fezler, though.
"The most rewarding times at Children's Minnesota for me are when we see the kids who have been through a very challenging diagnosis, like cancer or a heart problem, make it through treatment successfully and get to go back home with their family," she remarked.

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