What to do
Record six fields every call
Date, time, the number you called, the name of the person, a reference or call ID, and what they told you in their words.
Ask for a reference number before you hang up
It is the single field that makes the entry verifiable later, and plans give it out readily if you ask.
Write it during the call, not afterwards
Reconstructed notes lose exactly the detail that matters — the name, the number, the precise phrasing.
Confirm anything important in writing
Send a short message through the plan's portal summarising what you were told and asking them to confirm. Now it is theirs too.
Keep provider-side calls in the same log
Billing offices, surgeon coordinators, and the plan all shape the record. One log beats three.
Attach it to every appeal
It is evidence, not background. Send it with the appeal rather than describing it.
Where a log decides the case
Gap exceptions live or die on it: your position is that you called every in-network surgeon and none could do the procedure, and only one side of that argument keeps records. Procedural denials are similar — the dispute is about what you were told and when.
Common questions
- Do I need a special format?
- No. Notes on paper or in a plain file are fine as long as they carry the date, the name, the reference number, and what was said.
- Can I record calls instead?
- Recording laws vary by state and some require all-party consent. A written log carries no such risk and is generally sufficient.