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Don't lose track of health insurance calls

Don’t Lose Track of Health Insurance Calls: A free tool for patients and families

Written by Stephanie M. Nixon, PhD, CCC-SLP on . Posted in Health care, Health Insurance, Navigating health care. No Comments on Don’t Lose Track of Health Insurance Calls: A free tool for patients and families

Father and his children at the table

Have you ever spent hours on a call with a provider or insurance company and then when you call back you’re told they have no record of the call? If so, you know how exhausting self-advocacy can be.

Managing healthcare for yourself or your family shouldn’t require a law degree, but keeping a detailed “paper trail” is one of the most important things you can do when disputing a bill, fighting for a prior authorization, or coordinating care.

As a patient and provider, I know that advocating for care and coverage is hard enough. So I am sharing a tool I made for me and my husband in January 2026: A Healthcare and Insurance Communication Log. (See my last post for more information.)

This tool was made primarily for dealing with health insurance (including our pharmacy benefit manager).

What is it?

A simple, customizable Google Form that you can fill out on your phone or computer during or immediately after a phone call. Use it to track:

  • Date and time of the conversation
  • Who you spoke to
  • What you discussed
  • What your next steps (and their next steps) are
  • And more…

You can quickly reference the key information needed from previous calls by looking at the entries in the form: (e.g., name of who you spoke with, company they are with, and date/time of the last communication, what was said, etc.).

The form

A Quick Word on Privacy: Share the Tool, Not Your Data

If you find this call log helpful, we absolutely want you to share it with your friends, neighbors, or online support groups! However, it is crucial that you share the tool safely.

Because your copied Google Form is tied directly to your personal Google account and your private spreadsheet, sharing your specific form link outside of your immediate family (more specifically those involved in your healthcare and health insurance decisions).

If you send someone your personal link to copy for their own use, you will accidentally give them access to your Protected Health Information (PHI) and private medical notes.

The safe way to share:

The safe way to share: If you want to recommend this tool to someone else, do not share your Google Form link. Instead, simply copy the web address (URL) of this blog post and send that to them! This ensures they can read the instructions and download their own clean, private template that is completely separate from your data.

Disclaimer:

The Short Version: (Simply put)

  • This is just a helpful tool: This tracker is a free organizational aid, not official medical or legal advice, and downloading it does not make you a patient of Nixon Speech and Language.
  • This tool does not set reminders for you.
  • You are in charge of your data: The information you type goes straight into your personal Google account, not ours. You are responsible for keeping your own account and passwords secure.
  • Be mindful of privacy: Free Google accounts are not strictly protected by HIPAA (healthcare privacy laws). Please be careful about typing highly sensitive information (like Social Security numbers) into the form, and make sure you track strict insurance deadlines on your main calendar, too.
  • Share the tool, not your data. Share the link to the blog to help your friends, not your own form.

Longer version

Please read before downloading: This form is a self-help organizational tool provided courtesy of Nixon Speech and Language, LLC. It is not a medical device, a legal record, and does not constitute professional medical or legal advice, nor does it establish a provider-patient relationship. Do not rely solely on this form for critical deadlines. By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

How to set it up

  • Make your copy: Click the link at the bottom of this post and select “Make a copy.”
  • Customize your form: Open your new form and edit the placeholder text.
    • Change the “Who was the call about?” question to list your specific family members.
    • Update the “Which organization did you contact?” question to list your main contacts (e.g., Blue Cross, Aetna, CVS Caremark).
  • Publish the form. Be sure to copy the link after publishing for your use.
  • Save it for easy access:
    • Fillable form: Bookmark the link to your fillable form on your computer (in Google Drive), or save it to your phone’s home screen so you can have it ready to complete during your next call.
    • Bookmark the file used to create the fillable form: This is where you’ll find all your call logs. You can print (or PDF) specific responses or export all responses to sheets.
Make the fillable form an app on your phone
Star the backstage form in Google Drive so you can review responses during calls.
  • Be sure to hit submit when you finish the call. If you don’t, your call log won’t save.

💡 Pro-Tip: Make it a Household Effort!

If you share healthcare duties with a spouse, partner, or adult child, you can use this single form to track everyone’s calls in one central place!

Once you have copied the form to your Google Drive and customized your family’s names, simply click the purple “Send” button at the top right of the screen. You can email the link directly to your partner, or copy the link and text it to them.

Have them save that link to their phone’s home screen. Now, whether it’s you calling the PBM about a prescription or your spouse calling the provider about a bill, all of your notes will feed into the exact same spreadsheet. No more asking, “Wait, what did the insurance rep tell you yesterday?”

The following applies only to those you want to share access to protected health information: If they need to be able to reference all calls for your household/family, be sure to share the backstage link AND fillable form.

📱 Make It an “App” on Your Phone

The easiest way to use this log is to save it directly to your phone’s home screen. That way, you don’t have to dig through your Google Drive every time you make a call.

First, get your fillable link: Open your form on your computer, click the purple “Send” button at the top right, click the link icon (the little chain), and copy that link. Email or text that link to your phone, then follow these steps:

For iPhone (Safari):

  1. Open the link on your phone using the Safari browser.
  2. Tap the Share icon at the very bottom of the screen (it looks like a square with an arrow pointing up).
  3. Scroll down the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  4. Type a short name for it (like “Insurance Log”) and tap Add in the top right corner.

For Android (Chrome):

  1. Open the link on your phone using the Google Chrome browser.
  2. Tap the Menu icon in the top right corner (the three vertical dots).
  3. Scroll down and tap Add to Home screen.
  4. Type a short name for it (like “Insurance Log”) and tap Add.

Now you will have a shiny new icon on your phone right next to your other apps. Just tap it whenever you are on a call!

📂 How to View Your Call History (The form and spreadsheet)

Think of your Google Form like a restaurant. The shortcut you saved to your phone is the “Front Door”—it’s just the menu where you place your new order. To see the history of every call you have ever logged, you have to go “Backstage” into your Google Drive.

Here is how to find your notes:

  1. Go to your Google Drive: On a computer, go to drive.google.com and log in with the exact same Google account you used to copy the template.
  2. Open the “Backstage” File: Find your saved form (e.g., “Healthcare Communication Log”) and double-click to open it. This opens the Editor view.
  3. Click the Responses Tab: At the very top center of the screen, click the word Responses (it is right next to “Questions”).
  4. Create Your Master Spreadsheet: For the best view, look for the little green icon that says “Link to Sheets” (or “View in Sheets”) near the top right of the Responses section.

Clicking that green button will instantly generate a clean, organized Google Spreadsheet containing every single detail of every call you have ever submitted.

Move all the data to Google Sheets
You can see all responses as well by clicking responses at the top.

📄 Need Hard Proof? How to Save a Call as a PDF

If you are filing a formal appeal or need to prove exactly how many times you contacted your insurance company about a specific issue, you can export individual call logs as clean, printable PDF documents.

Here is how to do it:

  1. Go “Backstage” into your form and click the Responses tab.
  2. Instead of looking at the spreadsheet, click the Individual tab (located right next to “Summary” and “Question”).
  3. You will see your form filled out exactly as you submitted it. Use the < and > arrows to flip through your history until you find the specific call you need.
  4. Click the Printer icon at the top right corner of that specific response.
  5. When your computer’s print menu pops up, change the “Destination” or “Printer” from your physical home printer to Save as PDF.

Now you have a professional, timestamped document you can attach directly to an appeal letter or an email to your provider!

PDF an entry

Get the template

Ready to get organized? Click below to copy the template to your Google Drive:

Please read before downloading: This form is a self-help organizational tool provided courtesy of Nixon Speech and Language, LLC. It is not a medical device, a legal record, and does not constitute professional medical or legal advice, nor does it establish a provider-patient relationship. Do not rely solely on this form for critical deadlines. By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

By downloading this template, you acknowledge that you are the sole owner of the data entered and assume all responsibility for securing your personal Google account. Standard, free Google accounts are generally not HIPAA-compliant environments, so please exercise caution when entering highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI).

Remember, share the post, not your data.

By clicking here you acknowledge that you have reviewed the disclaimer.

Information provided in this post by, Stephanie M. Nixon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is provided in good faith. Nixon Speech and Language, LLC makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information.

“Patient’s Log”: Track your Insurance Calls Like a Provider (In 60 seconds)

Written by Stephanie M. Nixon, PhD, CCC-SLP on . Posted in Apps, Chronic illness, Health care, Health Insurance, Navigating health care. No Comments on “Patient’s Log”: Track your Insurance Calls Like a Provider (In 60 seconds)

Stop scribbling on scrap paper. Here is the exact system I use to hold insurance companies accountable (and keep track of what has been said).

In my last post, I talked about the importance of documenting every single interaction with your insurance company. But let’s be honest: when you are managing a chronic illness, working, or just living life, finding a notebook and a working pen while on hold is just one more hurdle.

My husband and I realized early on that we needed a system that was fast, shared, and impossible to lose.

Our solution? A simple Google Form.

It lives as an icon on our phone home screens. When we get on a call, we tap it, fill in the blanks while we talk, and hit submit. It automatically saves everything into a spreadsheet that we can search later.

Why This Works Better Than a Notebook

  1. It Prompts You: You never forget to ask “Who am I speaking with?” because the form requires you to type it in.
  2. It’s Collaborative: If my husband takes a call, I can see the notes instantly on my computer. No more “Did you call them?” arguments.
  3. It Creates a Timeline: When you need to file a grievance (like I did), you just open the spreadsheet and copy-paste the entire history.

The Fields You Need (Steal My Form)

I created a free Google Form with these specific questions. You can copy this exact structure:

  • Patient calling about: (Checkbox: … Names of those in the household, etc.)
  • Date called: (Date picker)
  • Who contacted? (Checkboxes: Benefits, Care Management, CVS Caremark, HR, etc.)
  • Method of contact: (Checkboxes: Phone, Email, Secure Message)
  • Did I record the call? (Yes/No – Check your local laws as many areas require you to ask permission to record.)
    • My Script: “I need to record this call so I have a record of what to do next. Do I have your permission to record?” Note. Be sure to note this to any new call participants.
    • Note: If they say “No,” I immediately ask: “Since you are recording this for quality assurance, can I request a copy of that recording for my records?” (This usually changes the tone of the conversation!)
  • Name of representative: (Crucial! Always ask for this first)
  • Reason for call: (e.g., Prior Authorization, Billing Error, Benefits Question)
  • Summary of call: (What did they say? What did you say?)
  • How long were you on the call? (This is important evidence for complaints)
  • Action items: (What did the representative promise to do? What do you need to do?)
  • Follow-up date: (When should you check back?)
Header for your form.
Settings for the form. Some are personal, but this let’s me and Josh know who entered the data.
I have the email addresses required by default and the same for questions. (You can set some as not required.)

How to Set It Up

  1. Go to forms.google.com and click “Blank Form.”
  2. Add the questions listed above.
  3. Click “Send,” copy the link, and email it to yourself and your spouse/caregiver.
  4. Pro Tip: Open the link on your phone, tap “Share” (iOS) or the menu dots (Android), and select “Add to Home Screen.” Now it looks and acts just like an app.

The Result

When my pharmacy billing nightmare happened, I didn’t have to rely on my foggy memory. I opened my spreadsheet and saw exactly who disconnected on me on January 29th, and exactly what “Curtis” told me on February 6th.

That data wasn’t just notes; it was evidence. And evidence is the only thing that wins insurance appeals.

Disclaimer: I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and person with chronic illness, not an insurance broker or attorney. This post shares my personal experience and is not intended as legal or financial advice.

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Progress

Written by Stephanie M. Nixon, PhD, CCC-SLP on . Posted in Conversations, Education, Health care, Institute of Education Sciences, Learning Disabilities, NIH, Research, Research funding. No Comments on Progress

What is progress?

Merriam-Webster includes the following in the definitions of progress:

  • “a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal) : ADVANCE”
  • “a gradual betterment especially: the progressive development of human kind”
  • “to move forward: PROCEED”
  • “to develop a higher, better, or more advanced stage”
Know history – diverse history. Use research to improve education and healthcare so we can move forward not backward.
Image created by Dr. Nixon’s description provided to Adobe AI.

Imagine.

Pause. Imagine that it’s 1990. You are in a wheelchair. You do the same work as your peers, but you get paid less. You can’t go to a movie theater because there aren’t accessible seats.

Do we really want to go back to that?

That was life before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that includes Section 504. Section 504, the section being the one currently being challenged by attorneys general in 17 different states with Texas v. Becerra.

In an essay written in Time on February 19, 2025, Rebekah Taussig wrote:

“In many ways, Section 504 has operated as an almost invisible protection – easy to take for granted. And in doing so, we’ve been able to continue the fiction that disability is something that happens only to others. The undeniable fact is that every one of us will acquire a disability if we live long enough. Disability is an experience we can move in and out of over the course of our lives, and disabled people are the only minority group anyone can become a part of at any moment. Section 504 is not a law for “those people.” …

As with much of U.S. politics right now, Texas v Becerra feels like a reckless attempt to pull us back to a former time. But there is one crucial difference between 1977 and 2025. More than one generation of disabled children has grown up under the protections Section 504 provides us. And while the politicians are still reciting the same script, our revolutionary predecessors gave us a new story. We are a valuable part of our communities, we belong here, and we’ve been shown how to fight.”

Civil Rights Protections aren’t Red Tape

Why do you think civil rights laws such as ADA, the Civil Rights of 1964, and Individuals with Disability Education Act of 1990 (among others) were passed?

It was because people were (and still are, just check Supreme Court Cases) treated differently based on their race, religion, national origin, (dis)ability, gender (and gender identity), and sexual orientation.

Image created by Nixon Speech and Language, LLC.

Recently, the Trump administration froze the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and changed the board of the EEOC in a manner that has many concerned. These groups are there to protect people’s civil rights against discrimination by employers, schools, businesses, landlords, law enforcement, and more.

If you think that shouldn’t be a concern, just take a look at what Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga) said when asked about school lunches after Trump proposed a federal funding freeze that could affect nutrition support for children: “Before I was even 13 years old, I was picking berries in the field, before child labor laws that precluded that. I was a paperboy and when was I was in high school; I worked my entire way through”.

Use of the phrase “back in my day” to dismiss concerns

Just because something was one way in 1954, doesn’t mean it should continue – particularly when it comes to civil rights.

Disclaimer. This post is not medical or legal advice.

The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It is based on historical research, analysis, and interpretation, which may be subject to varying perspectives and ongoing scholarly debate. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, I do not guarantee its completeness or infallibility. Historical accounts can be complex and nuanced, and my interpretations reflect my understanding of the available sources at the time of writing.

This blog post may also contain personal opinions and reflections on the historical events and figures discussed. These opinions are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of others. They are offered as a basis for discussion and further exploration of the topic.

Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult multiple sources to form their own informed opinions. I am open to respectful discussion and feedback on the content of this blog post, and I acknowledge that historical understanding can evolve over time. Any errors or omissions brought to my attention will be considered and, where appropriate, corrected.

By reading this blog post, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms of this disclaimer.



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