Which is the correct expansion of the CHEAP acronym used in progress notes?

• A. Chief concern, History, Exam, Assessment and Plan
• B. Chief complaint, History, Exam, Analysis and Plan
• C. Chief complaint, History, Examination, Assessment and Plan
• D. Chief complaint, History, Exam, Assessment and Plan

Answer: (D)

The key idea is the standard structure of progress notes, which follows a concise, five-part flow: Chief complaint (the main reason the patient seeks care), History (background information and context), Exam (the current physical findings from the examination), Assessment (the clinician’s diagnostic thinking or working diagnosis), and Plan (the recommended treatment or next steps). The exact expansion used for this acronym fits: Chief complaint, History, Exam, Assessment, and Plan. That’s why the option with those terms in that order is the best fit.

Why the others don’t fit as well: the first option uses Chief concern instead of Chief complaint, which isn’t the canonical phrasing for this acronym. The second option replaces Assessment with Analysis, which changes the meaning of the middle portion. The third option uses Examination instead of Exam; while similar in meaning, the standard CHEAP expansion uses the shorter form “Exam” to align with the acronym.