Which of the following is unstructured data?

• A. ICD-10-CM code
• B. ICD-10-PCS code
• C. Progress note
• D. CPT code

Answer: (C)

Unstructured data are free-text records that don’t fit into fixed fields, capturing narrative details in prose. A progress note fits this description because it’s a clinician-written narrative describing patient status, exam findings, plan, and changes over time. It contains rich, unstructured clinical detail that isn’t captured in predefined data fields.

By contrast, the other items are standardized codes with set formats used for tagging diagnoses or procedures. ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS are diagnostic and procedure code sets, and CPT codes are procedure codes; they’re designed to be discrete, machine-readable data elements that fit into structured data systems. In CDI and analytics, these structured codes are ready for reporting, while progress notes often require processing to extract structured information from the text.