Which should NOT be considered when determining compliance with the timely initiation of care measure?

In the context of determining compliance with the timely initiation of care measure, the focus is on the aspects directly related to the initiation of home health services. The day an insurance company approves home health visits is not a factor that should be considered when assessing if care has been timely initiated. The timely initiation of care specifically looks at the sequence of events leading up to the start of patient care, such as physician orders and patient discharge from an inpatient facility, which have direct implications on the initiation of the home health episode.

The other elements—such as the requirement for physician orders and verification of ongoing care by the certifying physician, along with the patient's discharge date—are crucial components for establishing a timeline for when services should begin. These factors ensure that there is a clear protocol followed in the transition from an inpatient setting to home health care, emphasizing the responsibility of healthcare providers to initiate timely and appropriate care based on clinical needs rather than administrative processes like insurance approval. Thus, the approval of the insurance company does not align with the clinical and operational timelines necessary for assessing compliance with timely initiation of care.