Acute Care Hospital Setting Option

The Acute Care Hospital Setting Option is a specialized Medicaid waiver provision that allows specific Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) to continue while a participant is temporarily admitted to a short-term, acute care hospital.

Historically, Medicaid waiver services are suspended during a hospital stay because the hospital is funded to provide total care. However, because hospital staff lack specialized training in developmental disabilities, this option allows a participant's regular Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to come into the hospital to preserve the individual's communication, behavioral, and personal routines.