Arkansas saw 21 behavioral health providers added to the CMS NPI registry this year, with none appearing in the latest weekly update. This represents 0% of the national weekly total, indicating a very limited recent expansion compared to other states. The 21 new providers for the year are split between 19 individuals and 2 organizations.
ABA Workforce Snapshot
Within this group, 11 providers are identified with the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) taxonomy. Notably, there were no Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) or dual BCBA+RBT credentials recorded in this update. This absence of new BCBAs, who are responsible for supervising RBTs, suggests a potential challenge for expanding supervised ABA services in the state, as RBTs require direct oversight from a BCBA to practice. The data also includes 2 providers with a Qualified Behavioral Health Professional (QBHP) credential, though their listed taxonomies are not directly within ABA.
Demographic Insights
The individual providers in Arkansas are predominantly female, with 13 individuals (68%) identifying as female. Male providers account for 5 individuals (26%), and 1 individual (5%) identifies as nonbinary. The top cities for these new providers include Jonesboro, Little Rock, Fort Smith, Hot Springs, and Searcy, indicating a distribution across various population centers. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in this update.
The current data, particularly the lack of new BCBAs alongside the addition of RBTs, suggests that while the direct service workforce is growing, the supervisory capacity for ABA services in Arkansas may face constraints without a corresponding increase in certified supervisors.
