Arizona's behavioral health sector experienced a notable increase in the latest CMS NPI registry update, with a total of 163 providers added. This represents 2% of the national weekly total. A significant portion, 96 providers, were new registrations this week alone, accounting for almost all of the 99 new providers added to the registry for the entire year to date. This indicates a concentrated and recent surge in NPI applications within the state.
ABA Workforce Composition
Focusing on the ABA workforce, the data shows 20 BCBA professionals and 68 RBT individuals. It is important to note that the BCBA count includes individuals holding credentials such as 'MS, BCBA' (2) and 'MA, BCBA, LBA' (1), which are variations of the BCBA certification. No providers held dual BCBA and RBT credentials in this cohort. The resulting ratio of approximately 3.4 RBTs for every BCBA is lower than the typical industry standard of 8-10:1, suggesting a strong supervisory capacity relative to direct service providers, or a high influx of BCBAs. Beyond ABA, the update also included other behavioral health professionals, such as 7 LCSWs and 7 LPCs.
Provider Demographics and Organizational Footprint
Among the 124 individual providers, 96 were female, representing 77% of the individual workforce, while 20 were male (16%), and 8 identified as nonbinary (6%). Several organizations appeared multiple times, indicating multi-site operations or diverse service lines. "HELPING OURSELVES PURSUE ENRICHMENT, INC." was listed 6 times across its various entries, and the multi-state ABA provider "BLUE SPRIG PEDIATRICS, INC" appeared 2 times.
This data suggests a rapidly expanding behavioral health workforce in Arizona, particularly within the ABA sector, with a favorable BCBA-to-RBT ratio that could support increased access to services.
