Iowa's behavioral health sector recorded 45 total providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update. This represents a very small fraction of the national weekly total, indicating a relatively modest volume of new or updated provider entries compared to larger states. Of these, 19 were new this week and 20 were new this year, suggesting a slow but steady growth in the state's behavioral health professional landscape.
Credential Mix and Supervision Capacity
For the ABA workforce specifically, the data identifies 4 providers associated with the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) credential or taxonomy, and 3 providers associated with the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) credential or taxonomy. It's important to note that these counts reflect the presence of the credential or taxonomy, not necessarily mutually exclusive categories. No providers in this update held dual BCBA and RBT credentials. This unusual ratio, with a higher number of BCBAs than RBTs, suggests a very nascent or specialized ABA workforce in Iowa, potentially limiting the scalability of direct ABA services that typically rely on RBT-level care under BCBA supervision.
Workforce Demographics
Among the 35 individual providers, the workforce is predominantly female, with 26 women comprising 74%. Male providers account for 7 individuals, or 20%, while 2 individuals identify as nonbinary, making up 6%. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in this update to indicate a dominant multi-state employer presence.
Overall, this data suggests a developing but still limited ABA workforce in Iowa, with a broader behavioral health landscape dominated by other mental health professionals, which could impact access to specialized ABA services across the state.
