Iowa saw 47 behavioral health providers added to the CMS NPI registry in the latest weekly update, with 23 new registrations occurring this week. This represents 0% of the national weekly total, indicating a relatively modest but consistent growth in the state's behavioral health workforce. Of these, 41 are individual practitioners and 6 are organizations, reflecting a mix of independent providers and growing clinics.
ABA Workforce Composition
Focusing on applied behavior analysis, the data shows 5 providers with BCBA taxonomy and 13 providers with RBT taxonomy. There were no individuals reported with dual BCBA and RBT credentials in this update. The ratio of RBTs to BCBAs is approximately 2.6 to 1. This relatively low ratio, compared to national averages which can be much higher, suggests either a nascent ABA market in Iowa with a strong emphasis on supervision, or that many RBTs are supervised by BCBAs who were registered in previous periods.
Provider Demographics
Among the 41 individual providers, the workforce shows a significant female representation, with 27 individuals (66%) identifying as female. Male providers account for 6 individuals (15%), and 8 individuals (20%) identify as nonbinary. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in this week's update. The top cities for new registrations include Des Moines, Ankeny, North Liberty, Davenport, and Johnston, indicating growth in both urban and suburban areas.
This data suggests a steady, albeit small, expansion of Iowa's behavioral health workforce, particularly within the ABA sector, which could improve access to care across the state, especially in the identified growth areas.
