Iowa recorded 51 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, representing 1% of the national weekly total. Of these, 25 were new this week. This smaller volume suggests a developing behavioral health market in Iowa, with steady but not rapid growth in its provider base.
ABA Workforce Dynamics
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector, the data shows 2 BCBA credentials and 9 RBT credentials. One of the BCBAs also holds an LBA, indicating state licensure. Notably, there were no individuals holding both BCBA and RBT credentials in this update. The ratio of RBTs to BCBAs, at nearly five RBTs for every BCBA, highlights a potential supervision bottleneck, which could limit the capacity for RBTs to deliver direct services and impact access to ABA therapy. Beyond ABA, other prominent behavioral health professionals include 5 LMHCs, 3 LMSWs, and 3 LISWs, reflecting a diverse range of mental health services.
Provider Demographics
Of the 39 individual providers, the workforce exhibits a clear gender distribution: 32 (82%) are female, 6 (15%) are male, and 1 (3%) identifies as nonbinary. This strong female majority aligns with broader trends in the behavioral health field. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in this week's data, suggesting a landscape of independent practices or smaller organizations rather than dominance by multi-state chains.
This data suggests that while Iowa's behavioral health workforce is growing, particularly in the RBT segment, increasing the number of supervising BCBAs will be crucial for expanding ABA access and ensuring service quality across the state.
