Kansas saw a total of 69 behavioral health providers added to the CMS NPI registry this week, representing 1% of the national weekly total. This consistent, albeit smaller, share highlights ongoing, albeit modest, growth in the state's behavioral health workforce. Notably, only 1 new provider was added this week, contributing to 40 new providers added this year.
Credentialing Landscape
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) field, the state added 5 Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and 24 Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) this week. A key observation from this data is the absence of individuals holding both BCBA and RBT credentials simultaneously (0 dual BCBA+RBT credentials), suggesting that among this week's additions, no RBTs were newly credentialed as BCBAs while maintaining their RBT status. However, 3 individuals hold a state-level Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) credential layered onto their BCBA certification, signifying advanced licensure for some BCBAs. The ratio of RBTs to BCBAs (24 RBTs to 5 BCBAs) indicates a significant reliance on direct service providers, which requires robust supervision capacity from BCBAs.
Workforce Demographics
The individual provider demographic data shows a strong female presence, with 57 female providers making up 89% of the individual additions. There were 3 male providers (5%) and 4 nonbinary providers (6%). Among the 5 organizational providers, no dominant multi-state chains were identified in this week's update. The largest cities for new providers include Wichita, Overland Park, Lawrence, Topeka, and Basehor.
This data suggests a continued expansion of the ABA workforce in Kansas, particularly at the RBT level, but the low number of new BCBAs this week and the absence of dual BCBA+RBT credentials indicate a potential bottleneck in career progression and supervision capacity that warrants further monitoring for state workforce development initiatives.
