Missouri added 133 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry weekly update, representing 1% of the national total. This steady, albeit smaller, influx of new professionals indicates consistent growth in the state's behavioral health sector, signaling an ongoing demand for services.
ABA Workforce Composition
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) field, the update shows 6 BCBA credentials and 21 RBT credentials. It is important to note that these credential counts are based on primary designations and do not include any providers holding both BCBA and RBT credentials in this week's data. The resulting RBT to BCBA ratio of approximately 3.5 to 1 is notably low for the industry, suggesting a favorable supervision capacity where each BCBA oversees fewer RBTs. This could indicate a strong focus on direct BCBA service delivery, or a relatively new RBT workforce still developing under existing BCBA supervision, ensuring robust oversight for new technicians.
Provider Demographics and Organizational Presence
Of the 119 individual providers, 106 (89%) are female and 13 (11%) are male, a gender distribution consistent with broader trends in the behavioral health workforce. This week's data did not show any organizations appearing multiple times in the new registrations, suggesting a diverse entry of smaller practices or new entities rather than significant expansion by established multi-state chains like Blue Sprig or Action Behavior Centers.
This snapshot suggests a growing, albeit small, ABA workforce in Missouri with a strong supervisory foundation, which is crucial for maintaining quality of care as the field expands.
