Mississippi added 39 behavioral health providers to the CMS NPI registry this week. While this represents less than 1% of the national weekly total, the state saw 1 new provider registered this week, contributing to a total of 22 new providers added this year. This indicates a consistent, albeit modest, growth in the state's behavioral health workforce.
ABA Workforce Composition
Focusing on the applied behavior analysis (ABA) workforce, the data indicates 3 BCBA credentials and 1 RBT credential. Notably, 1 provider holds both BCBA and RBT credentials. This means the single RBT credential recorded is held by an individual also credentialed as a BCBA, and two other providers hold only the BCBA credential. This unusual composition suggests a significant gap in the entry-level RBT workforce, which is crucial for scaling direct ABA services. Beyond ABA, the state's registry also includes other key behavioral health professionals, with 5 LPCs, 4 LCSWs, and 6 PCMHTs.
Provider Demographics and Organizational Presence
Among the 32 individual providers, the workforce shows a strong female representation, with 29 individuals identifying as female, accounting for 91%. Conversely, 3 individuals identified as male, making up 9%. The update also included 7 organizations, though no multi-state ABA chains were specifically identified in this week's data. This suggests a landscape dominated by individual practitioners and smaller, potentially local, organizational entities.
The current data highlights a critical need for more RBTs in Mississippi to support the existing BCBA capacity and improve access to applied behavior analysis services across the state.
