Montana's behavioral health sector saw 22 total providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, representing 0% of the national weekly total. This low concentration indicates a limited overall influx of new behavioral health professionals, with only 6 new providers added this week. Of these, 15 were individuals and 7 were organizations.
Credential Landscape and ABA Workforce
Crucially for the ABA industry, this week's data for Montana shows no new NPIs with BCBA or RBT credentials. This means the state did not add any Board Certified Behavior Analysts or Registered Behavior Technicians in this update, suggesting a static or declining ABA workforce in this specific period. Instead, the update highlighted other behavioral health professionals, including 3 LCSWs and 2 LCPCs, along with individuals holding dual credentials such as LCPC, LAC, or LCSW, LAC, indicating activity in broader mental health and addiction counseling fields. The absence of new ABA-specific credentials raises concerns about the state's capacity to expand access to ABA services.
Provider Demographics and Geographic Focus
Among the 15 individual providers, the workforce is predominantly female, with 11 women making up 73%. Male providers account for 4 individuals, or 27%. No nonbinary providers were reported in this update. No specific organizations appeared multiple times in the data to indicate a dominant employer. Activity was concentrated in cities such as Billings, Missoula, Butte, Great Falls, and Whitefish, suggesting these are key areas for behavioral health service delivery.
This snapshot suggests that Montana's behavioral health workforce growth is currently not driven by ABA professionals, potentially limiting the expansion of ABA services and supervision capacity within the state.
