Puerto Rico's behavioral health sector saw 17 total providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, with 8 new registrations occurring this week alone. While this represents 0% of the national weekly total, indicating a minimal contribution to overall U.S. growth, these new additions are significant for the island's local workforce, accounting for the majority of the 9 new providers registered this year. The new entries include 12 individuals and 5 organizations, reflecting a mix of solo practitioners and institutional growth.
ABA Workforce Dynamics
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) field, the data reveals a critical shortage of supervisory professionals. Only 1 RBT credential was recorded among the new entries, with 0 BCBA credentials. This severe imbalance highlights a significant challenge for delivering ethical and effective ABA services, as RBTs require direct supervision from BCBAs. Beyond ABA, the new providers include a diverse set of other credentials such as 1 MSW, 1 M.S., 1 MS, 1 PSY.D, 1 MD, and 1 SLP, indicating a broader range of behavioral health and related services.
Provider Demographics
Of the 12 individual providers, the workforce demonstrates a clear gender distribution: 9 (75%) are female and 3 (25%) are male. No organizations appeared multiple times in this week's update. The new providers are distributed across various locations, with top cities including San Juan, Mayaguez, and Guaynabo.
The current NPI data suggests significant hurdles for expanding ABA access in Puerto Rico due to the acute lack of BCBA supervisors, underscoring a pressing need for targeted workforce development initiatives focused on advanced certification within the ABA field.
