Tennessee saw 128 behavioral health providers added in the latest CMS NPI registry update, accounting for 1% of the national weekly total. Of these, 83 new this week signal active growth in the state's behavioral health sector. The majority, 111, are individual practitioners, with 17 organizations also registering.
ABA Workforce Composition
Within the applied behavior analysis field, the update shows 25 providers with BCBA credentials and 42 with RBT credentials. It's important to note that these are credential counts and not mutually exclusive, as 2 individuals hold both BCBA and RBT credentials, indicating career progression. The ratio of RBTs to BCBAs, approximately 1.7 to 1, is significantly lower than typical supervision ratios (e.g., 1:8 or 1:10). This suggests a potential constraint on the capacity for BCBA supervision, which is crucial for expanding direct ABA service delivery.
Provider Demographics
Of the 111 individual providers, 81% are female, 10% are male, and 9% identify as nonbinary. No single organization appeared multiple times in this week's new registrations. Key cities like Nashville, Knoxville, Cleveland, Clarksville, and Chattanooga saw new providers. This data points to ongoing, albeit potentially imbalanced, growth in Tennessee's behavioral health workforce, with a clear need to bolster BCBA ranks to support the RBT workforce and improve overall ABA access.
