The CMS NPPES registry recorded 178 NPI deactivations within the Behavioral Health Providers segment this week, from July 20 to July 26, 2026. Of these, 176 records had retrievable names in Hipa.ai's cache, while 2 records were scrubbed by CMS in accordance with privacy policies. The majority of deactivations, 148, were for individual providers, with 28 deactivations for organizations. California led the states with the highest number of deactivations, accounting for 35 records, or 20% of the total.

Geographic Patterns in Deactivations

Geographically, California's 35 deactivations represented the largest share at 20%, indicating a significant volume of administrative changes in this large state's behavioral health sector. Florida and Texas each saw 9 deactivations, making up 5% of the total for each state. Ohio followed closely with 8 deactivations, also 5%. New York and Oregon each recorded 7 deactivations, or 4%. The concentration of deactivations in these populous states often correlates with their larger overall provider populations and the natural administrative churn that occurs in active healthcare markets.

Key Behavioral Health Roles Affected

Among the 176 named deactivated providers, several key behavioral health taxonomies were prominent. Mental Health Counselors accounted for the largest group with 26 deactivations, representing 15% of the named records. Clinical Social Workers followed with 22 deactivations, or 13%. Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) saw 21 deactivations, comprising 12% of the named records. Addiction (Substance Use Disorder) Counselors and Community/Behavioral Health Agencies each had 16 and 15 deactivations respectively, each making up 9%. Other notable categories included Counselors and Specialists, both with 13 deactivations, or 7% each, and Professional Counselors with 11 deactivations, or 6%. This mix of individual practitioners and organizational entities, with 148 individuals and 28 organizations deactivated, reflects the diverse professional landscape within the behavioral health sector.

Context of NPI Deactivations

It is important to understand that NPI deactivations are administrative status changes within the federal NPPES registry. They do not, by themselves, signify license actions, malpractice, or that a provider has ceased practicing entirely. Such changes can occur for various reasons, including providers retiring, changing their practice entity type, obtaining a new NPI, or due to clerical updates within the registry. The consistent flow of deactivations year over year reflects the routine maintenance of the national provider database and the natural evolution and churn within the U.S. healthcare workforce, as the registry ages and providers' circumstances change.