Rhode Island saw 81 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry update, contributing 0% of the national weekly total. This indicates a minimal share of new national provider activity for the state. Of these, 10 providers were newly enrolled this week, with 14 new enrollments recorded this year.
ABA Workforce Snapshot
The data reveals a stark picture for the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) workforce in Rhode Island. There are 0 BCBA credentials and only 1 RBT credential reported in this update. This significant absence of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) means there is virtually no supervisory capacity for ABA services. While the state added other behavioral health professionals, including 16 LICSW providers and 10 LMHC providers, the lack of BCBAs presents a critical barrier to expanding access to ABA therapy and developing a robust RBT workforce.
Provider Demographics and Organizations
Among the 76 individual providers, the workforce is predominantly female, with 75% identifying as female, compared to 25% male individuals. No nonbinary providers were reported. The data does not indicate any specific organizations appearing multiple times, suggesting a fragmented landscape rather than the presence of dominant multi-state ABA chains like Blue Sprig or Action Behavior Centers in this particular update.
The current data suggests that while Rhode Island is seeing some growth in general behavioral health roles, the severe shortage of BCBAs will significantly hinder the expansion and accessibility of supervised ABA services for its residents.
