Washington added 196 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry weekly update, representing 2% of the national total. This modest share suggests a stable, rather than explosive, growth trajectory for behavioral health services in the state.
ABA Workforce Composition
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector, the data shows 9 BCBA credentials and 42 RBT credentials. It is important to note that these figures are not mutually exclusive, as 2 individuals hold both BCBA and RBT credentials, often reflecting career progression from direct service provision to supervisory roles. The resulting ratio of approximately 4.7 RBTs for every BCBA indicates a significant need for BCBA supervisors to support the growing RBT workforce and ensure adequate oversight of direct care.
Provider Demographics and Key Organizations
Of the 170 individual providers registered, 75% are female, 21% are male, and 4% identify as nonbinary, a gender distribution consistent with broader trends in the behavioral health field. Among organizations, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation appeared 2 times in the new registrations, signaling their active presence in the Washington provider landscape.
This data suggests that while Washington is seeing an increase in direct service providers, the current BCBA-to-RBT ratio may pose a challenge for scaling ABA services efficiently and maintaining high-quality supervision across the state.
