> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.missionviewpoint.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 📬ABA Mission Viewpoint Monthly Update – October 2025 - URL: https://www.missionviewpoint.com/aba-mission-viewpoint-monthly-update-october-2025/ - Published: 2025-10-15T00:30:39.000Z - Updated: 2025-10-15T00:34:41.000Z - Author: Scott Dickson - Tags: Newsletter --- #### **The Mission of ABA Mission** 👉To drive more—and better—access to ABA care through the smarter use of technology and data. --- ### **Welcome to the October 2025 Monthly Update** This month’s theme is **Process** **Design** *before* **Technology Platform Decision.** ABA therapy is **a uniquely process-intensive field**. Scheduling, authorizations, documentation, and billing each touch multiple roles, systems, and data points. The strongest organizations are realizing that ***how* these pieces fit together matters just as much as the tools they use**. IMO, the right sequence looks like this: **1) Table stakes** — the essential functions **every ABA provider must execute reliably** (session notes, claims accuracy, compliance, secure data flow). **2) Best practices** — the proven methods that make those **table-stake processes efficient and repeatable.** **3) Differentiators** — the elements that **express what makes your organization distinct**: your clinical model, your family experience, your workforce culture, your growth strategy. **4) Process design** — the **deliberate alignment** of table stakes, best practices, and differentiators into **workflows that define how your business operates**. **5) Platform selection** — the final step, **choosing technology that supports**—not dictates—those processes. Providers who follow this sequence **find that technology decisions become clearer and easier**. The goal isn’t to make platforms do everything; it’s to **design processes that let technology amplify what already works**. Below are links to this month’s posts—each exploring how **thoughtful process design drives platform alignment and operational strength.** --- ## **After Intake: Should CRM Still Play a Role in ABA?** Most ABA organizations **forget about CRM after intake** and miss opportunities for strong engagement afterwards. [This post](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/after-intake-should-crm-still-play-a-role-in-aba/) **shows how CRM can extend its value throughout the client journey**: managing reschedules, gathering feedback, and facilitating family engagement through secure communication. **Takeaway**: Engagement is a differentiator, and well-designed processes turn CRM into a lasting relationship system—not just a marketing and intake tool. ***Hint: CRM support for shared video (both ways) will become a game-changer***. --- ## **The Vanishing Therapist** The most overlooked drop-off in ABA happens *after* the offer is accepted and *before* the first session is delivered. In that gap—**where no single system tracks readiness, engagement, or emotional connection**—many new hires quietly disappear. [**This piece**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/from-offer-to-impact/) examines how fragmented workflows across ATS, HR, and Practice Management systems **leave the “pre-service” phase unmanaged**, and how structured milestones, cohort onboarding, and empathetic automation can close the gap. **Takeaway:** Retention starts *before day one*. Providers who design and automate the transition from offer to first session—across platforms and people—**turn attrition risk into culture-building opportunity**. --- ## **How to Pick an HR Platform That Fits ABA** HR in ABA isn’t just payroll and onboarding—**it’s about credentialing, performance management, and staff retention** \- and keeping high-turnover teams connected to operations. [**This article**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/choosing-the-right-hr-platform-for-aba-providers/) breaks down ***three tiers*** of HR systems: **horizontal tools** for startups and small clinics, **extensible HR + Ops platforms** for mid-sized groups needing automation, and **ABA-focused systems** for large, multi-state providers. **Takeaway:** Select an HR platform that matches your organization’s scale, complexity, and growth plan—so **your workforce systems evolve in step with your operations**. --- ## **Manage Your Vendors—or Be Managed by Them** Even if platform selection follows process design, you can’t set it and forget it. [**This post**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/manage-your-vendors-or-be-managed-by-them/) explores a dynamic vendor landscape. And, without active oversight, you risk being managed by your software instead of the other way around. **Takeaway:** Treat vendor management as **an ongoing discipline**—stay engaged, track issues, and protect alignment as your operations evolve. --- ## **Operator Spotlight: How InBloom turned Scheduling into a Culture Win** [**This month’s Operator Spotlight**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/operator-spotlight-how-inbloom-reframed-scheduling-as-a-strategic-advantage/) features [**InBloom Autism Services**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/provider-profile-inbloom-autism-services/), a provider that began its platform journey by mapping internal processes first. By analyzing how scheduling, supervision, and reporting actually worked, leadership rebuilt workflows that later shaped implementation—**turning technology adoption from a reaction into a strategic differentiator**. A key factor in their success: **Jessica Berger**, **previously** **a clinician with strong operational instincts**. She translated daily realities into a scalable system design that leveraged [**TheraDriver**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/platform-profile-theradriver/) scheduling capabilities. **Takeaway:** When clinicians understand operations, **process design becomes sharpe**r—and technology delivers real leverage. --- ## **DRBI: A Potential Turning Point for Autism Care** Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions (DRBI) isn’t guaranteed to become the next dominant autism therapy model. **But if it does, the impact will be profound**. [**A real shift toward DRBI would require a complete rethinking of process flows and platform architectures**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/investors-bet-on-drbi-positive-developments-51-5m-raise-and-the-tech-behind-it/)—from supervision and session structures to parent engagement, data capture, and outcome reporting. **Takeaway:** At present, **Positive Development** is the only major organization building the infrastructure to **operationalize DRBI at scale**, highlighting both the promise and the readiness gap across the field. --- ## **The Best De Novo Decisions Start with Meaningful Data** Many ABA providers **still open new clinics on instinct**—following demand signals or available staff—***but gut feel doesn’t scale***. [**This piece**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/de-novo-decisions-start-in-the-data-mine/) explores how critical de novo data **already exists** across workforce, payor, and referral systems, **yet remains fragmented and hard to use**. **Takeaway:** The challenge isn’t finding data—**it’s connecting it**. Solving that integration gap will require collaboration between providers and platforms, **a topic I’ll unpack in future posts**. --- #### [**ABA Platform Highlights**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/aba-tech-platform-directory/) - [**CentralReach**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/platform-card-centralreach/) → launched *ClaimAcceleratorAI*, an AI-powered claims recovery tool improving cash flow and efficiency. - [**Passage Health**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/platform-card-passage-health/) → expanded mobile scheduling, billing, and introduced an *Authorization Utilization Report* for real-time visibility into hours and authorizations. - [**Artemis ABA Inc.**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/platform-card-artemis-aba-by-plutus-health/) → became the first *NADR-compatible* platform, easing participation in [**Jade Health**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/platform-card-jade-health/)'s National Autism Data Registry. - **AlohaABA**→ expanding beyond ABA into OT, PT, and speech therapy. - [**Brellium**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/platform-card-brellium/) → released an *E/M Coding Module* for encounter-level compliance visibility. - [**Hipp Health** ](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/platform-card-hipp-health/)→ raised **$6.2 M** to extend its behavioral health platform, starting with ABA. - **ABA Toolbox** → secured **AWS-led funding** and joined *NVIDIA’s startup program*, advancing its AI-enabled collaborative-care model. --- #### [**ABA Provider Highlights**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/aba-providers/) - Growth among the Top 20 slowed to \~1.0% MoM, though mid-sized **SOAR Autism Center** and **Yellow Bus ABA** continue to outpace peers. - [**ABA Centers of America**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/provider-profile-aba-centers-of-america/) entered the Top 20, replacing [**Acorn Health**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/provider-card-acorn-health/). - **Westside Children’s Therapy** received investment from **Brentwood Capital Advisors**, one of the few notable provider deals this year. --- #### [**ABA Events and Conferences**](https://www.missionviewpoint.com/aba-events/) - **CR Unite (Chicago, Oct 20–22)** → I’ll be attending alongside some of my clients. Of particular interest—for them and for me—is not just CR’s investment in AI-driven products, but how it’s enabling providers to **integrate and manage their EHR data with other platforms and datasets** to create truly actionable intelligence. - **Autism Investor Summit East (Arlington, VA, Nov 23)** → I’ll also be attending, continuing conversations with investors and operators shaping the future of autism services. If you’re attending **either event**, I’m happy to connect—just reach out and we can set up a time to meet. --- #### **Closing Thoughts** The past month reinforced a clear pattern: platforms keep evolving, but true leverage comes from how providers **design their processes, define their differentiators, and manage their technology relationships**. Stack choices matter—but **process discipline** is what turns those tools into scale. Until next time. — Scott **P.S.** Know someone leading ops, tech, or investment in ABA? 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