📬ABA Mission Viewpoint Monthly Update – September 2025

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 September 2025 Monthly Update

As summer winds down, four themes keep surfacing in my conversations with providers, platforms, and investors: revenue, data, clinicians, and diagnostics. Each one reflects a different tension in how ABA scales—and together, they sketch a picture of where the field may be heading.

I had the recent privilege of being highlighted on a Motivity Motivator Podcast. I really enjoyed the chance to share insights with Smith Anderson and Emaley McCulloch. Watch here

ABA Tech Stack – Platform Highlights

• CentralReach → acquired SpectrumAi + AI.Measures
• Passage Health → expanded claims management, certification tracking, and mobile scheduling
• Frontera → launched Fellowship Program for clinician entrepreneurs (with Passage support)
• Floreo → announced Coach Browser Experience (sessions without iPad)
• RethinkFirst → rolled out session note AI + Raintree billing partnership
• ABA Schedules → partnered with TherapyPM
• Plutus Health + RethinkFirst → both recognized on Inc. 5000

ABA Provider Highlights

• Mid-tier providers keep the momentum. While Top 20 growth slowed to just 1.3%, groups like SOAR (+7% MoM) and Yellow Bus ABA (+11% MoM) continue to outpace larger peers—showing how smaller operators can gain share through organic expansion and agility.
• M&A still missing at the top. Q2 came and went with almost no large-scale ABA deals—continuing what I’ve called a “bet I want to lose.” The lone exception was Behavior Frontiers, recently bought out and standing alone among the Top 20 as active in transactions. The broader stasis underscores how investors remain cautious, even as operational challenges mount.

Operator Spotlight – 360 Behavioral Health

This month’s spotlight features 360 Behavioral Health, showcasing a Top 20 ABA Provider that made a winning bet on a next-gen tech stack that enables flexibility and connectivity.

Why it matters:

• Built on Lumary’s Salesforce infrastructure, 360BH has built extensibility into their ABA tech stack.
• The Hi Rasmus integration shows how ABA platforms can align with clinician-preferred data collection tools.
• Their stack illustrates a broader trend: providers pursuing configurable frameworks that align operations and clinical data that is visible and actionable.

Industry Insights

Here’s a look at three recent topics, each pointing to a different fault line in ABA growth strategy:

• Why RCM Matters in ABA → Outsourcing vs. in-house, vendors vs. tech platforms, and why caregiver-facing communication makes RCM a brand issue.
• Clinicians First → The rise of infrastructure platforms (Tilly, 3Y, Alpaca, Finni) that empower BCBAs to build practices under their own brand.
• Diagnostics - the Next Opportunity disguised as a Bottleneck → In-house, external, and platform-enabled models—and why payor acceptance will define the future.

ABA Events and Conferences

As the ABA landscape continues to evolve, these key events provide valuable opportunities for networking and learning:

• CR Unite (Chicago, Oct 20-22)
  Join me at the CentralReach annual user conference for insights on platform innovations, AI applications, and more. Let’s connect if you’re attending!
• Autism Investor Summit East (Arlington, VA, Nov 23)
  I’m still considering attending AIS East this November to explore new investment opportunities in ABA tech. Let me know if you’re attending—it might be the nudge I need!

Closing Thoughts

September always feels like a reset. Kids head back to school, teams return from summer breaks, and strategies set earlier in the year get tested against real operational pressures. Across ABA, I’m seeing providers pause and ask harder questions about what comes next: Do we double down on growth? Do we tighten operations? Do we rethink our tech stack?

It’s no surprise that my own consulting work has picked up in recent weeks—especially with providers trying to map out their next steps before year-end. The common thread: uncertainty doesn’t have to mean paralysis. It can be a chance to recalibrate with clearer priorities and smarter tools.

Here’s to making the fall not just a season of transition, but of intentional progress.

Until next time.

— Scott

P.S. Know someone leading ops, tech, or investment in ABA? Forward this to them—or invite them to join the 1K+ industry leaders already following missionviewpoint.com

ABA Mission

We offer consulting services to ABA Private Equity Investors, Providers and Tech Platforms looking to scale.

Reach me at scottd@abamission.com to learn more.