§ FL

Florida

Florida

Florida requires a Behavior Analyst license for anyone providing ABA services, administered through the Florida Department of Health's Board of Psychology. Medicaid ABA services are delivered almost entirely through Managed Care Organizations under Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC).

Snapshot

  • Payment Model: Managed Care (MCO carved in)
  • Typical Reimbursement: $15–$42 per 15-minute unit depending on code and payer
  • Licensure Timeline: 16–22 weeks from LLC filing to first reimbursed session
  • Licensing Authority: FL Dept of Health — Board of Psychology
  • Medicaid Authority: Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)

Launch Steps

  1. File Florida Articles of Organization (LLC) with Sunbiz
  2. Obtain EIN from IRS
  3. Apply for NPI — Type 1 (individual BCBA) and Type 2 (practice entity)
  4. Secure professional liability insurance ($1M/$3M typical)
  5. Secure commercial general liability insurance
  6. Apply for Florida Behavior Analyst License through DOH Board of Psychology
  7. Enroll as Florida Medicaid provider through AHCA Provider Portal
  8. Complete AHCA Level 2 background screening for all clinical staff
  9. Credential with managed care plans (Sunshine Health, Humana, Simply, Molina, Aetna Better Health)
  10. Credential with commercial payers (BCBS Florida, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare)
  11. Adopt HIPAA-compliant electronic health record (CentralReach, Rethink, others)
  12. Hire RBTs — verify BACB certification, complete 40-hour training requirements
  13. Establish BACB-compliant supervision schedule (5% minimum of client hours)
  14. Set up billing workflow for CPT codes 97151, 97153, 97155, 97156, 97158

Key Contacts

  • Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz): business filings
  • Florida Board of Psychology: licensure applications
  • AHCA Medicaid Provider Services: provider enrollment
  • FL Medicaid MCO plans: credentialing contacts by plan

Notes

This is preview content. The full state package includes direct links to each portal, current fee schedules, application PDFs, and an interactive checklist to track progress through all 14 steps.