MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The Alabama Medicaid Agency is rolling out new guidelines that change how pediatricians can make autism-related diagnoses that qualify children for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy referrals.
Beginning July 1, 2026, Medicaid says physicians enrolled as Provider Type 31, Specialty 345 (Pediatricians) must submit a written request on official letterhead if they want to add ABA Specialty 175 to their Medicaid enrollment. Medicaid says this specialty designation will be required for an autism-related diagnosis to be valid for ABA therapy referrals.
In a statement, the Alabama Medicaid Agency says pediatricians who want the ABA specialty added must submit a written request including:
- Provider name
- National Provider Identifier (NPI)
- Alabama Medicaid provider number
- Service location address
Medicaid says there is no retroactive date for adding ABA Specialty 175. The effective date will be the day the specialty is approved and added to the provider’s enrollment file…