Selling a behavioral health practice in Georgia

ABA therapy: licensure and Medicaid

Georgia passed HB 412 to license the practice of applied behavior analysis, and the Georgia Behavior Analyst Licensing Board now licenses behavior analysts. Buyers will confirm each analyst's Georgia license alongside BACB certification.

Georgia Medicaid covers autism spectrum disorder treatment, including ABA, for members under 21 through the EPSDT benefit, and enrolls Board Certified Behavior Analysts as qualified health care professionals alongside physicians and psychologists. Buyers look at Medicaid versus commercial revenue, authorization trends by plan, and analyst tenure and caseload.

Substance use treatment: the DATEP change of ownership

Georgia licenses drug abuse treatment and education programs. For a change of ownership, the new owner provides proof of its registration with the Secretary of State, a notarized affidavit of identity, proof of ownership or legal control of the property, and the executed transaction documents, such as the bill of sale or closing documents, signed by the previous owner and showing the effective date.

Because the application relies on signed closing documents, the licensing filing and the closing have to be coordinated closely. Agree in the purchase agreement who prepares each document and how the program operates in the period around the effective date.

Outpatient mental health

Therapy and psychiatry practices are valued on clinicians and payer contracts: credentialing with each commercial and Medicaid plan, how much volume you personally deliver, and clinician tenure. Practices with physicians often sell through an MSO structure, which counsel should review early.

What Georgia buyers underwrite

These items move price the most in Georgia.

Licensing path

DATEP change of ownership filings and timing around closing.

Clinician licensure

Georgia licenses for analysts, therapists, and prescribers, plus tenure.

Payer contracts

Georgia Medicaid plans and commercial payers in the practice's name.

Documentation

Authorizations and treatment records that support billing.