Selling a behavioral health practice in Maryland

COMAR 10.63 and the Agreement to Cooperate

Maryland licenses community-based behavioral health programs, including outpatient mental health and substance use services, under COMAR 10.63. Before licensure, a program enters into an Agreement to Cooperate with the core service agency, local addictions authority, or local behavioral health authority for each county or Baltimore City where it operates. The same agreement is required when a license change is requested, such as a change in ownership.

For multi-county programs, that means one agreement per jurisdiction. Start those conversations early, since the local authorities are part of the timeline.

ABA therapy: licensure and Medicaid

The Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists licenses behavior analysts, and licensure requires current BACB certification. Buyers will confirm every analyst's Maryland license.

Maryland Medicaid began covering medically necessary ABA for participants under 21 on January 1, 2017, for children diagnosed with autism through a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. Buyers look at Medicaid versus commercial revenue, authorization trends, and analyst tenure and caseload.

What Maryland buyers underwrite

These items move price the most in Maryland.

Licensing path

COMAR 10.63 license changes and local agreements in each jurisdiction.

Clinician licensure

Maryland licenses for analysts, therapists, and prescribers.

Payer contracts

Medicaid and commercial contracts in the practice's name.

Documentation

Treatment records that support billing.