The 2027 ABA Code Overhaul: What It Means for Providers — and Why We’re Already Preparing

Yrenka Lolli-Sunderlin
2 days ago
2 min read

A Quiet Revolution in ABA Billing

If you were working in applied behavior analysis during the 2019 CPT code transition, you remember the confusion. Claims were delayed, billing systems failed, and clinical operations slowed down overnight. Now, another major change is coming. And this time, most of the field doesn’t even know it yet.

In September 2025, the American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Panel approved a full revision to the adaptive behavior services code set. Six new codes were added, several existing codes were revised, and temporary “T” codes were retired. The new system will take effect on January 1, 2027.

What This Means in Practice

The details of the new CPT structure will remain confidential until the official publication in late 2026.But the direction is clear. The field is evolving to capture the realities of modern practice: telehealth delivery, supervision, parent collaboration, and data-driven decision-making.

These updates are a positive step forward for the science and practice of ABA. They also present a serious operational challenge for providers who are not prepared to adapt their systems in time.

Many agencies still rely on hardcoded billing workflows that assume the current CPT logic (97151–97158) will remain constant. When the new codes are released, those automations will fail. Rebuilding them under pressure will be costly and disruptive.

How Sunderlin Behavioral Is Preparing

At Sunderlin Behavioral, preparation is already underway. We are not waiting for the industry to catch up. Our goal is to build an infrastructure that is resilient, flexible, and future-ready.

Our engineering and administrative teams are developing a compliance framework that can handle both current and future code structures. We are moving all of our automation systems to schema-based designs, which means new CPT definitions can be added instantly—without rewriting scripts or interrupting services.

Weekly data exports from Central Reach and Ensora are now integrated with AI validation tools that flag inconsistencies automatically .We are also building a parallel mode that allows us to test both the 2025 and 2027 CPT structures side by side, so our transition in 2026 is seamless and auditable.

The Larger Implication for the Field

This is not just a billing update. It represents a shift in how behavioral health organizations must operate. Documentation, billing, and data analysis must now move at the same pace as clinical innovation.

Agencies that build flexibility into their systems will thrive. Agencies that cling to static, manual compliance processes will struggle to keep up.

To remain viable, organizations must move toward data architectures that are:

Schema-based, not hardcoded
Auditable and transparent
Capable of real-time validation and revision

The 2027 CPT overhaul will separate those who can adapt from those who cannot.

Looking Ahead

The future of ABA depends on how we integrate innovation without losing our humanity. Technology should never replace clinicians, but it can protect their time, accuracy, and impact.

Our transformation at Sunderlin Behavioral is about more than automation. It is about ensuring that quality care is never compromised by administrative delay or outdated systems.

We believe the next chapter of behavioral health will be defined by those who prepare early and design intelligently. And we intend to lead that chapter.