Former ChenMed COO Appointed to Drive Next Phase of Growth and Innovation for the
No. 5 Fastest Growing Private Company in America
ABA Centers, the nation’s fastest growing autism care provider, has appointed Jason Barker as its new Chief Executive Officer. The organization’s founder, Christopher Barnett, most recently held the title and will evolve into the role of Chairman of the company.
This transition in leadership comes as the company is experiencing unprecedented growth. Founded in December 2020 and being less than four years old, ABA Centers catapulted past the competition to make its debut on this year’s Inc. 5000 as the No. 5 fastest growing private company in America due to an outstanding revenue growth of 32,192 percent in the three-year period assessed for the list. A de novo and self-funded growth strategy set ABA Centers apart – and ahead – of thousands of other enterprises vying for a spot on this highly coveted line-up. The organization has carved out a self-sufficient path to success that has proven to be substantial and sustainable, without any private equity investment, nor any significant debt financing.
“ABA Centers has an amazing service offering and a great track record of success, and its endless opportunity for positive impact is what drew me to this role,” remarked Mr. Barker. “But the organization can only continue to be successful if our team members on the ground and at our centers are successful, so I intend to move the company towards a clinician-centered culture to ensure our most crucial colleagues are fortified for the future.”
Providing diagnostic services and applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to children with autism, ABA Centers has been able to significantly distinguish itself in the behavioral therapy industry because of its commitment to getting kids into care quickly. The national average that a child waits to receive autism therapy is greater than four months, with some waiting several years, but ABA Centers typically has a child in service within 47 days from the time initial contact is made with the organization.
“We do well when our kiddos do well,” Mr. Barker said. “Early intervention offers the best chance for lasting change in our clients’ lives, so we aim to get kiddos into care earlier and faster, to empower them to complete their prescribed therapy hours, and to perfect our clinical delivery. When these three elements come together, our children’s development soars and our business strengthens, which in turn allows us to help even more children.”
ABA Centers has a goal to increase its active client base by 250% by the end of 2025. This surge will be supported in part by the company’s plans for rapid geographic expansion. This year, the company strengthened its footprint along the East Coast and expanded westward, now providing evidence-backed autism care in 31 service markets throughout 10 states. Within these markets, ABA Centers currently operates 22 physical autism care centers, with plans to open nearly 40 new locations throughout the coming New Year.
With more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, Mr. Barker was most recently Chief Operating Officer at ChenMed, where he provided collaborative executive leadership support for the company’s regional, market, and center-specific dyad leaders, as well as to key centers of excellence – all to better support the ChenMed primary care physicians. During Mr. Barker’s time at ChenMed, he helped grow the business from $500 million to $3 billion in revenue, while taking on full-risk with ChenMed’s innovative value-based care model focused on providing care for senior citizens. Prior to ChenMed, he was the President of CareMore’s Health Plan business, which was on the forefront of creating an innovative approach to the growing Medicare Advantage market by serving as both a health plan and a healthcare provider. Mr. Barker drove accountability and results for CareMore’s $1.2 billion business during his time with the company.
ABA Centers was founded from Mr. Barnett’s personal experience in trying to acquire a diagnosis and then quality care for his own daughter on the spectrum, who first spent years dealing with a misdiagnosis and missing out on the proper treatment that she desperately needed. Mr. Barnett was able to see what was available in terms of autism care from a parent’s perspective. The inadequacies, the lack of services available, and the long wait lists that families experienced were infuriating and simply unacceptable.
“As an entrepreneur, I made the commitment long ago that none of my businesses would ever be limited by Founder’s Syndrome,” said Mr. Barnett. “In meeting with Jason, it became obvious that he would care just as much about our kiddos, our clinicians, and our corporate team as I do, and that he would be the best person to elevate ABA Centers to even greater heights. He has the ability to transform what began as my personal passion project into a legacy that commands a permanent place in the healthcare history books.”
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