ABA Software Buyer Checklist—Practical Guide Clinics Can Use Before Buying

Choosing the right ABA software is a big decision. The right tool saves time, keeps data accurate, and helps clinicians deliver better care. Below is a clear, practical checklist you can use. It focuses on the five must-check categories: essential features, security elements, support, scalability, and cost-related aspects. Each section includes specific items to verify and vendor questions you should ask about onboarding, integrations, and updates.

1. Must-Have Features in an ABA Software

Your team needs tools built for ABA data, not just a generic EHR. The right features reduce data entry time and make treatment decisions faster.

1. Essential Clinical Features

• Look for the ability to record antecedent–behavior–consequence (ABC) entries, start/stop timestamps, duration, latency, and frequency counts. This lets clinicians run accurate trend analyses without manual cleanup.
• The system should support multiple data collection methods (partial/whole interval, momentary time sampling, and event recording) and let you add custom fields for unique programs.
• Check that graphs can show daily/session-level and weekly summaries, overlay baselines, and export charts to PDFs for IEPs or insurance. Prefer systems that let you choose axes, smoothing, and aggregation.
• Features should include supervision logs, sign-and-lock notes, goal reviews with signatures, and supervision notes tied to client records. These save time during audits.
• The platform should allow task analyses, chaining procedures, mastery criteria, and automatic next-step recommendations based on performance rules.
• Either built-in IOR forms or an easy export for IOR analysis. Ask how they align recordings from two observers.
• The scheduler should handle travel time, staff ratios, and automated reminders. Billing must support ABA CPT codes, electronic claims, and common clearinghouses.
• Field RBTs must be able to record live on phones or tablets and sync when online. Test data entry speed on a low-bandwidth connection.
• A simple portal for progress snapshots, consent forms, and secure messaging reduces admin emails.

2. Administrative & Billing Features

• Built-in billing that supports CPT/HCPCS used for ABA and insurance claims.
• Electronic claims export and clearinghouse compatibility.
• Attendance and payroll export for staff time tracking.
• Scheduling that enforces staffing ratios and travel time.

3. Usability Features

• Mobile app or responsive web app for RBTs to record in real time.
• Parent/guardian portal for messaging, consent forms, and progress view.
• Offline mode that syncs when back online.
• Customizable templates, workflows, and role-based screens.

Quick checklist for must-have features:

1. Does it record session data in the formats your team uses?
2. Can BCBAs review and sign remotely?
3. Is billing integrated and compatible with your payers?

2. Security—Protect Client Data and Meet Legal Rules

Client records are protected health information. Get written proof of protections and how incidents are handled.

• Always require a BAA (Business Associate Agreement) before sharing PHI. It’s a legal must for HIPAA-covered entities.
• Data should be encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (industry-standard AES algorithms). Ask for plain descriptions of how encryption keys are managed.
• Role-based permissions, session timeouts, and optional multi-factor authentication reduce insider risk. Confirm you can limit who exports data.
• Ask to see sample logs. Logs should show user ID, timestamp, record changed, and IP address for each edit or view.
• Get the vendor’s backup frequency, retention policy, and their Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO). Request recent uptime statistics and maintenance windows.
• Third-party security attestations such as SOC 2 Type II, ISO, or penetration test reports are good signs. If they don’t have them, ask what independent testing they do.

Quick Checklist for Security

1. Do you have a BAA?
2. How and where is data stored (cloud region)?
3. Are there audit logs and MFA?

3. Support—Will the Vendor Help You Succeed?

Good support turns a capable product into an adopted product. Test responsiveness and quality during the pilot.

• Expect a written plan with milestones: data migration, workflow mapping, staff training, pilot dates, and a named Customer Success Manager (CSM).
• Training for BCBAs, RBTs, front-desk, and billing staff—live sessions plus recordings. Ask if training materials are editable for your policies.
• Know who maps legacy data, how they validate accuracy, and whether cleanup is included or billed hourly.
• Get published SLAs (Service Level Agreements) for critical vs. non-critical issues and real examples of average response times.
• A short pilot with real clinicians, plus vendor staff available to shadow sessions, reveals usability problems early.
• An organized help center and readable release notes help reduce support calls.

Quick Checklist for Support

1. What is a typical onboarding timeline for a clinic our size?
2. Do you assign a dedicated customer success manager? For how long?
3. What’s included in migration, who maps legacy data, and who pays for cleanup?
4. What are your support hours and SLA response times for critical outages?

4. Scalability—Will It Grow With Your Clinic?

Make sure the system handles more clients, staff, and clinics.

• Centralized admin controls for permissions, billing, and reporting across sites.
• Ask for customers with a similar scale and test system speed during peak hours in a pilot.
• Open APIs or webhooks enable automation with payroll, billing, or learning management systems. Request API docs and sample calls.
• Clarify client record caps, API rate limits, and whether adding seats or sites changes response times or costs.

Quick Checklist for Scalability

1. Can it support X therapists and Y concurrent users?
2. Is there a clear plan/cost for adding more clinics or users?
3. Does the vendor offer APIs and integration options?

5. Cost—Understand Total Cost of Ownership

Look beyond the sticker price. Instead, check for:

• Is pricing per user, per client, per site, or flat? Get a line-item list: base software, modules, migration, training, and integrations.
• Confirm who pays for data cleanup, custom reports, and mapping. Get hourly rates for custom work.
• Ask about annual price increases, minimum terms, and cancellation or data-export fees.
• Telehealth, parent portal, advanced analytics, and premium support are sometimes add-ons. Get exact costs for anything you might need.

Quick Checklist for Cost

1. What is included in the base price? What costs extra?
2. Are there volume discounts for many users or clinics?
3. What happens to our data if we cancel—is export free?

Final steps before you sign

• Run a 30–90 day pilot with real clinicians and clients.
• Ask for references from clinics of similar size and services.
• Get all promises in writing: onboarding plan, SLA, security attestations, and pricing.

Questions to Ask Vendors (Onboarding, Integrations, Updates)

1. What does a typical onboarding timeline look like for a clinic our size? Can you share a sample project plan?
2. Who performs data migration, and how do you validate migrated data?
3. Which third-party systems do you integrate with now? Can you share customer references for each integration?
4. Do you provide open APIs and web-hooks? Can we see the API docs and sample calls?
5. How often do you release updates, and how are breaking changes communicated or piloted
6. What is your patch/incident response process for security issues?

Takeaway

Run a 30–90 day pilot with your core clinical team, use this checklist during demos, and get all promises in writing (onboarding plan, SLA, security attestations, and pricing).

Want a downloadable, fillable checklist you can use during demos? Schedule a demo with vendors on your shortlist or download the full printable checklist.

If you’d like to see how Raven Health aligns with the criteria above, you can request a demo or start a free trial and test the features with your own team.