CentralReach Expands Payor Strategy to Improve Access, Outcomes, and Cost in Autism and IDD Care

Yagnesh Vadgama appointed as VP of Payor Strategy and Network to accelerate payor partnerships and AI-driven innovation

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the cost of autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) care exceeds $2.2 Billion, CentralReach, a leading provider of autism and IDD care software, is investing to improve access, outcomes and cost across the care continuum. To support this effort, CentralReach has appointed ABA and Managed Care expert Yagnesh Vadgama as VP of Payor Strategy and Network. In this role, Vadgama will expand CentralReach's payor partnerships and help develop solutions that better align the needs of payors, providers and families.

Yagnesh's appointment builds on CentralReach's continued investment in its people, technology and data to provide the only end-to-end platform that reduces friction and improves outcomes for all stakeholders across the autism and IDD care ecosystem. Yagnesh joins a growing team, including Chief Clinical Officer Tom Frazier, following CentralReach's acquisition of AI Measures, and SVP of Outcomes Based Care Ling Shao, who joined through the acquisition of SpectrumAI. Together, the team is focused on advancing a more connected and outcomes-driven ABA care model integrating measurement, care delivery, engagement, operations, monitoring, and payment into one unified platform.

"Yagnesh's arrival marks an important step in our strategic expansion and reflects the significant investments we continue to make to help our customers improve both quality of care and financial performance," said Chris Sullens, CEO of CentralReach. "Over the past year, we've expanded our team with a diverse group of subject matter experts and increased investment in clinical, data, and AI capabilities, bringing outcomes measurement, care delivery, clinical assessment, and payment operations into a single system. The goal is to remove friction, drive down costs, and support the delivery of high-quality care."

Vadgama is an established ABA expert bringing over two decades of experience, as a practicing clinician and most recently as the VP of Clinical Care Autism and president and chief operating officer of Magellan Health's California companies, where he cultivated relationships between operational, network and clinical leaders serving Magellan's California clients. His contributions include:

• Expanding Magellan Health's health plan network and partnering with plans in states where the ABA benefit was going live for the first time
• Developing measures for modern ABA with participation in workgroups such as Value Based Contracting and ICHOM
• Developing Magellan's Autism Connections product
• Leading programs supporting learners and families across home, school, and community-based settings to navigate their Autism diagnosis 

Furthering collaboration across the autism ecosystem

Autism and IDD care is at a critical inflection point. Diagnosis rates, demand for ABA services, and overall costs continue to rise, with the ABA market projected to approach $10 billion by 2030. Payors and providers agree on the need to improve access and deliver meaningful progress and outcomes for learners and their families but have lacked the data and the tools to foster alignment on how to get there. 

After years of rapid growth that has at times outpaced regulatory frameworks, the need for more consistent, data-driven, and clinically grounded standards has become increasingly apparent. CentralReach's AI-powered platform addresses this gap by creating standardization backed by science and data that has been unavailable to the field to date. Powered by a proprietary database of over 5 billion anonymized clinical and financial data points, which increases at a rate of 30% each year, CentralReach is uniquely positioned to redefine the value exchange between providers and payors. These clinical and technological advancements help ABA partners ensure individuals with autism and related IDDs and their families get the comprehensive care they need to achieve better outcomes and live fulfilling, independent lives.

Yagnesh will continue the conversation at the Autism Investor Summit during the "Future-Proofing Autism Therapy: Bridging the Gap Between Clinical Excellence and Fiscal Reality" panel. Alongside fellow service providers, he will explore the reality of 'future-proofing' in a maturing landscape, and discuss the tension between clinical rigor and financial sustainability in today's tightening market.

About CentralReach
CentralReach is a leading provider of autism and IDD care software, providing a complete, end-to-end software and services platform that helps children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) - and those who serve them - unlock potential, achieve better outcomes, and lie more independent lives. With its roots in Applied Behavior Analysis, the company is revolutionizing how the lifelong journey of autism and IDD care is enabled at home, school, and work with powerful and intuitive solutions purpose-built for each care setting, trusted by more than 200,000 professionals globally, CentralReach is committed to ongoing product advancement, market-leading industry expertise, world-class client satisfaction, and support of the autism and IDD community to propel autism and IDD care into a new era of excellence. For more information, please visit CentralReach.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

SOURCE CentralReach