Directory methodology

Where listings come from

The directory holds 128,959 listing records. Most are imported from the public NPI registry (the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, NPPES), using each provider's NPI, name, primary taxonomy and practice address. Some records also carry details gathered from other public information, such as a practice's own website, and state agency or community program listings are labeled as programs or resources.

A record imported from the registry is labeled From public registry. It reflects a public filing, not a check by us, so details can be incomplete or out of date. Confirm services, availability, costs and insurance directly with the provider.

Profiles that only repeat registry data are kept out of search indexes. A profile is indexed only when it has at least one unique detail, such as a claimed listing, a website, hours, accepted insurance or provider-supplied content.

Claims and verification

A provider or practice administrator can claim a listing for free. A claim works like this:

1. The claimant signs in and submits the claim with their name, work email, role and, optionally, an NPI or license number.
2. They prove they control the practice in one of two ways: their sign-in email domain matches the listing's public website, or they enter a 6-digit code sent to the listing's public email address.
3. A free claim is then reviewed by an Autism Hearts administrator before it is approved.

Only an approved claim with one of those ownership checks shows as provider-verified, and only then can the claimant edit listing details. Today 0 records carry provider-supplied data. A verified claim confirms who manages the listing. It is not a rating of clinical quality, credentials, licensing or outcomes.

Featured is a paid plan, and it is labeled

Featured is a paid plan that costs $49/mo. It adds profile tools such as facility photos, a practice bio and listing analytics. Featured listings always carry a visible paid label.

On city and directory results, up to 3 Featured listings can appear in a separate box labeled Featured Partner, with the note "Paid listing; doesn't affect organic ranking." When more Featured listings are eligible for the same city and category, they take turns on a daily rotation so each gets an equal share of days. That box is the only placement the plan buys. It never reorders, removes or inserts anything in the main results, and it never changes verification status. When a subscription lapses, its Featured-only details are removed from the public listing.

How results are sorted

The main results ignore payment entirely. The sort code never reads the Featured flag or plan. You can choose:

• Nearest first (the default when you search by location): ordered by distance. Listings without real coordinates come after every listing with a known distance. Ties are broken by completeness, then name.
• Recommended (the default without a location): provider-verified listings first, then by a completeness score, then alphabetically.
• Name (A–Z) or Name (Z–A).

The completeness score counts only facts useful to families: provider verification, a usable phone number, a website, a substantive description, ages served, accepted insurance and listed features. More detail is on How we rank.

Ratings and reviews

We do not create star ratings, review counts or testimonials. Ratings are never imported from other sites. Review markup is only added for moderated, first-party reviews.

Corrections

Anyone can report an error through the corrections page or by emailing hello@autismhearts.com. Include the page URL, what is wrong and a source if you have one. We check material corrections against available sources and update, clarify or remove information that cannot be substantiated. Providers can also claim their listing to correct it directly. See the corrections policy.