Arizona Autism United (AZA United) is please to share that the organization has received designation as a Mercy Care Center of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for its work in serving vulnerable members of the community and implementing evidence-based practices to improve clinical outcomes. AZA United is among only four organizations to currently hold this distinction, and AZA United was the only organization in the state of Arizona that was newly added as an Autism Center of Excellence in 2024. Mercy Care is one of the largest Medicaid health plans in Arizona.

“We are deeply honored to be recognized by Mercy Care as their newest recipient of the Autism Center of Excellence designation,” said Dr. Aaron Blocher-Rubin, AZA United’s founder & CEO. “Mercy Care has been an important partner of ours for many years as we have worked together to improve individualized services for thousands of Arizona families affected by autism. Our focus at AZA United is to elevate the standard of care through innovative and evidence-based treatments, and to provide comprehensive services for all ages and levels of need to help each child, individual and family achieve their own personalized definition of success.”

The Center of Excellence designation by Mercy Care is an annual program based on a set criteria that includes the implementation of evidence-based practices focused on the improvement of clinical outcomes. AZA United was recognized for its ongoing commitment to providing outstanding service to the most vulnerable members of the Mercy Care network and their longstanding work with families who have complex ASD diagnoses. AZA United is a recognized local leader in emerging service models for individuals with autism, including compassionate family-centered care and interdisciplinary treatment. As part of the designation, AZA United is committing to enhanced transparent reporting of patient outcomes to Mercy Care, including treatment effectiveness measures and patient satisfaction scores.

“We are proud to partner with AZA United as our newest Center of Excellence for Autism Spectrum Disorder,” said Lindsey Zieder, Mercy Care’s Children’s System of Care DDD Manager. “We value the highly impactful services they provide to our members and look forward to improving our larger systems of care together through this partnership.”

AZA United has provided vitally needed diagnostic, therapy and support services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder in Arizona for almost two decades, starting in 2006. In 2023, the organization provided more than 800,000 hours of direct care services, and over 1000 individuals currently receive their services each month. Services are provided in-home for families across the state, as well as in four different therapy clinics throughout the Valley. In addition to working directly with children, teens, adults and family members, AZA United also provides a variety of community events, training classes, and consultative services for schools.