No Notes season 2 is officially a wrap, and it was undoubtedly one for the books (and yes, that does mean we’ve started recording season 3 👀). From big-ticket items like Medicaid cuts and OBBBA’s impact on behavioral health to ever-present themes like staff burnout and the ethical implications of healthcare AI, we covered all the timely topics impacting our space today and in the future.
To celebrate, we’re counting down the top ten bite-sized insights from this season—the most memorable, “whoa” moments that stopped us mid-listen.
So, grab your headphones and popcorn and check out your highlight reel of the second season of the No Notes podcast—hosted by Dr. Denny Morrison, PhD, and powered by Eleos.
10. Preparing for Funding Cuts
“This is not a normal year, and I do fear that the President’s budget proposal will likely have more of an impact than it does historically—especially in the House.” – Chuck Ingoglia, President & CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Whew—talk about subtle foreshadowing. 😅
Back in May, Chuck Ingoglia, President & CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and Al Guida, President & CEO of Guide Consulting Services, warned behavioral health leaders to brace for big federal funding changes from the current administration.
Fast-forward to today, and they were right: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and its $911 billion in Medicaid cuts have arrived.
As such, much of their advice holds up. Ingoglia and Guida urged organizations to plan early, use technology as a strategic tool, and double down on advocacy.
Why It Made the List
This moment aged way too well. It rang the early alarm bells of what ended up becoming the biggest funding shakeup in behavioral health in recent years—and has helped leaders plan for Medicaid funding volatility and mobilize effective behavioral health advocacy.
Visit the National Council for Mental Wellbeing for up-to-date information on advocacy efforts and ways to get involved.
Listen to the full episode here.
9. Defining Healthcare AI Standards (Responsibly)
“The hope is that as we take these little tiny bites out of this big elephant, use case by use case, we’re going to begin to develop a set of testing and evaluation criteria, a set of best practices and standards that the industry can use to evaluate model performance.” – Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO and Cofounder of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI)
AI is moving fast—sometimes too fast for the guardrails meant to keep it safe. So who decides what counts as trustworthy AI in healthcare?
According to Dr. Brian Anderson, MD, the answer isn’t one sweeping rulebook—it’s steady progress, one use case at a time. As the CEO and Co-Founder of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), Anderson is helping translate broad principles, such as fairness and transparency, into concrete testing, evaluation, and reporting methods that both clinicians and clients can rely on.
Why It Made the List
This moment matters because it helps organizations navigate an uncertain AI landscape with confidence. When leaders understand how responsible AI standards are created, they are empowered to ask the right questions, choose trustworthy tools, and protect clients and providers alike.
8. Building AI with Clinicians, Not Just for Them
“There’s no one single project [at Eleos] that an AI researcher is doing that a clinical expert didn’t work on.” — Samuel Jefroykin, former Director of Data & AI Research at Eleos
Building behavioral health-specific AI isn’t just about creating smart technology—it’s about incorporating deep clinical insight.
As Samuel Jefroykin, former Director of Data & AI Research at Eleos, and Natalia Szapiro, Clinical Team Lead at Eleos, explained, therapy sessions are full of nuance, emotion, and context that can’t be easily coded.
That’s why every Eleos innovation starts with collaboration. Engineers and clinicians work side by side, translating the subtleties of real-world care into AI tools that are both safe and impactful.
Why It Made the List
This sort of partnership is key when evaluating behavioral health-specific AI: Choose a tool that’s co-designed with clinicians, or pass. When clinicians and technologists work side by side, AI actually makes care better and clinicians’ days easier.
Tune in to the full discussion.
7. Connecting Clinical Experience and Technology to Reclaim Time
“[Before AI] we had clinicians who were coming to work, doing sessions, going home, feeding their kids, putting the kids to bed, and logging back on to finish their documentation—and that is no way to prevent burnout.” — Dr. Wes Williams, PhD, CIO of WellPower
Before becoming CIO of Wellpower, Dr. Wes Williams, PhD, was a clinician who knew the late-night documentation grind all too well. That personal experience now informs everything he does.
Fluent in both tech speak and clinical care, Williams understands the pain points clinicians need solved—and looks for tools that actually deliver relief without getting in the way.
That’s what led him to Eleos, and now clinicians at WellPower have reduced their note time from over 10 minutes to as little as 3.5 minutes, regaining hours every week that can be redirected to what matters most.
Why It Made the List
Williams embodies what happens when clinicians help design the technology they use. It reminds organizations to include clinician voices early and often, so technology truly works for the people doing the work.
Catch the full story on No Notes.
6. Reducing Legal and Compliance Risk with AI
“The idea of using something like AI to let a clinician be an active listener and not be worrying about the clinical note that’s not getting written—I can’t overemphasize how huge of a support that can be.” – Laura Siclari, Esq., Managing Partner at Siclari Law Group
Many compliance risks and legal issues come up when providers are stretched thin—not from bad intent, but from heavy workloads and long days.
Laura Siclari, Esq., Managing Partner at Siclari Law Group and longtime general counsel to one of New Jersey’s largest behavioral health providers, explains how AI can help prevent common risks like copy-pasted notes, documentation gaps, and coding errors.
Tools like Eleos flag potential issues early, helping quality teams focus on what really matters while giving clinicians back the space to listen. Still, Siclari emphasized: AI must be used responsibly. Without transparency and clinical oversight, it can create more problems than it solves.
Why It Made the List
It’s a good reminder that AI won’t erase legal risk, but it can help catch the small stuff before it snowballs. With the right checks (and human oversight), AI keeps clinicians focused on care instead of worrying about compliance.
Go deeper with the whole episode.
5. Reimagining Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Care
“Technology is a force multiplier—it helps us focus on what matters.” – Dr. Dale Klatzker, retired CEO of Gaudenzia
The addiction treatment world looks very different today than it did just a decade ago. Competition is growing, margins are shrinking, documentation rules are tighter, and client volume is higher than ever.
Dr. Dale Klatzker, PhD, longtime behavioral health leader and former CEO of Gaudenzia, joined Dr. Denny Morrison to talk about how AI can help organizations adapt as they stretch to do more with less.
Here’s where he says AI can make the biggest impact in SUD care today:
- Improving compliance and reducing audit risk,
- Preventing payer clawbacks,
- Supporting continuity of care across staff transitions,
- Freeing up providers and peer staff from admin tasks, and
- Enhancing training and supervision.
Why It Made the List
In a landscape where staffing shortages, complex documentation requirements, and razor-thin margins are the norm, Klatzker’s advice is vital. He drives home the fact that technology is not meant to replace providers, but to multiply their impact—an important point for leaders who are unsure about implementing an AI solution.
4. Turning Burnout into Buy-In
“We have had staff tell us they feel like they are more present for their clients. It’s 100% noticeable to our clients.” – Correnda Perkins, LCSW, Chief Program Officer at Hillsides
Documentation lagged for days. More than 20 clinical positions sat vacant. For California-based Hillsides, something had to give.
Instead of rolling out another “fix” from the top down, Correnda Perkins, LCSW, Chief Program Officer, chose a slower, more thoughtful tech rollout—introducing Eleos as an optional tool that staff could adopt when they were ready.
The payoff?
- Clinicians submit notes within 24 hours (down from 5–7 days)
- 100% user satisfaction in quarterly surveys
- Clients report that their therapists are more present and engaged
- Productivity went up without raising quotas
Why It Made the List
Hillsides’ results speak for themselves, and Perkins’ advice to leaders is simple but powerful: Intentionally roll out AI, leverage peer influence, and never lose sight of your “why.” If the goal is to reduce burnout, don’t let efficiency turn into higher quotas.
Watch or listen to the whole episode here.
3. Staying in the Game Post-OBBBA
“We have to continue our work. What we do is so important. We’re the experts in our space. And we want to make sure that we weather the storm and [are] prepared for the next one.” – Dominic Miller, LCSW, MPA, Founder and Principal of boutique consulting firm Sotoro LLC and former COO of Southwest Behavioral & Health Services
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) sent shockwaves through the healthcare system, with projections of a $911 billion cut to Medicaid and loss of coverage for 10 million Americans.
But according to Dominic Miller, LCSW, MPA, Founder and Principal of boutique consulting firm Sotoro LLC and former COO of Southwest Behavioral & Health Services, this isn’t a moment for panic. The behavioral health leaders who thrive will be the ones who proactively prepare and pivot.
Why It Made the List
By treating OBBBA as a “forcing event” rather than a crisis, behavioral health organizations can reimagine how they operate and prepare their teams so they’re ready to weather whatever comes next.
Get the full episode for more OBBBA strategies.
2. Retaining Your MVPs When Budgets Are Tight
“We as leaders need to do everything we can to help our people do their best work in the best way possible.” – Katie Weihe, VP of Human Resources at Aurora Mental Health & Recovery
Compensation will always matter—but when OBBBA squeezes already-tight budgets, community behavioral health organizations have to come up with other creative ways to retain top talent.
That’s why leaders like Katie Weihe, VP of Human Services at Aurora Mental Health & Recovery, and Amanda Rankin, Customer Insights Lead at Eleos (and former COO of Trilogy), are rethinking what it means to support staff. Tools like Eleos don’t just save time—they give time back, turning tech into a real retention benefit. And even when money’s tight, transparency and trust go a long way.
Why It Made the List
This one hits home for every HR and operations leader: Retention isn’t just about pay—it’s about purpose. When technology helps clinicians reclaim time and leaders stay transparent, teams feel supported and stick around for the right reasons.
Want more? Hear the full chat here.
1. Finding Opportunity in Hard Times
“These are the times that you need to ask yourself: Do we really need to keep doing that activity that way? Should we be out of that book of business altogether—even if we’ve done it for a hundred years? Those are hard questions, but these are hard times.” – Dr. Denny Morrison, Chief Clinical Officer, Eleos
When policy shifts and financial pressures collide, most leaders go into survival mode. But Dr. Denny Morrison says that’s exactly when you should pause and rethink not just how you do the work, but why.
Instead of doing “more with less,” he urged leaders to question long-standing habits and use tech like AI to free clinicians to focus on the work only they can do.
Why It Made the List
Hard times can spark better ways to work. For behavioral health leaders, it’s an invitation to rethink outdated processes and build systems that let clinicians do what only humans can.
Closing This Chapter and Preparing for the Next
We truly have “no notes” for season 2—it was a perfect 10/10. 😉
Across every episode, our guests reminded us that innovation in behavioral health isn’t about keeping up with technology, but using it to protect what matters most. Whether it was preparing for funding cuts, addressing burnout, or navigating compliance risk, one message came through loud and clear:
AI isn’t replacing clinicians—it’s finally giving them the support they need.
At Eleos, that’s our mission. We care because you care—and that’s exactly why we’re dedicated to building AI that helps clinicians spend less time typing and more time helping people heal. Want to learn more? Request a demo to see how Eleos can help your team do more of what matters most.
P.S. Be on the lookout for a sneak peek of season 3—coming soon!
