Did anyone hit you with a “see you next year” on December 31? 😅 It’s quite the dad joke—but there’s something about it that rings true. While it’s only a day’s difference, when the ball drops and the calendar turns, there is a shift in mindset. It’s a chance to reflect on what you accomplished and what you’re aiming for in the year ahead.
That fresh-year perspective makes this latest No Notes podcast episode especially fitting. Host Dr. Denny Morrison sits down with Tracie Del Torto, LCSW, Chief Clinical Officer at Lighthouse Behavioral Wellness Centers, to talk about just how much can change over time—not just in the tools organizations use, but in the mindset and leadership approach required to turn change into meaningful impact.
Listen to the full episode or catch the highlights below to see how Lighthouse went from tech laggards to confident AI champions.
From Pen and Paper to Purpose-Built AI
For most, documenting care with pen and paper probably sounds like a relic from another era. For Tracie Del Torto, it’s a not-so-distant memory.
“When I first started with Lighthouse, we were pen and paper,” said Del Torto. “Paper charts, handwritten notes, and all of our documentation.”
Since then, the organization has implemented three different EHRs. So, you could say she’s somewhat of a tech implementation expert.
But, it wasn’t until Lighthouse officially became a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) that leadership recognized the need to make innovative technology a core part of their strategic plan—right alongside improving care access and outcomes.
That’s when they found Eleos at NatCon and realized that purpose-built AI could be a huge piece of that puzzle.
“We immediately knew after seeing the product that this was something that could truly transform the way that we provide services and the way that we operate,” said Del Torto. “It was a no-brainer.”
Handling Initial Skepticism
While Lighthouse leadership was aligned around the potential of AI, they knew adoption wouldn’t happen overnight. Many clinicians were skeptical about what it would mean for client privacy and the overall care experience.
But with education and reassurance from the Eleos team, clinical staff were ultimately able to overcome those fears. In fact, Eleos enabled them to focus more on their clients and actually improve their care experience.
“They’re able to provide better care to our clients because they’re not worried about being behind on five or 10 progress notes,” said Del Torto. “They were able to just really focus on the client in front of them without having all of the stressors of day-to-day documentation. It’s been a great morale booster for our team.”
Making Implementation Count
From the start, Lighthouse was clear about why they brought Eleos on: To alleviate their staff’s documentation burden and help prevent the burnout that plagues 93% of behavioral health workers.
That commitment shaped every implementation decision, starting with training. Instead of relying solely on virtual sessions, Lighthouse insisted on kicking things off in person.
“We really wanted leadership, our IT team, and the Eleos team to all be in the same room together with our clinicians—to be able to help answer any questions and go through the myths around AI,” Del Torto explained. “That was really impactful.”
This approach aligned directly with one of Lighthouse’s core values: Hope, and more specifically, investing in people. Leadership made it clear that Eleos was an investment in staff well-being—not a tool to squeeze more out of them.
“We really wanted to make it very clear that we were not bringing this tool on to expect that clinicians were seeing more people and billing more,” said Del Torto.
She knew asking clinicians to see more clients with the time they freed up simply wouldn’t jibe with Lighthouse’s values. As Dr. Morrison put it, it would be a “disingenuous message.” Instead, they kept to the core of why they invested in an AI solution in the first place. That message and leadership buy-in trickled down and made staff feel more inclined to jump on board.
Plus, Lighthouse made the decision to make Eleos mandatory. While that can be a great forcing function to ensure you get the proverbial “bang for your buck,” it can also take some of the excitement out of it. So, they created a fun contest where early adopters would be entered into a drawing for Visa gift cards. Leadership also sent follow-up emails announcing prize winners, sharing successes, and providing any updates about the Eleos platform.
“We found that the contest was well received and that the communication and connection really helped with go-live,” said Del Torto. “So while it was mandatory, we really didn’t have problems with adoption early on.”
In fact, they’re approaching 100% adoption among all eligible users, and those team members report 93% satisfaction with the tool.
Want to take a deeper dive into Lighthouse’s AI implementation? Check out this recent webinar.
Turning Naysayers Into AI Superfans
Even with strong leadership buy-in and clear communication, a handful of clinicians still needed additional support. For most, it wasn’t resistance—it was overwhelm.
“They kind of felt overwhelmed in the group training,” said Del Torto. “We just had our leaders really work with those individuals on a case-by-case basis…and once they tried it, they were on board and bought in just like the rest of the group.”
After go-live, Lighthouse continued to partner closely with Eleos, monitoring usage and satisfaction data. When engagement dipped, leadership followed up individually—often uncovering configuration issues or training gaps that could be quickly resolved.
That responsiveness paid off. Clinicians who were once hesitant about AI became vocal advocates. Some even “bragged” about the AI tools they get to use at Lighthouse, turning Eleos into an unexpected recruiting advantage.
“We really have built it into our interview process,” Del Torto said. “We’re very straightforward that [Eleos] is a product we are using and we believe that it improves client care, morale, and the quality of documentation—and so those are really non-negotiables.”
Advice for Leaders Considering AI
If you’re weighing your options when it comes to AI, Lighthouse’s experience offers a clear takeaway: Success isn’t just about the technology—it’s about how thoughtfully it’s introduced, supported, and sustained.
Download the complete guide for a practical, four-part roadmap to planning and implementing AI in behavioral health—built on insights from industry leaders.
Choosing Your Super Users Wisely
First, Lighthouse took a different approach to selecting their “super users”—or those team members who would try Eleos first and become experts who could problem-solve with other users. But rather than relying solely on staff who were already comfortable with technology, leadership intentionally chose a mix of experience levels.
That decision paid off. When clinicians who didn’t consider themselves tech-savvy began succeeding with Eleos, it created momentum and credibility across the organization.
Here are some tips on how to support those early adopters:
- Let your team members volunteer if it’s something they’re interested in;
- Choose super users across your various clinic locations, so there is an “expert” on-site for all staff; and
- Create a communication channel for rapid troubleshooting and peer support.
Continuing the Momentum After Go-Live
Implementation shouldn’t be the finish line when it comes to AI.
For Lighthouse, it was the beginning of an ongoing feedback loop. Leadership partnered closely with Eleos to monitor dashboards, satisfaction scores, and usage patterns, using that data to stay connected to clinician experience in real time.
Del Torto shared weekly updates with staff, celebrating wins, highlighting peer feedback, and communicating transparently when issues arose.
“Typically, with new technology implementations, you find a problem, and it doesn’t get addressed very quickly,” Del Torto shared. “This one was just so different.”
Because the Eleos team monitored feedback alongside Lighthouse leadership, issues were often flagged and resolved proactively. That responsiveness reinforced trust and sent a clear message that clinicians were being heard.
Choosing the right partner who will continue to meet regularly after go-live, review data, and fine-tune the experience helps ensure that early success turns into long-term sustainability.
Understanding How to Measure ROI
When leaders think about return on investment (ROI), it’s easy to default to productivity metrics alone. But the most meaningful returns often show up differently—and over time.
For Lighthouse and many other organizations that partner with Eleos, increased productivity isn’t the main goal when implementing AI. Instead, the focus is on reducing documentation burden and addressing burnout—knowing that when clinicians are supported, everything else follows. That emphasis ultimately drives financial impact in more sustainable ways, including stronger staff retention and a more consistent client experience.
As Del Torto put it, “If we want our clinical staff to help our clients with being healthy, we really want our team members to be healthy, too.”
Another clear indicator of success? Documentation timeliness.
Before Eleos, some Lighthouse clinicians were weeks behind on notes. Today, average note completion time is just three to four minutes (compared to an industry average of 12–15 minutes), enabling more consistent billing processes and reduced administrative strain. And that in itself has generated ROI—without asking clinicians to see more clients.
Ultimately, it comes down to defining success before you roll out an AI solution and putting the right measures in place to track it. Whether you’re looking at clinician retention, client attendance, or time saved on documentation, the value often extends well beyond productivity—and leads to more sustainable, long-term impact.
Learn more about measuring the ROI and VOI of AI in behavioral health.
Lessons from Lighthouse
The final takeaway from Lighthouse’s experience implementing AI? Don’t let fear slow you down.
“[AI] is not as scary as it’s made out to be,” Del Torto concluded. “We really let fear slow down our implementation. I wish that we had moved sooner.”
For Lighthouse, success didn’t come from rushing change or chasing technology for the wrong reasons. It came from pairing the right tool with a culture-first approach that was grounded in education, transparency, and genuine partnership.
Curious what a culture-first AI rollout could look like in your organization? Let’s talk. Schedule a personalized demo to learn more.
