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The behavioral health sector is at a crossroads. The landscape is shifting rapidly, and for many, it feels harder than ever to plan. The One Big Beautiful Bill is a sweeping piece of legislation that redefines Medicaid eligibility and coincides with a broader restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration. Combined, these changes have introduced new questions about sustainability, staffing, and service delivery. While some details are still in flux, the direction is crystal clear: Providers will need to adapt. To help make sense of whats changing, I recently joined a discussion with Chuck Ingoglia, CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and Monica Oss, CEO of OPEN MINDS. We looked at where the policy is headed and how agencies can prepare. Here are three key takeaways for leaders preparing for the road ahead. 1. Medicaid work requirements will create operational challenges Some states have previously tested work requirementsmost notably in 2018-2019, Arkansas implemented work requirements, which led to widespread disenrollments. However, recent changes mark the first time such mandates are being implemented program-wide in Medicaid expansion states for able-bodied adults without dependents. Individuals with serious mental illness or substance use disorders are expected to be exempt, but the definitions and enforcement mechanisms are still being developed. That ambiguity is already affecting planning. Behavioral health agencies are asking: How will we know which clients are exempt? What documentation will be required? Whos responsible for tracking compliance, and what happens if a claim is denied? From a technology standpoint, these changes raise important infrastructure questions. Intake processes may need to capture new data points. Eligibility logic may need to be updated more frequently. Payer rules could vary by state or change mid-year. To paraphrase Monica Oss: Weve seen versions of this before. And what history tells us is that these requirements often reduce coverage without improving outcomes. So, nows the time to figure out how youll track compliance, support clients who might be affected, and safeguard your revenue cycle from gaps in eligibility. 2. Federal funding streams are changing but not vanishing The legislation coincides with administrative proposals to restructure the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and consolidate federal public health agencies. There are changes HHS introduced in the proposed budget that still require Congressional approval. At the same time, the bill eliminates several behavioral health-specific grants that many safety net providers have long relied on to fund crisis response, peer support, housing navigation, and early intervention programs. As Chuck Ingoglia noted during our discussion, Behavioral health wasnt targeted in this legislation. But we werent protected either. We got caught in the middle. While new funding channels like the Rural Health Fund will become available, they will largely flow through the states, introducing more variation in program design, oversight, and eligibility. Behavioral health providers will need to align their operations and reporting practices with new criteria faster than ever before. To avoid being squeezed, agencies must be both grant-ready and advocacy-ready. That means tracking state-level implementation plans, understanding how policy changes affect your population, and demonstrating the value and outcomes of your services, often on short timelines. 3. Compliance and outcomes reporting are under the microscope In todays funding environment, outcomes reporting has become a compliance imperative. As grant criteria evolve and value-based payment models accelerate, behavioral health providers are being asked to deliver not just care, but proof of impact. Funding decisions, whether from public sources, private payers, or foundations, are increasingly tied to demonstrable outcomes. But outcomes can mean different things to different stakeholders. To stay competitive, behavioral health organizations need to clearly report clinical progress, service utilization, payer mix, and program effectivenessoften in real time. Health plans want data tied to value-based payment models. Grantmakers want evidence of community impact. State agencies want metrics aligned with the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set)and/or Medicaid Section 1115 waiver goals. The ability to pull this data quickly and reliably often depends on whether core systems, like your electronic health records, are structured to support it. That includes things such as: built-in outcomes tracking at the point of care, integration with financial and billing systems, and custom reporting dashboards that reflect funder-specific metrics. Organizations that rely on manual reporting or siloed systems will likely struggle to meet new requirements. In a tight funding environment, that can be the difference between receiving a grant or being ineligible. WHATS NEXT The days of treating technology as an optional line item are over. Leaders are recognizing that their ability to stay flexiblefinancially, clinically, and operationally often hinges on the strength of their systems. At a minimum, organizations need tools that can adapt to policy changes, support mobile and hybrid teams, and simplify administrative work for already stretched staff. That includes: Automating documentation to reduce clinician burnout, streamlining workflows as billing rules shift. Equipping leadership with real-time dashboards for decision-making., Improving client communication through reminders, forms, and follow-ups. When work requirements roll out, systems will need to flag at-risk clients, adjust claims logic, and document exemption statuses. When state rules change, workflows may need to flex without requiring a system overhaul. When staffing is tight, onboarding and training must be faster and more intuitive. What were seeing from agencies that are weathering this moment well is that theyve invested in infrastructure designed for change, not just compliance. Theres no question that the next few years will bring significant changes. But behavioral health remains a bipartisan priority, and there is still room to plan, adjust, and advocate. That means having the right systems, the right partnerships, and the right information to make decisions in real time. Josh Schoeller is the CEO of Qualifacts.
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E-Commerce
Silicon Valley chipmaker Nvidia plans to supply hundreds of thousands of its graphics processing units for projects with South Korean businesses and the government to advance the country’s artificial intelligence infrastructure and technologies.The plan was announced Friday by the government, Nvidia, and some of South Korea’s biggest companies, including chipmakers Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and auto giant Hyundai Motor, after President Lee Jae Myung met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.At a news conference, Huang said he hopes to export Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips to China, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on loosening U.S. chip restrictions as the two leaders pledged to reduce trade tensions.However, he acknowledged that it was up to Trump to decide, and said there were no current plans to sell the next generation Blackwell chips to China.Huang has gotten rockstar treatment reminiscent of Apple’s Steve Jobs since arriving in South Korea on Thursday to attend meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju. As APEC host, South Korea is using the gathering of world leaders to showcase its ambitions in AI.According to Lee’s office and the companies, Nvidia will supply around 260,000 GPUs to support South Korea’s AI computing and manufacturing capabilities.About 50,000 of the GPUs will be used to support a government project to build a national cloud computing center for AI and Nvidia will provide the same number of GPUs each to Samsung and SK to help them enhance their manufacturing processes through AI and accelerate the development of advanced semiconductors.Hyundai and Nvidia said they plan to collaborate on developing technologies related to self-driving cars, smart factories and robotics, a process that will be powered by 50,000 of Nvidia’s advanced Blackwell GPUs.Speaking to business leaders, Huang highlighted how AI and advanced computing are driving a profound transformation across industries, adding to the need for more infrastructure and capacity. South Korea’s strengths in software, technical expertise and manufacturing give it an edge, he said.“When you combine software, AI technology, and manufacturing, you have the opportunity to really take advantage of robotics,” which is the future of AI, Huang said. Nvidia featured in Trump-Xi talks Santa Clara-based Nvidia, whose GPU chips power much of the global AI industry, featured in talks Thursday between Trump and Xi in the South Korean city of Busan, where the leaders agreed to take steps to ease their escalating trade war.Following the meeting, Trump said he discussed sales of computer chips to China. Trump and former President Joe Biden have imposed restrictions on China’s access to the most advanced chips, including those used for AI. Trump said China will speak with Nvidia about purchasing their chips, but not the company’s latest Blackwell AI chips.Nvidia has argued that U.S. export controls hinder American competitiveness in one of the world’s largest technology markets and warned that such limits could push other countries toward China’s AI technology. Talking to reporters in South Korea, Huang said he hopes to eventually sell Blackwell chips to China, “but that’s a decision for the president to make.”“We’re always hoping to return to China,” Huang said. “It’s in the best interest of the United States, it’s in the best interests of China. And so I’m hopeful that both governments will arrive at a conclusion someday where Nvidia’s technology could be exported to China.”Huang acknowledged U.S. security concerns about Nvidia technology being used by China’s military but argued that China already has ample AI capabilities, making the use of Nvidia chips for military purposes largely unnecessary.In August, Trump announced a deal with Nvidia and AMD, another chipmaker, to lift export controls on sales of advanced chips to China in exchange for a 15% cut of the revenue, despite concerns among national security experts that such chips will end up in the hands of Chinese military and intelligence services.Nvidia earlier this week confirmed that it has become the first $5 trillion company, just three months after the company broke through the $4 trillion mark. The milestone underscores the upheaval driven by the AI craze, widely seen as the biggest technological shift since Apple co-founder Jobs unveiled the first iPhone 18 years ago.But there are also concerns over a potential AI bubble. Officials at the Bank of England warned earlier this month that tech stock prices fueled by the AI boom could collapse, and the head of the International Monetary Fund has issued a similar warning. Huang joins Samsung, Hyundai chiefs for fried chicken and beer Hundreds of people, including reporters, gathered at a restaurant in southern Seoul on Thursday as Huang, dressed casually in a black T-shirt just hours after arriving in South Korea, shared fried chicken and beer with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Euisun Chung. The tech executives clinked glasses, took bomb shots, and at one point, Huang stepped outside to hand baskets of chicken and fried cheese to the crowd waiting outside.The three later took the stage before hundreds of cheering fans at a nearby gaming festival, where Huang said Korea’s gaming scene aided Nvidia’s early success back when it mainly made graphics cards for gamers. Kim Tong-Hyung, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Apple delivered financial results during its summertime quarter that exceeded analyst projections, despite being caught in the crosshairs of a global trade war at the same time the trendsetting company is scrambling to catch up to its Big Tech peers in the artificial intelligence race.The performance announced Thursday was driven largely by strong initial demand for its iPhone 17 lineup that went on sale last month.Although the iPhone 17 lacks the AI wizardry featured in rival devices recently introduced by Samsung and Google, Apple spruced up its latest models with a redesign highlighted by a sleek “liquid glass” appearance on the display screens.Apple also largely maintained its pricing on its latest iPhones, despite being squeezed by the tariffs that President Donald Trump has imposed on the U.S. devices that the company mostly makes in India and China. The tariffs cost Apple $1.1 billion during the past quarter and are expected to cost another $1.4 billion during the final three months of the year.The formula apparently was enough to win over consumers, particularly in the United States and Europe, helping to produce iPhone sales totaling $49 billion during the July-September period, a 6% increase from the same time last year. That was slightly below the 8% jump in iPhone sales that had been anticipated by analysts, and less than the 13% bump in sales during the April-June period.IDC estimates that 58.6 million iPhones were sold worldwide in the July-September quarter, putting Apple second behind Samsung at 61.4 million of their Android-powered phones sold worldwide in the quarter.Buoyed by the iPhone results, Apple earned $27.5 billion, or $1.85 per share, nearly doubling its profit from a year ago. Revenue climbed 8% from a year ago to $102.5 billion. Both the earnings and revenue eclipsed the analyst forecasts that steer the stock market.Apple shares surged 3% in extended trading after the numbers came out.In a conference call with analysts, Apple CEO Tim Cook indicated his belief that the iPhone 17 lineup will continue to do well, predicting even more of the devices will be sold during the final three months of the year. “As we head into the holiday season with our most powerful lineup ever, I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come,” Cook said. He cited the iPhone 17’s popularity in most parts of the world except China, where sales of the device dipped by 4% from a year ago.The Cupertino, California, company expects its iPhone sales to increase at least 10% from last year’s holiday season, according to projections provided by Apple’s chief financial officer, Kevan Parekh. Total revenue is expected to rise at a similar rate.Apple’s stock has been on a tear since a report earlier this month from the research firm International Data Corp. telegraphed the quarterly results with a preliminary analysis that concluded the company had set a new July-September record for iPhone sales. The rally catapulted Apple’s market value above $4 trillion for the first time earlier this week and now the stage is set for the shares to hit another new high during Friday’s regular trading session.But Apple has been widely seen as a laggard in the AI craze, one of the reasons that Nvidia a chipmaker whose processors power the technology became the first company to be valued at $5 trillion earlier this week.Apple had promised a wide array of AI features would be rolling out on last year’s iPhone models, but was only able to deliver a few of them. The missing upgrades included a smarter and more versatile version of its frequently flummoxed Siri virtual assistant a makeover that Apple now doesn’t expect to complete until next year.But Apple has a long history of late starts when technology starts to head in another direction before it finally catches up and emerges as a front-runner.If Apple can pull it off again by eventually implanting more AI features on the iPhone, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives believes those breakthroughs could boost the company’s market share by another $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, translating into $75 to $100 per share. Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer
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E-Commerce
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