In health care, more is not always better.
We know what to do less of, but how?

During the Taking Action on Overuse project, we partnered with three diverse health care organizations that used the Taking Action on Overuse Framework to address overuse topics. The partner sites are UCLA Medical Group, Swedish Medical System, and Missouri Primary Care Association. Much was learned about the challenges and opportunities of addressing overuse.

Key takeaways

• Reducing overuse is challenging and takes time, perhaps more so than traditional QI projects.
• Sustained leadership engagement is necessary to the success of overuse reduction efforts.
• In addition to leader support, front-line engagement

The ultimate goal of the Taking Action on Overuse framework is to help your organization build a culture where care teams take ownership for reducing overuse. But what does this look like? Our research of medical overuse reduction efforts across the country revealed common indicators of success that include:

Set aside time and space for discussions about overuse
1. Devote a medical staff case conference, morbidity & mortality conference or medical grand rounds to a specific example of how overuse led to patient harm
2. Incorporate stories and strategies for reducing overuse into existing staff meetings, nursing rounds or