The collection, analysis and use of patient reported information is central to health care policy and yet presents considerable challenges for organisations to put into practice. Our speakers will present their recent research and describe the ‘state of the nation’ with respect to patient reported information: patient satisfaction, grievances, patient reported outcomes as well as patient experience. They will cover how it is used within the US health care system currently and how it might be used more effectively in the future. This will provide fertile ground for an engaging debate about the nature of patient reported information in general, cross-national comparisons and what we can learn from each other.