The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 mandated that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) report to Congress a series of analyses with the first related to understanding the issues around hospital-based adverse events. This related and simultaneously released report identifies and describes state reporting systems and how they utilize the captured information. The report concludes that as of January 2008, 26 states had reporting systems in place, 23 states used the data to hold individual hospitals accountable, and 18 states reported using the data to promote learning and develop prevention strategies. A past AHRQ WebM&M perspective discusses the role of state reporting systems in advancing patient safety.