The recommendation for a baseline severity score in all patients with acute ICH was new in the 2015 AHA/ASA ICH guidelines and was considered as a metric for Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the 2011 AHA/ASA recommendations. Numerous baseline severity scores for ICH exist,22 24 with the general goal of their use being to improve communication and risk stratification in terms of the patient s clinical condition and not to attempt to provide a precise numeric prognostic estimate. The ICH score is the most widely used and validated score for baseline severity stratification. Whether to require a specific baseline severity score (such as the ICH score22 ) or to allow any of a variety of existing severity scores (such as the FUNC [Functional Outcome in Patients with Primary Intracerebral the Glasgow Coma Scale score, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, or others as chosen by a specific hospital or individual physician) was a point of discussion for these performance measures and the 2015 ICH guidelines themselves. TJC requires a baseline ICH severity score as part of its metrics for Comprehensive Stroke Centers, and the ICH score is the only severity score used in this context. This TJC performance measure is endorsed by the NQF. Thus, the writing group felt that harmonization with the existing NQF-endorsed measure was a high priority in order to reduce heterogeneity and to improve standardization of care. This approach was largely affirmed by others during the public comment period. 