Two area hospitals received good marks for patient safety by a nonprofit organization known for its hospital safety grading.

The Leapfrog Group released its biannual Hospital Safety Grades report, scoring hospitals across the country on their performance in keeping patients safe and preparing staff to minimize risks during treatment and recovery.

UPMC Passavant received an “A,” up from a “B” last fall.

“The rating recognizes the commitment and dedication of the physicians and staff at UPMC Passavant-Cranberry to providing an outstanding level of clinical care and services with exceptional devotion to quality our patients expect,” said Dave Martin, president, UPMC Passavant, senior vice president, Health Services Division.

Butler Health System held steady from last fall with a “B,” for Butler Memorial Hospital, though hospital officials said that a delivery error may have prevented it from scoring higher.

“A large part of the grade is based on information from hospitals, self-reported by them,” said Jana Panther, director of marketing at BHS. “There was an error, and some of that (information) was not reported ... and that does affect your grade.”

This is the first year BHS has tried to send information to Leapfrog for the grading report.

“They give you a grade regardless if you participate with them or not,” she said.

Hospitals are scored in everything from staff qualifications and communication to infection rates and problems with surgery.

Both hospitals scored high in reducing safety problems and in practicing to prevent staff errors, though UPMC scored somewhat higher in surgery safety while BHS scored higher in doctor’s use of computers and working to reduce patient falls.

Panther said it can be difficult to compare hospitals with different offerings, as places that offer riskier operations or treatments may seem to be less safe than those with more limited offerings.

“When you get into the data it can be confusing,” she said, and recommended that those interested in the data make use of the Leapfrog site’s guide to understanding the findings.

The Leapfrog Group puts together the score using performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Leapfrog Hospital Survey.

That methodology is peer reviewed and was published in the Journal of Patient Safety.

Around 2,500 hospitals are given a score, according to the group’s website.

For more information about the score or to check how other hospitals did, go to www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.