Sisters of Charity Hospital, a Catholic Health facility, was recognized by two of the nation's leading independent quality rating organizations, Healthgrades and Leapfrog, in their recently released national quality reports.

Sisters of Charity Hospital Main Street and St. Joseph's campuses, in Buffalo and Cheektowaga, respectively, both received a five-star rating from Healthgrades in total hip replacement, hip fracture treatment and total knee replacement.

A five-star rating is based on lower-than-expected complication rates for patients who have an orthopedic surgery in a hospital and is a reflection of Sisters Hospital's high-quality, team-based care. Sisters Main Street Campus also received its first "A" grade from Leapfrog, a non-profit group that rates how well hospitals protect patients from errors, infections and accidents.

For its analysis, Healthgrades independently evaluated approximately 40 million Medicare patient records from more than 4,500 hospitals across the country to arrive at its star rating system. The report identifies hospitals with better than expected (five stars), as expected (three stars), or worse than expected (one star) performance in a number of high volume procedures.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent industry watchdog funded by leading companies and large purchasers of health care, use 30 measures of publicly available hospital data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 hospital across the county.

"Hospitals that earn top marks nationally in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade have achieved the highest safety standards in the country," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "That takes commitment from every member of the hospital staff, who all deserve thanks and congratulations when their hospitals achieve an 'A' safety grade."

"We are committed to consistently providing the highest quality in care and safety for our patients. Receiving the Five-Star Healthgrades awards and an 'A' grade from Leapfrog, is a reflection of the dedication, skill and hard work of all of our associates and staff," said Martin Boryszak, president and CEO of Sisters of Charity Hospital.

Patients can visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org to see the ratings, compare hospitals and learn how they can protect themselves during a hospital stay.