Both New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center earned top marks in the spring Hospital Safety Score report from The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit organization that advocates for quality, safety and transparency in the U.S. health system.

NHRMC and the Novant facility in Brunswick County each earned an A.

Hospitals were rated on five criteria: the use of procedures to prevent errors in treatment and follow-up, the frequency of patients contracting certain infections during their stays, the frequency of surgery-related problems, frequency of patient safety incidents and measures in place to minimize them, and the training of medical staff to maximize safety.

NHRMC has earned straight A's on the semi-annual report card since the fall of 2013, the report showed. Novant Health Brunswick's grades have been mixed, with an C in the spring of 2014 but A's and B's otherwise.

The report rated 80 hospitals in North Carolina. The majority earned an A or B. Five hospitals earned a D.