Medical Malpractice
Bon Secours Hospital/Grace Medical Center opened its doors in 1919. The hospital traces its roots back to 1824 when the Sisters of Bon Secours formed in France to provide health care to anyone in need throughout the world. Bon Secours, which translates into French as “good help,” provides health care ministries throughout the entire world.
However, Baltimore happened to be the first place in the United States that the Sisters of Bon Secours decided to open a hospital. The organization’s home base is back in Paris; while their United States “provincial house” is located in Marriottsville, Maryland. Since opening the West Baltimore hospital in 1919, the Sisters of Bon Secours have created a network of hospitals in seven other states.
- Suicide attempt lawsuit filed against Bon Secours
- Sample misdiagnosis lawsuit filed against Bon Secours
- What is the value of your medical malpractice lawsuit?
Today, Bon Secours has 69 beds. In 2021, it is trying to expand rapidly. Bon Secours has an emergency department that is newly renovated and is now seeing 20,000 patients a year. The new facility looks great. We will see if patient care improves.
Still, in relative terms, this is a very small hospital.
The hospital was purchased by LifeBridge in 2019. That same year, hoping for a fresh start after a bad history, the hospital changed its name to Grace Medical Center.
Medical Malpractice at Bon Secours/Grace Medical
Because this hospital is located in West Baltimore, the venue for potential medical malpractice suits is Baltimore City. Compared to other jurisdictions in Maryland, Baltimore City is one of the best, if not the best, place to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Traditionally, Baltimore jurors award fair verdicts, resulting in settlement offers that are commensurately higher than other jurisdictions.
But there is no money giveaway. Baltimore juries are fair and are going to demand evidence that the doctor or other health care providers did something wrong. Once liability is determined, Baltimore juries will give reasonable compensation for the injuries or losses in the case.
Recent Bon Secours Hospital Lawsuits
- 2019: Ellis v. Bon Secours Hospital – A medical malpractice lawsuit was filed when a doctor misread a prison inmate patient’s X-ray after they were stabbed in the chest. The doctor reads the X-ray and says the patient is not suffering from serious injury and is faking it. When the inmate went back to his cell, he falls and become unconscious. He sustains back and head injuries and currently suffers from physical disability. Soon after, the prison receives a call that says the X-ray was misread and he is actually diagnosed with a significant tension pneumothorax.
Bon Secours’ Defense Team
Bon Secours/Grace Medical Center has been defended by Miles & Stockbridge in a few claims filed against the hospital in recent years. Miles & Stockbridge is a mid-sized law firm with a good reputation.
Obtaining Medical Records from Bon Secours Hospital/Grace Medical
When you hire a Baltimore medical malpractice attorney, your lawyer will collect the medical records for you. If our law firm agrees to review your case, we advance the costs, and the client pays for the cost out of their settlement. Of course, if you are a lawyer or you want to get a head start for yourself, you can request the medical records by sending correspondence to:
Grace Medical Center
2000 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21223
ATTN: MEDICAL RECORDS
Value of a Malpractice Case Against Bon Secours
We do not know of any Bon Secours cases that have gone to trial in recent years. There was a verdict of more than $3 million against this hospital, about 8 or 9 years ago but nothing since. Again, this is a pretty small hospital, so there is never going to be a high volume of claims against it.
Certainly, Bon Secours does not have the best reputation. Bon Secours is known across West Baltimore as “Bon Se-Killer.” Readmission rates at this hospital are the highest in Maryland. Indeed, these facts make it easier to settle cases with this hospital because its malpractice lawyers know that jurors perceive this hospital as inferior. Those same lawyers would prefer to avoid West Baltimore jurors for that very reason.
Here are some statistics to underscore the point. Another study that year found that 37 percent of Bon Secours patients “strongly agreed” they understood their care after being discharged. By way of contrast, the figure was 51% for another Baltimore hospital, UMMC Midtown Campus. Here are some more statistics that suggest Grace Medical is a bad hospital as well as the 2021 hospital grades.
So, not surprisingly, the claims we have seen that have been filed against Grace Medical in recent years have been resolved before trial. But looking at verdicts against the hospital is not the best path towards better understanding the value of medical malpractice cases. It is more helpful to look at hospital verdicts and verdicts in particular types ofcases.
Contact Us
Our law firm earns millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts in hospital malpractice cases for our clients every year. If you believe that you have a medical malpractice lawsuit against Grace Medical/Bon Secours Hospital, or any other health care provider in Maryland, contact our malpractice attorneys at 1-800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation.