Medical Malpractice
Background
Doctors Community Hospital is located in Lanham, Maryland. This Prince George’s County hospital was founded in 1975 and has grown into a facility with 190 licensed beds. Today, this hospital employs 1,509 people and 495 medical professionals.
Two years ago in 2016, Doctors Community Hospital saw 57,439 emergency room visits, 9,725 hospital admissions, and 35,617 surgical services. It had a quarter of a billion dollars in assets and brought in nearly that much in revenue in 2016.
The specialty services at Doctors Community Hospital include:
- Bariatric and Weight Loss Center
- Center for Comprehensive Breast Care
- Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
- Comprehensive Orthopedic Services
- Doctors Regional Cancer Center
- Emergency Services
- Imaging Services
- Infusion Center
- Joslin Diabetes Center
- Metropolitan Medical Specialists
- Outpatient Rehabilitation Services
- Sleep Center
- Surgical Services
- Vascular Health
At the wound care center, the healing rate has been above 90% since 2008, with the help of new advanced therapies. At the orthopedic center, the services include arthroscopic surgery, foot/ankle surgery, fracture care, general orthopedics, hand/upper extremity surgery, shoulder/elbow surgery, spine surgery, sports medicine, and total hip/knee replacements.
The Sleep Center at Doctor’s Community Hospital is the only accredited sleep center in Prince George’s County and has been in operation since 1996. The center treats disorders including obstructive sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome.
In addition to the main hospital, Doctor’s Community also provides healthcare services at offices in Greenbelt, Bowie, Clinton, Camp Springs, and Largo.
Doctors Community Hospital patient-centered environment has earned them many honors and awards. In 2016-2017, they earned the U.S. News and World Report’s High Performing Hospitals in Chronic Pulmonary Disease and the same award for Heart Failure. In the past, the hospital has won other excellence awards for quality, stroke achievement awards, the Gazette’s “Best of Prince George’s County” Award, and the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Certification.
The hospital contracts with Emergency Medical Associates (EMA) to provide ER services at Doctors Community.
There is no question that there are areas where DCH performs quite well. But do not be tricked into thinking that these awards make this a great hospital. What does Medicare think of Doctors Community? They give it two stars. While two stars is not the rating of a good hospital, it is, sadly, one of the better hospitals in Prince George’s County. Laurel Regional Hospital, Prince George’s Hospital Center, and MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, all got one star from Medicare. Fort Washington also has one star and was very close to being terminated by Medicare last year.
More to the point for our purposes here: Does this hospital also make a lot of mistakes that lead to medical malpractice lawsuits? It does.
Doctor’s Community Hospital – Legal Defense Team
The Rockville law firm of Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos & Vaughan has frequently defended Doctors Community Hospital and their employees in medical malpractice lawsuits. It has been a while since we have seen another law firm defend this hospital.
Verdicts & Settlements Involving Doctors Community Hospital
Below are a couple past verdicts against Doctors Community Hospital. Remember these results are based off specific circumstances, and that there probably are more out there, but they are confidential.
- 2017, Maryland: $2,459,304 Verdict. Plaintiffs allege that the wrongful death of a forty-seven-old man is caused by the doctors and nurses failure to reduce the man’s blood sodium levels, resulting in neurological injuries that caused a brain injury and death.
- 1996, Maryland: $5,722 Verdict. A woman has surgery to remove a tumor. However, the doctor leaves a piece of wire in her breast during the surgery. After the surgery, the woman suffers injuries and emotional distress and argues the defendants were negligent. The defendants deny this, but a jury awards the woman $3,722 for past medical expenses and $2,000 for her pain and suffering.
- 1988, Maryland: $375,000 Verdict. A 43-year old male is having surgery when a brachial plexus block fails. The nurse anesthetist leaves the operating room to consult with another anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist saw the man the night before his surgery and ordered the pre-anesthesia medication, but doesn’t perform an evaluation or order an anesthetic for the surgery. The man alleges that the failure to perform the evaluation and implement an anesthesia plan led to an excessive dose of anesthetic. As a result, he suffers cardiac arrest. A jury awards him $375,000, but a judge later grants a motion finding that the man failed to show sufficient proof of alternative treatment and psychological injury.
Filed Lawsuits Against Doctors Community Hospital
Below is a list of lawsuits filed against Doctors Community Hospital, along with the allegations when available.
- 2016: Ahmad v. Doctors Community Hospital – case arising from the alleged failure to diagnose and treat a well-known complication of down syndrome resulting in death
- 2016: Johnson v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice case arising from complications with a pressure ulcer
- 2015: Deloach v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice case arising from the failure to diagnose and treat an internal injury ultimately leading to patient’s death
- 2014: Prudhomme v. Doctors Community Hospital – negligently performed lap chole which caused a perforation of the colon and bile duct
- 2014: Baylor v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death case arising from failure to respond to symptoms of a heart attack
- 2014: Prettyman v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice claim due to complications after a ventral hernia repair resulting in peritonitis; lawsuit claim failure to diagnose and treat sepsis
- 2013: Khanlarbig v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2013: Mang v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death medical malpractice claim arising from the alleged misreading of an EKG and the failure to diagnose myocardial infarction
§ 2013: Ekanem v. Doctors Community Hospital – negligence and medical malpractice- 2012: Green v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice regarding gynecology
- 2012: Mang v. Doctors Community Hospital – tort and medical malpractice
- 2011: Dejarnette v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2011: Okobi v. Doctors Community Hos
pital – wrongful death - 2011: Nicholas v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2011: Green v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2011: Lucas v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death medical malpractice claim after patient suffered respiratory arrest alleging resulting from improper treatment and monitoring
- 2011: Parker v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2010: Radford v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice case after a common bile duct injury occurred during a lap chole, and a delayed recognition of this injury
- 2009: Schwartz v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2009: Lucas v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2009: Rich v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2009: Boyd v. Doctors Community Hospital – non-medical malpractice claim where a television fell out of a bracket and hit a woman, causing a shoulder seperation
- 2009: Radford v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2008: Schwartz v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death medical malpractice claim alleging the delay in diagnosing a leak after a colon resection
- 2008: Markey v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2008: Medley v. Doctors Community Hospital- torts/negligence
- 2008: Perry v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 2007: Hollis v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice wrongful death case arising from the administration of Dilaudid
- 2007: Riley v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice wrongful death case after from cardiac catheterization and bleeding complications
- 2006: Cole v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice case alleging a punctured conus medullaris during a myelogram
Getting a Lawyer for Your Hospital Malpractice Claim
Our lawyers handle medical malpractice claims against doctors and hospitals. Have you or someone you love suffered an injury or death at Doctors Community Hospital and you suspect negligence? Contact us today at 800-553-8082 or go online for a free consultation. At Miller and Zois, we have a history of success, earning large verdicts and settlements in hospital malpractice cases in Maryland.
More Information & Related Topics
- An overview of medical malpractice claims
- What is the potential value of a medical malpractice case?
- Value of emergency room malpractice claims