Medical Malpractice
Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, formerly Doctors Community Hospital, is located in Lanham, Maryland. This Prince George’s County hospital was founded in 1975 and has grown into a 213-bed acute care facility. Doctors Community became part of Luminis Health in 2019 when it joined with Anne Arundel Medical Center.
Many people in Prince George’s County still know the facility as Doctors Community Hospital. We use the current name, Doctors Community Medical Center, when discussing the hospital today. We use the former Doctors Community Hospital name where it appears in older lawsuits, verdicts, and other historical records.
Doctors Community Medical Center
The specialty services at Doctors Community Medical Center include:
- Bariatric and Weight Loss Services
- Breast Care
- Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine
- Comprehensive Orthopedic Services
- Cancer Care
- Emergency Services
- Imaging Services
- Infusion Center
- Diabetes and Endocrinology Care
- Outpatient Rehabilitation Services
- Sleep Center
- Surgical Services
- Vascular Health
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 Doctors Community Medical Center treats disorders including obstructive sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome.
In addition to the main hospital, Luminis Health provides healthcare services at other locations throughout Prince George’s County and the surrounding area.
Doctors Community Medical Center is also expanding again. The hospital is adding women’s health and obstetrical services to the Lanham campus, including a future labor and delivery unit that is currently expected to open in 2028.
Emergency Room at Doctors Community Medical Center
The hospital contracts with US Acute Care Solutions to provide ER services at Doctors Community Medical Center. USACS reports approximately 45,000 emergency room visits a year and 48 emergency department beds.
This is important in a malpractice case because the emergency room doctor who treated you may not actually be employed directly by the hospital. One of the first things our lawyers look at in an emergency room malpractice case is who employed the doctor and who the proper defendants are.
Doctors Community Medical Center Ratings and Patient Safety
Doctors Community Medical Center has earned recognition over the years for a number of its medical programs. There is no question that there are areas where Doctors Community Medical Center 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 Medical Center today? The hospital has a three-star overall CMS rating as of the August 2026 data release. That is not good. Leapfrog gave Doctors Community Medical Center a C for hospital safety in Spring 2026. Also… not good.
Three stars is better than the two-star Medicare rating Doctors Community had when we first wrote this page. But three stars out of five and a C safety grade are not exactly numbers you put on your brochure. These reviews are not strong.
More to the point for our purposes here: Does this hospital also make mistakes that lead to medical malpractice lawsuits? It does.
Doctors Community Medical Center – Legal Defense Team
The Rockville law firm of Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades has frequently defended Doctors Community Hospital and its employees in medical malpractice lawsuits. It has been a while since we have seen another law firm defend this hospital.
Armstrong Donohue says its relationship with Doctors Community goes back to the 1980s, long before the hospital became part of Luminis Health.
Verdicts & Settlements Involving Doctors Community Hospital
Below are a few past verdicts involving Doctors Community Hospital. Remember these results are based off specific circumstances, and that there probably are more out there, but they are confidential.
- Toussaint v. Doctors Community Hospital, et al.: $2,459,304 Verdict. A 46-year-old man went to the Doctors Community emergency room with increased thirst, frequent urination, and weakness. He was diagnosed with diabetes, but the plaintiffs alleged that his sodium and fluid levels were not properly managed and that he suffered severe neurological injury and death. Several physicians settled before trial. A Prince George’s County jury later awarded the family $2,459,304 against Dr. Enrique Samanez. The jury found that Dr. Samanez was not an agent of Doctors Community Hospital, however, and returned a defense verdict for the hospital. Dr. Samanez later settled the case after the verdict.
- 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 Medical Center
Below is a list of lawsuits filed against Doctors Community Hospital or Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, along with the allegations when available.
- Fields v. Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, Inc., et al. – medical malpractice lawsuit filed in Prince George’s County Circuit Court against Doctors Community Medical Center and Emergency Medicine Associates, P.A.
- Jones-Wong v. Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, Inc., et al. – medical malpractice lawsuit filed against Doctors Community Medical Center and an OB/GYN
- Dillahunt v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death medical malpractice case arising from an alleged failure to diagnose a stroke. A 44-year-old man went to the emergency room with stroke symptoms but was allegedly diagnosed with vertigo and discharged. He returned when his symptoms worsened, suffered a massive stroke, and died.
- Tillery v. Emergency Medicine Associates – medical malpractice case arising from an alleged failure to diagnose a serious vascular blockage. The patient went to the Doctors Community emergency room with sudden calf and foot pain and was discharged after a negative venous ultrasound. His condition deteriorated, and he ultimately required an above-the-knee amputation. Doctors Community Hospital, Emergency Medicine Associates, an ER doctor, a physician assistant, and nurses were named as defendants.
- Downer v. Greenbelt Endoscopy Center – wrongful death medical malpractice case involving a woman who presented to Doctors Community Hospital with a ruptured appendix. The lawsuit alleged failures in airway management and monitoring during surgery that caused severe hypoxic brain damage and death. Doctors Hospital, Inc. doing business as Doctors Community Hospital was among the defendants.
- 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
- Johnson v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice case arising from complications with a pressure ulcer
- 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
- Prudhomme v. Doctors Community Hospital – negligently performed lap chole which caused a perforation of the colon and bile duct
- Baylor v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death case arising from failure to respond to symptoms of a heart attack
- Prettyman v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice claim due to complications after a ventral hernia repair resulting in peritonitis; lawsuit claims failure to diagnose and treat sepsis
- Khanlarbig v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 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
- Ekanem v. Doctors Community Hospital – negligence and medical malpractice
- Green v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice regarding gynecology
- Mang v. Doctors Community Hospital – tort and medical malpractice
- Dejarnette v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Okobi v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death
- Nicholas v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Green v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Lucas v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death medical malpractice claim after patient suffered respiratory arrest, alleging resulting from improper treatment and monitoring
- Parker v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- 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
- Schwartz v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Lucas v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Rich v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Boyd v. Doctors Community Hospital – non-medical malpractice claim where a television fell out of a bracket and hit a woman, causing a shoulder separation
- Radford v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Schwartz v. Doctors Community Hospital – wrongful death medical malpractice claim alleging the delay in diagnosing a leak after a colon resection
- Markey v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Medley v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Perry v. Doctors Community Hospital – torts/negligence
- Hollis v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice wrongful death case arising from the administration of Dilaudid
- Riley v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice wrongful death case arising from cardiac catheterization and bleeding complications
- Cole v. Doctors Community Hospital – medical malpractice case alleging a punctured conus medullaris during a myelogram
How to Get Your Medical Records from Doctors Community Medical Center
If you are considering a malpractice claim, one of the first things you want is a complete copy of the medical records. You have a right to obtain your records from Doctors Community Medical Center.
Luminis Health allows patients to obtain records through MyChart, through an electronic records request, or by submitting a written authorization to Health Information Management.
For Doctors Community Medical Center, the current authorization form lists:
Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center
Health Information Management
8118 Good Luck Road
Lanham, MD 20706
Fax: 301-552-8018
Luminis Health’s Information Management phone number as 443-481-4110.
If you are investigating a malpractice case, do not just ask for the discharge summary. You need the complete chart, including physician and nursing notes, orders, medication administration records, lab results, radiology reports, operative reports, vital-sign flowsheets, and any other records relevant to what happened.
How Much Is a Doctors Community Medical Center Malpractice Case Worth?
There is no average settlement value for a malpractice lawsuit against Doctors Community Medical Center. If we had that figure, it still would not be helpful to calculate your settlement amount or trial value of your case.
What matters is what the doctors and nurses did wrong, whether you can prove that mistake caused the injury, and how serious the injury is. That is how you calculate value.
Being in Prince George’s County helps. Jurors here do not defer to doctors or the local hospital. You can expect them to be fair in sorting out what happened.
Getting a Lawyer for Your Doctors Community Medical Center 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 Medical Center, and you suspect negligence? Contact us today at 800-553-8082 or go online for a free consultation. At Miller & 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