Medical Malpractice
Meritus Medical Center remains the flagship facility of Meritus Health, a nonprofit healthcare system based in Hagerstown, Maryland. As of 2025, Meritus Health includes Meritus Medical Center, Meritus Enterprises, the Meritus Medical Center Endowment Fund, the Meritus Healthcare Foundation, and the Meritus Insurance Company, Ltd.
The hospital opened in 2010 as a much-needed replacement for the deteriorating Washington County Hospital. Now a modern 243-bed facility with a 52-bed emergency department, Meritus employs over 2,500 staff members and generates approximately $400 million in annual revenue. While the system emphasizes preventive care through its network of primary and specialty practices, Meritus also provides comprehensive hospital services, including cancer care, urgent care, and emergency services.
Key offerings at Meritus Medical Center include a special care nursery, a primary stroke center, a wound care clinic, a cardiac diagnostic lab, and a state-designated Level III trauma center. The emergency department alone sees over 78,000 patient visits per year. For less critical medical needs, Meritus operates urgent care centers to reduce the burden on the ER.
Medical Malpractice and Quality of Care at Meritus
Like any large hospital, Meritus is not immune to medical mistakes. Yes, malpractice lawsuits are filed against Meritus Medical Center. That does not necessarily mean it is a bad hospital. But it does mean that patients have suffered serious harm in preventable situations, and those cases deserve scrutiny.
That said, Meritus has made measurable strides in recent years. According to the most recent Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) data, 62% of surveyed patients reported they would “definitely recommend” Meritus to others. This figure still lags behind the national average by 8%, but it is an improvement compared to previous years.
In terms of accolades, Meritus Medical Center has been recognized for high performance in multiple areas. It previously earned the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence, ranking among the top 5% nationally in clinical outcomes. It was also honored with the Women’s Health Excellence Award for superior care outcomes across 15 key conditions and procedures affecting women.
Most recently, in 2025, a leading nonprofit healthcare safety organization awarded Meritus an “A” grade, a significant achievement that reflects improved patient safety protocols and outcome metrics. Credit where it is due: that is a meaningful leap forward from its performance a decade ago.
Meritus Medical Legal Defense Team
Meritus Medical Center has recently been defended by Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades in Rockville and Anderson, Coe & Kim in Baltimore. There are good law firms that our medical malpractice lawyers have experience dealing with in medical negligence claims.
Resident Agent for Service
If you are suing MMC, the resident agent is:
James P. Hamil
251 East Antietam Street
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Cases Filed Against Meritus Medical Center
Since Meritus Medical Center replaced Washington County Hospital in 2010, it has been hard to find any verdicts or settlements against Meritus Medical Center. Our law firm, Miller & Zois, has resolved a few cases against Meritus in the last year (confidential settlements).
Obtaining a Lawyer for Your Hospital Malpractice Claim
If you or someone you know was treated at Meritus Medical Center and was injured due to a potential medical malpractice, contact us at 800-553-8082. You can also go online for a free case consultation. Miller and Zois has a long history of verdicts and settlements in Maryland hospital malpractice cases.
More Information & Related Topics
- Information about hospital malpractice claims
- Emergency room medical malpractice lawsuits
- Lopez-Krist v Salvagno: federal court opinion finding that whether Meritus is responsible for the alleged negligence of a doctor (and the Center for Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine) was an issue the jury must decide
- Respiratory cases flooded Meritus’ emergency room some years back
- For some reason, Meritus has twice the number of the state average of people coming to the ER with a mental health issue
- Meritus Medical Center is required to refund overpayments on 17,000 Medicare and Medicaid claims on place-of-service coding errors