Medical Malpractice Statistics in Washington
3 years from discovery; no explicit repose
SOL
None
Non-Economic Cap
VA and military hospitals — FTCA, 2-year administrative claim
Federal Hospital Claims
Courts in Washington, District of Columbia
DC Superior Court — Civil Division
500 Indiana Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
U.S. District Court — District of Columbia
333 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Hospitals & Trauma Centers in Washington
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
3800 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington, DC 20007
George Washington University Hospital
900 23rd St NW, Washington, DC 20037
Children's National Hospital
111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010
Liability Considerations in Washington
Medical Malpractice in Washington DC
Washington DC has a relatively plaintiff-favorable malpractice environment: no non-economic damage cap, a 3-year SOL (compared to 1-2 years in many states), and a diverse, educated jury pool at DC Superior Court. DC's unique characteristic is the large number of federal government healthcare facilities — NIH Clinical Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and multiple VA Medical Centers — all of which are subject to the FTCA rather than DC malpractice law. Claims against these federal facilities require an administrative filing within 2 years, creating a parallel claims track. Civilian cases at GWU, Georgetown, and MedStar hospitals are handled under DC malpractice law. Note: contributory negligence technically applies in DC (one of only a handful of US jurisdictions), which can complicate cases where patient conduct is at issue.