About me
As a Board Certified/Board eligible critical care physician, all conditions requiring intensive care in the medical, surgical, or neurosciences ICU are treated.
About the Provider
Darling Ruiz, MD, is an attending pulmonary and critical care physician at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ailments and illnesses of the lungs, including asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, and unknown causes of shortness of breath and cough. Dr. Ruiz uses a wide range of diagnostic testing in her practice, including bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound, and transbronchial needle aspiration. Her clinical interests include evaluation and management of interstitial lung disease, the use of endobronchial ultrasound for lung cancer screening and staging, and treating patients with COPD, asthma, and sarcoidosis.
Dr. Ruiz received her medical degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua in Managua, Nicaragua. Dr. Ruiz then served as an attending general practitioner at Matron Roberts Polyclinic II in Belize City, Belize before joining Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, MD for a three-year internal medicine residency, where she served as Chief Resident and was named Intern of the Year for 2013-2014. Dr. Ruiz completed a specialty fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at Medstar Washington Hospital Center, where she also served as Chief Fellow. She is a member of the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians.
Dr. Ruiz is fluent in Spanish.
Philosophy of Care
“My goal is to not only improve the health of my patients but to improve their quality of life. I follow and implement best practices and guidelines, heavily taking into consideration the preferences, priorities, and treatment goals of my patients. Collaborating with my patients is important to me. I take the time to practice clear communication with my patients so that they fully understand their diagnosis and treatment options and are therefore able to make informed decisions regarding their care.”
Conditions and procedures
Procedures I perform
- Bronchoscopy
- Lung Cancer Screening
- Pulmonary Embolism
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
-
List of insurance plans we accept
- IH-Open HMO
- Sentara Health
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Standard
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- Anthem BCBS of VA Key Care POS/PPO/Indemnity
- Aetna Advantage 6350PD
- HighMark
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- Fee-for-Service (FFS) District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Medicaid
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Dual Adv
- Options PPO Cardiac Global
- United Student Resources
- IH-Open POS Plus
- Jai Medical Systems - Maryland Health Choice
- Beech Street PPO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Kaiser Permanente HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv. Special Needs Plans
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- Advantra Platinum (PPO)
- United Healthcare Select HMO-EPO/NPP Cardiac Global
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice 3-tier POS
- Aetna VA Exchange
- First Health PPO
- IH-HMO
- CIGNA Indemnity
- United Healthcare Choice Plus Cardiac Global
- Police and Fire Clinic
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- United Healthcare Options (PPO)
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- Choice POS II Open Access
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers Plus
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- United Healthcare Choice Cardiac Global
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Optima Family Care MCO - VA Medicaid MCO
- Humana Gold Plus HMO
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- MD IPA (HMO) & MD IPA Preferred Cardiac Global
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus
- Choice POS
- CIGNA PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (POS & POS OA)
- MultiPlan, Inc
- United Healthcare Choice
- BCBS of Michigan (BCN Advantage,Security Blue, Freedom, Medicare PLUS Blue Group PPO)
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Maryland Physicians Care MCO
- HealthyBlue PPO
- DC/MD SHOP QHP Small Business Plans
- NYC Medicare Advantage Plus
- CareFirst NASCO
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan
- BCBS Out-of-State Medicare Plans (Blue Advantage)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PLUS PPO
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Aetna Better Health of VA
- CIGNA Connect EPO
- CareFirst Blue Card Program
- Aetna Premier 200PD
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Select - Added Choice
- TriWest Healthcare Alliance
- TRICARE for Life East
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- Blue Choice Advantage
- Choice Fund PPO
- Anthem BCBS of VA HealthKeepers (HMO)
- Medicare Direct
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- TRICARE East Prime
- Choice POS II
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS Cardiac Global
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- IH-EPO Plus
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- Optimum Choice & Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) Cardiac Global
- CIGNA SureFit (HMO)
- HumanaChoice Honor's plan PPO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage PFFS Plan
- Private Fee-for-Service Plans (PFFS)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature - Added Choice
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- CareFirst Maryland Point of Service Plan
- Aetna HMO
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- First Health PPO
- Private Health Care Systems (PPO)
- IH-Open EPO Plus
- Humana Medicare Advantage - HMO Open Access
- Aetna Advantage 5750
- IH-POS
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD PPO
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- United Healthcare Navigate Cardiac Global
- Geisinger Medicare Advantage
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Aetna Advantage 6350
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Magellan Complete Care of VA - VA Medicaid MCO
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- OA Plus
- Core Essential (HMO)
- Johns Hopkins Advantage MD HMO
- HUMANA/Choice Care Medicare Plans (Choice, Gold Choice)
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- OCI Direct (HMO)
- CareFirst Blue Preferred PPO
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue Plus
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- CareFirst Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CareFirst EPO
- Aetna Better Health of MD
- Navigate
- BlueChoice Open Access
- IH-POS Plus
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO) Cardiac Global
- Erickson Advantage Plans
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Aetna Basic
- Anthem BCBS Medi Blue SNP
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Select Cardiac Global
- United Healthcare Community Plan - VA Medicaid MCO
- Medicare Advantage - Advantra Value (PPO)
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- United HealthCare Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- IH-Network Only Plus
- POS OA
- Aetna Classic 5000PD
- Humana Medicare Advantage - PPO
- Network OA
- AMERIVANTAGE/Amerigroup Community Care
- Lasso Healthcare - Medicare Medical Savings Account
- CareFirst Federal Employee Program (Std. & Basic PPO)
- CIGNA EPO
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- CareFirst Dual Prime HMO-SNP
- United Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- CareFirst BlueChoice HMO
- CIGNA PPO Plus
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- CIGNA HMO Open Access
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- HumanaChoice PPO
- CareFirst FEP Blue Focus
- Anthem Federal Employee Program Basic
- Optimum Choice
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- IH-Open HMO Option
- Alterwood Advanatge HMO & DSNP Plans
- UHC Passport
- Aetna Classic 3500
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS)
- Tricare Reserve Select
- TRICARE East Select
- CareFirst Administrators
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO)
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Cigna Preferred Medicare (HMO)
- Medicare FFS
- IH-PPO
- Employee Health Plan
- IH-Indemnity
- Aetna Classic 5000
- Kaiser Permaenete Signature - Added Choice Cardiac Global
- CareFirst Community Health Plan of MD
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans (HMO, POS, PPO)
- IH-Open POS II
- IH-Open Network Only Plus
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease
Fellowship: MedStar Washington Hospital Center (2020)
Residency: Ascension Maryland Saint Agnes Hospital (2017)
Graduate: Universidad de Cadiz (2008)
Medical School: Universidad Nacional Autonoma Nicaragua (2007)