A Montana cancer specialist, Dr. Thomas Weiner, is facing serious allegations following a four-year federal investigation into his medical practices. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a civil lawsuit on Tuesday against Weiner and a $10.8 million settlement with St. Peter’s Health, where Weiner worked until late 2020.
According to the lawsuit, Weiner, who saw up to 70 patients a day, engaged in a range of fraudulent activities to boost his income. The allegations include double-billing federal health care programs, overprescribing pain medications, and ordering unnecessary treatments. The investigation revealed that Weiner falsified records to bill at higher amounts and prescribed painkillers to patients who did not have cancer, actions which allegedly aimed at increasing his personal earnings with little regard for patient safety.
Despite these serious claims, Weiner, who still holds a medical license and has not been charged criminally, maintains his innocence. He has sued St. Peter’s Health for wrongful termination, asserting that the lawsuit stems from ongoing litigation over his dismissal.
The investigation also uncovered that St. Peter’s Health, while reporting the false claims and cooperating with the federal probe, was implicated for paying Weiner based on these fraudulent referrals. Federal law prohibits paying physicians based on their treatment referrals to affiliated hospitals. This follows a similar case in 2018, where Logan Health in Kalispell settled for $24 million over similar issues.
St. Peter’s Health CEO Wade Johnson stated that no other physicians at the hospital are believed to be involved in filing false claims. The settlement amount will be drawn from the hospital’s reserves. Johnson emphasized that St. Peter’s Health has since strengthened its compliance systems to prevent future violations.
The hospital discovered post-termination that Weiner had incorrectly treated a patient for cancer over an 11-year period and engaged in questionable narcotic prescribing practices. According to the lawsuit, Weiner scheduled patient appointments in short 15-minute intervals, significantly limiting his time for thorough patient care and accurate documentation.
Dr. Weiner’s attorney, Deanne McClung, has firmly denied the allegations, attributing the lawsuit to ongoing employment disputes. McClung expressed confidence that Dr. Weiner will be exonerated once all evidence is reviewed.
By: DNU staff