At least April 2021, the Montana Medical Council had evidence, including thousands of patients and medical examinations that Dr. Thomas K. Waner, a popular oncologist Helena, injured and potentially killed patients, about PROPBLICA and Montana Free Press. But at this time, the Council resumed a medical license twice.
Weiner ruled the Cancer Center for St. Peter’s Health for 24 years before it was fired in 2020 and accused Over -state narcotics, treatment of people who did not cancel chemotherapy and provide Poor care. Weiner who denied these accusations was the subject of December Investigation PROPUBLICAwhich revealed a documentary trace of damage to the patient and at least 10 suspicious deaths. Many of the records given in history were in custody of the medical council for almost four years, recently confirmed by Saint Petro.
The Council of Medical Experts resumed Weiner medical rights In March 2023, this month, his permission to treat patients and prescribe drugs. While the lawyers of the State Agency, which oversees the Medical Council collected records from the hospital as part of a summons to court, including medical examinations that criticized the care of Weiner that the investigation was at the staff level, one current and one former board member reports. It is unclear why the case of the Winer was not erected to the members of the Council appointed by the governor.
The press secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry, the press -secretary of the Council, did not answer the list of e -mail questions, including whether the records provided by the hospital were considered by the Council members.
Catlin Okke, a lawyer representing St. Peter, said Propublica and Montana Free Press that the hospital initially surrendered to the Licensing Council of 160,000 Pages of Documents concerning 64 patients; The state received these records at the beginning of 2021, only a few months after the dismissal of Weiner.
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As part of the subpoena, St. Peter made a medical card, Scott Warick, whom Weiner was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. Although there was no lung biopsy to confirm that Warwick had a disease, Weiner continued to give him chemotherapy and other treatments for 11 years. After Warick died in 2020 and autopsy – What St. Peter said he gave a medical council – he did not find evidence of cancer. Weiner claimed that the patient had a terminal cancer for 11 years and said that the pathologist and posthumous medical expert had missed the disease.
Lisa Warwick, a widow Scott, sued St. Peter for illegal death and stopped for an undisclosed amount. This month, Warwick learned from Prapublica and Montana Free Press that her husband’s records and other evidence had been in the state for years. She called the situation “horrible”.
“I just wanted to know what information they are considering, what is the determination of this man’s license,” she said. “Because when they really do their work and consider these things and consider all the cases that have been started – the people who died, the circumstances under which they died, are not able to substantiate the renewal of this person’s license.”
Anthony Olsan, another patient Weiner who is inadequate Received chemotherapy for almost ten yearsHe expressed shock when he learned that Montana’s regulators had information about his business in 2021. Three biopsies have confirmed that Olson has never had a river, reports courthouse and medical Records. This chemistry has created serious health complications for Olson.
“So they just don’t care?” asked Olsan. “It gives me cocktails. The race of my heart and I literally don’t know what to feel now.”
Weiner accused other doctors of the wrong diagnosis of Olson, but acknowledged that he received toxic therapies “unnecessary”.
In Montana, medical licenses are submitted every two years. A few months after the Council resumed the Waire License in 2023, its staff put them in a hospital for additional records. Supple said that Saint -Petro provided the Council with thousands of internal documents and medical examinations. However, she said the council was not caused by anyone from the hospital to show the practice of Weiner.
St. Peter confirmed that the second tranche included medical card Nadine Long, a 16-year-old girl showing trial and medical documents, shows died in 2015 Shortly after Weiner ordered the introduction of a large number phenobarbitalA powerful sedative. Weiner denied violations in this case. Keeping that the girl’s condition was terminal, he said he provided comfort.
St. Peter also announced the removal of Weiner into the National Bank of Practitioners and warned the Federal Administration for Drug Administration about his alleged drug practices, according to records and interviews.
“We provided information to each subject who had something to do,” said OKO. “St. Peter took these accusations very seriously.”
Dr. James Berkholder, Member of the Licensing Council of Medicine from 2016 to 2023, said Propublica and Montana Free Press that the name of Weiner “never approached” during the council’s reflections. Berkholder, a family doctor with Helen, said he was convinced that the case had not reached the level of the council because he knew Vuer professionally and would have abandoned himself. He also worked in the submitted survey, which would first consider the investigation of the Waner state and passed it to the full council, which would be resolved.
Dr. Carly Robertson, a current board member, said she had never heard of Weiner.
It is unclear how many complaints were filed against Weiner, as the Medical Council retains information about cases that were not justified. Propublica and Montana Free Press confirmed that at least one complaint about Viner’s licensing filed in 2021 was considered three years before he was fired in December.
Credit:
Melyssa St. Michael for propublica
A few months after reading the local news, Viner, who was fired by St. Petro, Marylin Ketchum, decided to act on her husband Schon Ketchum, who died in 2016 while under the care of Weiner. Viewing him a medical card, she told the council that Vainer had changed her husband’s code without permission. If his heart stopped, He wanted to become complete code– she said, it means he wanted to resuscitate. Instead Show medical documents. Ketchum died without interference shortly after the records.
In his internal carriers of Waire’s care, Holy Peter claimed that the patients’ code was unilaterally “Standard Practice” his whom he called “Serious impaired medical care and medical ethics.” Weiner did not answer questions in the case of ketchum and denied that if -it changed the patient’s status without permission.
Ketchum, who now lives in Arkansas, said that the state -owned employee did not question her only two years after he complained about Waire’s license. “I was on the ass to do something with this,” Ketchum said, sending an email or calling anyone from the work department “every couple of weeks”.
In leaf Sent in late 2024, the council did not explain why she dismissed her complaint.
Weiner said he is currently not healing patients because he could not get insurance.
After the Prapublica investigation, the Montana Justice Ministry began Criminal Investigation Waire has three people who know the case. Weiner is not accused of crime. In some cases last year the US Department of Justice sued the Waire And the hospital claiming that they cheated on the federal health programs. Hospital settled for $ 10.8 million. Weiner denied these charges through a lawyer and petitioned to court reject the case.
Last month, Weiner lost the appeal A long -standing battle for his firing. The Montana Supreme Court ruled that the hospital’s actions were “smart and justified from the number and severity of the inappropriate assistance to the patients of Weiner.”
However, after firing Weiner, many residents of Helen Continue defending itIncluding the financing of the billboards that announce: “We stand with Dr. Weiner.” Proponents of Weiner, often referring to his updated medical license, have accused the hospital of organizing a brain mammoper against a devoted oncologist. From the winter of 2020, they protested outside the hospital.
Supple said that many staff of St. Peter had been exhausted from Waner’s supporters and are working to regain the trust in Helen. Asked about the problems that the hospital was unfairly aimed at Vuer, he replied: “No hospital would want to take the financial, PR, personal blow for no reason.”
