A panel of the Montana State Medical Board voted unanimously to revoke the medical license of Dr. Thomas Weiner, a former cancer doctor based in Helena, following serious allegations of patient harm. The decision, made on March 15, 2024, stems from findings that Weiner prescribed unnecessary treatments and caused significant harm to several patients.
During the meeting, the board’s adjudication panel reviewed the findings of board investigators who determined that Weiner had violated professional conduct rules. As a result, he is permanently prohibited from practicing medicine in Montana. The board’s legal counsel, Jennifer Stallkamp, stated that Weiner had agreed not to seek licensure as a physician in the state in the future.
The board’s investigation focused on the care of seven patients, including one who was not diagnosed with cancer but died from toxicity linked to chemotherapy treatments. Another patient remained under Weiner’s care for several years, receiving opioid prescriptions despite lacking a cancer diagnosis. Stallkamp informed the panel that while Weiner disputes several allegations, he acknowledges the sufficiency of evidence against him.
Weiner’s license was renewed less than a year prior to this revocation, a decision that raised concerns among former patients and the community. St. Peter’s Health, the primary healthcare provider in Helena, terminated Weiner’s employment in 2020 after identifying multiple issues in his patient care. These included administering treatments that were not clinically indicated, failures in compliance with narcotics prescription laws, and inadequate referrals to specialists.
Over two decades, Weiner built a reputation as a dedicated oncologist, earning admiration from many in the community. Despite the hospital’s actions, he maintained substantial support from residents, with signs declaring “WE STAND WITH DR. TOM WEINER” still visible around the city. Following his termination, Weiner initiated a lawsuit against the hospital, which he ultimately lost.
In August 2024, St. Peter’s announced an $11 million settlement with the federal government relating to Weiner’s billing practices. Investigations into his medical conduct escalated after a December 2024 article by ProPublica highlighted a series of suspicious patient deaths associated with his care. The article suggested that Weiner had evaded consequences for years, partly due to the revenue his services generated for the hospital.
In light of this reporting, the Montana Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into Weiner’s practices, although no charges have yet been filed. The state medical board had previously reinstated Weiner’s ability to practice in February, a decision that shocked many former patients.
Stallkamp detailed specific accounts of substandard care during the board’s hearing, describing instances where Weiner failed to document critical information about prescribed medications and treatment plans. One patient, referred to in the hearing as Patient 1, was treated with chemotherapy despite not having a confirmed cancer diagnosis. This patient later died from complications linked to the treatment, aligning with the case of Scot Warwick, a Helena resident whose widow expressed relief at the board’s decision.
Lisa Warwick stated that the ruling brings a sense of justice to the victims and their families, noting her surprise at the investigation’s progress regarding her late husband’s treatment. “It does bring some justice, maybe a little bit of justice, to the victims and their families, just knowing that he won’t be able to do that anymore,” she remarked.
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry, responsible for overseeing medical licensing, did not provide comments regarding the board’s decision or the timeline of their investigation into Weiner’s practices. The board had previously received over 100,000 pages of records from St. Peter’s in 2021, which may have prompted the investigation into Weiner’s conduct.
As the situation unfolds, the community continues to grapple with the implications of Weiner’s actions and the impact on those who sought care from him.
