Did This Montana Doctor Line His Pockets— While Killing?

A man who thought he had lung cancer for more than a decade was ultimately killed by the chemotherapy he received—with an autopsy finding no sign he'd ever had cancer. A 16-year-old girl died after being given a massive dose of phenobarbital—more than five times an adult dose. These are two of the stories in ProPublica's exposé on Montana doctor Thomas Weiner, beloved in Helena, where he was seen as "something of a savior," per the outlet, when he became the small town's only permanent oncologist in 1996. It wasn't long before he was billing for as many as 70 patient contacts per day, a high number that nonetheless apparently raised no alarms. Thanks to a commonly used billing system known informally as "eat what you kill," his wealth increased along with his workload.

Meanwhile, Weiner developed a "cult" of "followers," according to colleagues who spoke anonymously to ProPublica, with some patients and nurses still devoted to him to this day. That controversy involves the aforementioned cases, plus others in which it seemed Weiner was treating people for cancer when there was no actual evidence of cancer (and at least one case in which cancer was apparently missed due to his alleged failure to perform a breast exam on a patient who'd previously had breast cancer). He also allegedly overprescribed and overused dangerous pain medications, some of which are suspected in patient deaths, and is accused of overriding patient's dying wishes, "basically using his own judgment as the judgment for people to live or die," according to a colleague. Read the full piece, which delves into the ensuing legal battle, at ProPublica. (More medical malpractice stories.)