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Welcome to the latest edition of Investigative Roundup, highlighting some of the best investigative reporting on healthcare each week.

Oncologist Allegedly Harmed Patients While Earning Millions

Thomas C. Weiner, MD, an oncologist at St. Peter's Hospital in Helena, Montana, continued to practice medicine even while other physicians and administrators suspected he was harming patients, according to a investigation.

Weiner was hired in 1996 to lead the hospital's new cancer treatment center and quickly became a star physician who was highly regarded by his peers and members of the community, according to the report.

The center flourished under his leadership, ProPublica reported, and by 2000 it was treating roughly 250 patients a year and revenue increased significantly. Weiner was earning more than $1.3 million a year by 2010, which was three times the hospital CEO's salary at the time, the outlet reported.

In 2019, the hospital's current CEO hired an expert on fraudulent billing practices to study Weiner's pay. Then in 2020, St. Peter's hired another physician, Randy Sasich, MD, who began to uncover cases of incorrect cancer diagnoses and alleged malpractice related to Weiner's patients. Then, a medical examiner found that one of Weiner's patients had died from lung failure caused by the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine.

In November 2020, the hospital fired Weiner. An internal fair hearing panel, which reviewed his firing and the hospital's allegations against him, determined that Weiner's care constituted "a serious violation of the standard of care and medical ethics."

Weiner has continued to fight the allegations and a lawsuit from the U.S. attorney for the District of Montana. He has also garnered notable support from members of the Helena community.

COVID-19 "Hero Doc" Now Leads Anti-Vax Group

A Houston critical care physician who was hailed for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic has become the leader of Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a physician group that questions vaccine safety, according to the .

Joseph Varon, MD, was once known for convincing his healthcare colleagues to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Now, as the leader of FLCCC, Varon is advocating against the vaccines. Varon's new focus has aligned him with President-elect Donald Trump and another prominent vaccine skeptic, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who may take the reins of HHS in the new Trump administration.

In fact, Varon and the FLCCC have partnered with Kennedy's group, Children's Health Defense, which is also known for anti-vaccine positions.

The report noted that Varon's about-face on vaccines fits into the context of his career in many ways, including his desire to push medical boundaries that exposed him to scrutiny by federal officials and healthcare regulators. Varon has been penalized by the Texas Medical Board twice and he has been accused of Medicare fraud and allowing unqualified medical students to work with him without proper supervision.

The Chronicle detailed numerous other allegations of misconduct by Varon throughout his career as well, including accusations that he performed medically unnecessary treatments that were billed to Medicare. Varon and his attorney have denied any wrongdoing, and they maintain that Varon had nothing to do with fraudulent Medicare billing practices.

CHOP Downplayed Risks of Lymphatic Procedure?

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) physicians downplayed the risks of a groundbreaking lymphatic procedure developed there, according to .

In 2013, physicians at CHOP pioneered the first procedure to treat a potentially fatal pediatric condition called plastic bronchitis using medical-grade glue. Despite claims that the procedure was safe, several children suffered significant complications post-procedure.

In fact, CHOP disclosed in court records that there were 11 deaths among the 120 children who underwent the procedure between 2013 and 2017, including six children who suffered strokes.

Yet, CHOP described the procedure as "low risk" on , and the investigation found that physicians at CHOP would tell families that previous patients did not experience harm related to the procedure.

In 2022, the Sylvestre family was informed that their son, Michael, would not suffer serious harm from the procedure during the pre-procedure consent process. And when the family asked about the risk of "sudden death," they were told not a single child had died from the procedure.

While Michael's condition was severe, his heart and lungs were healthy before his procedure, according to the report. Yet he died during the procedure. Now, the Sylvestres are one of four families suing CHOP for medical malpractice related to its lymphatic program.

CHOP provided in response to the investigation that said in part, "We take these risks seriously, providing counsel to families, including a review of potential risks and complications."

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