A Helena hospital has agreed to pay the federal government nearly $11 million to settle allegations that it falsified billing paperwork for federal health programs. Federal officials say a doctor billed for treatment he didn’t provide and charged extra money for procedures. The U.S. Attorney for Montana is suing the doctor.
U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said during a news conference that St. Peter’s Health submitted false claims spanning five years to several federal health care programs – including Medicaid and Medicare.
“This settlement should serve as notice to all Montana health care providers, whether they are doctors or clinics or hospitals, that they simply must submit accurate claims,” said Laslovich.
Laslovich said all of the false claims stem from oncologist Thomas Weiner, the former director of the hospital’s Cancer Treatment Center. St. Peter’s fired Weiner in 2020, and has accused the doctor of mistreating patients. Last year, a judge dismissed a high-profile lawsuit filed by Weiner claiming he was wrongfully terminated.
Laslovich’s office filed a civil suit against Weiner Monday for health care fraud and improperly prescribing controlled substances. The suit says Weiner’s salary was tied to his workload, and that his illegal billing practices inflated his salary.
Laslovich would not comment on whether Weiner will face criminal charges. In a statement through an attorney, Weiner denied all wrongdoing and said he believes he will be exonerated.
Laslovich applauded St. Peter’s Health for self-disclosing an internal audit that brought the false claims to light. He said the hospital was under investigation when that happened.
St. Peter’s CEO Wade Johnson said the settlement will not impact hospital operations and will be paid out of reserves. He said he believes this case is an isolated incident and that the hospital has put safeguards in place to prevent it from happening again.
