“There is no danger to patients or the public in accepting the surrender now, and doing so would conserve Board and Department resources,” Kap wrote.

Nine minutes later, Capodice approved the surrender, effective the same day. Thom resigned from UW effective Feb. 15.

Arthur Thexton, a former licensing department attorney who investigated cases there for 24 years, told Fox 6 the way the department handled the case was “completely inappropriate.”

“I never saw a case handled this way,” Thexton said. “This is basically secret discipline.”

The medical board is “not there to protect the licensees,” he said. “They are there to protect the public.”

Alicia Bork, spokeswoman for the licensing department, said the resolution of the case “eliminated the risk of lengthy litigation which could have resulted in an uncertain outcome that may have ultimately allowed Dr. Thom to remain eligible to practice.”

“Dr. Thom agreed to surrender his medical license and never seek licensure in Wisconsin nor any other state; he simultaneously resigned from his position,” Bork said. “Those two actions decisively ended a 40-year medical career that was free of professional discipline.”