St. Louis Psychiatrist Vadim Y. Baram Disciplined for Fraud, Dishonesty: Delivered Unnecessary Shock Treatments

October 26, 2021

On May 13, 2021, the Missouri State Board for Registration for the Healing Arts reprimanded psychiatrist Vadim Baram for misconduct, fraud, misrepresentation, dishonesty, and unethical conduct related to “willfully and continually performing inappropriate or unnecessary treatment.”

This is all related to ECT treatments that he delivered to three patients:

  • 143 shocks to Patient 1 from 2009 to 2013
  • 97 shocks to Patient 2 from 2011 to 2013
  • 70 shocks to Patient 3 from 2010 to 2011

The Board noted that “A physician should decrease or attempt to decrease treatment frequency of maintenance of ECT. The goal is to extend the time between treatments and eventually remove the maintenance treatment. A physician should decrease treatment frequency if cognitive side effects are present.”

The Board noted that Baram did not attempt to reduce the frequency of shocks.

The Board stated that patients should be re-evaluated regularly to determine if treatment should be continued. This must be done “each day, not just over the course of years. Determining whether ECT should continue includes assessing the patient before beginning ECT treatments and after, then again on every visit. The patient assessment should occur within 24 hours after treatment, usually within 10 minutes. The assessment is one that only the physician does and is not something that the physician can have a nurse do on his or her behalf.

Again, the Board noted that Baram did not perform assessments within 24 hours of performing ECT.

The Board stated that the rationale and indications to justify continued use of shock should be entered into the patient’s medical record.

Baram failed to include information sufficient to justify continuing ECT treatment for the three patients. Further, there was no indication of a plan to decrease the frequency of shocks. Also, he did not properly note assessments and did not adequately determine if any cognitive side effects were present after each shock.

The Board noted that in the place of actual assessment data, these patients’ records contain identical, copied and pasted repetitive phrases which lacked relevant information about side effects, physical exams, and cognitive assessments:

  • Baram recorded the exact same line in Patient 1 's chart 27 times, repeated another line 19 times, and repeated two subsequent lines 13 and 14 times.
  • In Patient 2's chart, he repeated a single line 36 times, repeated another line 26 times, and repeated a later note 14 times, respectively.
  • In Patient 3's chart, ne repeated one line 12 times and another 11 times.

There was no evidence in the patients’ records that Baram sufficiently assessed the cognitive side effects and the present condition of the patients.

Source: Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Disciplinary Order, Vadim Y. Baram, M.D., Case Number(s) 2013-003922 and 2014-007312 (AHC Case No. 16-3561), Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, May 13, 2021. 

Comments
Elmo St. Elmo
2021-11-11 16:30:05
ECT is covert brutality, not medicine or therapy.

I hope he fries.

Robert
2023-05-06 11:58:32
Baram has stalked me at 6 different addresses using cameras and audio equipment hidden in my dwelling I have hired several lawyers but he is a master of manipulation I did not submit to his treatment so to gain common ground he called me a padaphile he tells every one these lies I don't even have a police record he is a better criminal than a doctor I have refused his treatment but he won't stop harassing me he is dangerous watch him be careful %uD83D%uDE09

robert lake
2023-05-06 20:34:32
MD baram has a problem not violating me he has stalked me since 2021 when I first complained about him harassing me he tunes into my house everyday and night against my approval he watches me use the bathroom and I can't find any privacy when I'm bathing or anything else that requires privacy can some one make him stay away from me please he has a real problem he has stalked me to the point that I had to move 6 times in three years

robert lake
2023-05-06 20:37:15
Baram stop stalking me I have had to move 6 times in the last 3year stop violating me some one please make him stop he has tried to drive me insane

Robert
2023-05-17 21:12:31
He has tried in several hopeless attempts to condem me by waring me down over time he refuses to leave my home he stalks me in several forms. he is the worst thing sense decease its self to me. some body needs to get him off the street he will eventually hurt someone he has theatend over and over he said it's all personal

Robert
2023-05-17 21:15:22
I really hope the unruly mess gets whats coming to him

robert lake
2023-10-16 07:31:01
he is still stalking me i moved to granite city il he shows up virtually with things audio and video equipment to my house every day threatening me every day with thugs because inherited almost $700,000 they wont leave me alone can some one help im disabled they take advantage of me terri lake my sister in law of 1803 vistaridge ln

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