Joel Oster, MD
Neurology · Pittsfield, MANPI 1881794873
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
Almost everything reported here is food and beverage — 99.3% of the total across 127 separate payments, which is the pattern of a clinician who attends manufacturer presentations rather than one with a consulting arrangement. It is spread thinly across 29 manufacturers, the largest accounting for just 21.5% — the pattern of someone who eats at a lot of different presentations. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $2,533 and has fallen 75.8% since, to $614 in 2025.
Across 127 payments — averaging $45.04 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- UCB, Inc.$1K
- Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.$694
- Neuropace, Inc.$673
- Livanova USA, Inc.$422
- SK Life Science, Inc.$396
- ZOLL Respicardia, Inc.$342
- plus $2K from 23 others
Across 4 payments — averaging $20,124 each. Payments tied to a research study. These frequently flow through the physician to a hospital or research institution rather than to the physician personally.
- Biogen$80K
What the payments were for
- Speaking & faculty fees$411%
- Food & beverage$5,67999%
Most of this is food and beverage — typically meals provided during product presentations at a clinic or hospital. Nationally that is the single largest category of reported payments by count.
General payments by program year
Who reported the general payments
Companies are grouped under their corporate parent — a single manufacturer often files under several CMS reporting entities. Research and ownership payments are counted separately and are not in this table.
| Company | Payments | Total |
|---|---|---|
| UCB, Inc. | 17 | $1,232 |
| Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 26 | $694 |
| Neuropace, Inc. | 7 | $673 |
| Livanova USA, Inc. | 2 | $422 |
| SK Life Science, Inc. | 4 | $396 |
| ZOLL Respicardia, Inc. | 3 | $342 |
| Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | 6 | $238 |
| Itamar Medical Inc | 2 | $220 |
| Biogen | 10 | $200 |
| EMD Serono, Inc. | 9 | $166 |
| Novartis | 8 | $146 |
| Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. | 2 | $141 |
| Eisai Inc. | 1 | $125 |
| Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | 1 | $106 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 4 | $104 |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC | 4 | $79 |
| AstraZeneca | 3 | $73 |
| AbbVie | 4 | $67 |
| Acorda Therapeutics, Inc | 3 | $41 |
| Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. | 2 | $37 |
| Zimmer Biomet | 1 | $36 |
| Portola Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 1 | $36 |
| Monteris Medical Corporation | 1 | $34 |
| Grifols USA, LLC | 1 | $22 |
| Boston Scientific | 1 | $21 |
| CSL Behring | 1 | $20 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 1 | $18 |
| Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 1 | $17 |
| Novocure Inc. | 1 | $12 |
What the payments were tied to
Products named in the reported payments. Only payments of $100 or more are attributed here — the typical reported payment nationally is a meal worth about $16, and listing those product-by-product would be noise.
- VNS Therapy$422
- Fintepla$419
- remede System$342
- RNS Neurostimulator Kit$278
- RNS System$256
- WatchPATONE$129
- Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation System$126
- Leqembi$125
- Rystiggo$122
- Briviact$120
- AUSTEDO$118
- APTIOM$115
- XCOPRI$109
- INGREZZA$106
How this compares
$5,720 in reported general payments places this provider in the 70th percentile of 761 neurology providers in Massachusetts.
Medicare billing
What this is not: this is the amount Original Medicare Part B allowed for services this provider billed in 2024. It is not their income. It excludes Medicare Advantage — now more than half of all Medicare enrollment — along with Medicaid and all commercial insurance, and it is gross practice revenue before staff, rent, supplies and malpractice premiums. CMS also suppresses any figure covering ten or fewer patients, so low-volume providers appear smaller than they are.
Most prescribed under Part D
| Drug | Claims | Cost to plans & patients |
|---|---|---|
| BriviactBrivaracetam | 119 | $202,816 |
| EpidiolexCannabidiol (Cbd) | 19 | $133,408 |
| AptiomEslicarbazepine Acetate | 50 | $107,805 |
| LamictalLamotrigine | 54 | $79,407 |
| Rufinamide | 28 | $77,367 |
| KeppraLevetiracetam | 33 | $77,269 |
| VimpatLacosamide | 43 | $62,386 |
| Lacosamide | 195 | $38,416 |
| DepakoteDivalproex Sodium | 24 | $25,156 |
| Emgality PenGalcanezumab-Gnlm | 28 | $22,266 |
| Clobazam | 97 | $20,239 |
| UbrelvyUbrogepant | 14 | $18,349 |
| Levetiracetam | 354 | $17,912 |
| DilantinPhenytoin Sodium Extended | 39 | $16,440 |
| NayzilamMidazolam | 20 | $13,683 |
Paid to pharmacies, not to this prescriber.
Companies that both paid and supply prescribed drugs
These companies both reported payments to this provider and make drugs the provider prescribed under Medicare Part D in 2024. For most specialties this overlap is expected — a cardiologist who is paid by a cardiology drugmaker also treats heart disease. It is shown so the reader can see it, not because it implies anything on its own.
| Company | Paid to this provider | Part D cost of their drugs |
|---|---|---|
| UCB, Inc.Briviact, Vimpat, Nayzilam | $1,232 | $278,885182 claims |
| Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.Aptiom | $694 | $107,80550 claims |
| AbbVieUbrelvy | $67 | $18,34914 claims |
| SK Life Science, Inc.Xcopri | $396 | $11,10211 claims |
Reading this fairly. The Part D column is what drug plans and patients paid pharmacies — this provider received none of it, and it reflects how many patients they treat and what those drugs cost. Against peers, this provider's reported payments sit in the 70th percentile of 761 neurology providers in Massachusetts.
Other neurology in Pittsfield
- Christopher WrightBoston$2.5M
- Shivang JoshiWestborough$1.2M
- Egilius SpieringsWellesley Hills$680K
- Thomas ScammellBoston$617K
- Salvatore NapoliFoxboro$613K
- Alfred SandrockBoston$490K
- Joshua KatzWellesley$462K
- Guy BuckleBrookline$450K
- Pushpa NarayanaswamiBoston$420K
- Kenneth GorsonWellesley$414K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Billing: Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners, data year 2024. Original Medicare Part B only.
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.