Kathryn Swoboda
Neurology · Boston, MANPI 1003906637
Payments from drug & device makers
What this record shows
The money is spread across several categories — education (52.5%), consulting fees and speaking fees — rather than concentrated in one kind of arrangement. 4 manufacturers reported payments, led by Novartis Gene Therapies, Inc. (fka Avexis, Inc.) at 53.8% of the total. Reporting peaked in 2019 at $31,970 and has fallen 99.6% since, to $117 in 2023. Among neurology clinicians in MA with any reported payments, this total sits in the top 10% — high for the specialty, which is a reason to read the composition above rather than the number alone.
Across 118 payments — averaging $479.06 each. Meals, travel, consulting and speaking fees, gifts and royalties reported by drug and device makers.
- Novartis Gene Therapies, Inc. (fka Avexis, Inc.)$30K
- Biogen$24K
- Genentech USA, Inc.$2K
- Genentech, Inc.$74
Across 37 payments — averaging $39,892 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$1.3M
- Novartis Gene Therapies, Inc. (fka Avexis, Inc.)$114K
- Pfizer$76K
- Novartis$857
What the payments were for
- Consulting fees$19,61635%
- Speaking & faculty fees$4,8779%
- Travel & lodging$1,7173%
- Food & beverage$6401%
- Education$29,67953%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Novartis Gene Therapies, Inc. (fka Avexis, Inc.) | 102 | $30,436 |
| Biogen | 12 | $24,180 |
| Genentech USA, Inc. | 3 | $1,840 |
| Genentech, Inc. | 1 | $74 |
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.
- ZOLGENSMA$29,822
- SPINRAZA$18,094
- Non-Covered Product$1,670
How this compares
$56,530 in reported general payments places this provider in the 90th percentile of 761 neurology providers in Massachusetts.
Other neurology in Boston
- Christopher WrightBoston$2.5M
- Thomas ScammellBoston$617K
- Alfred SandrockBoston$490K
- Pushpa NarayanaswamiBoston$420K
- Roy FreemanBoston$390K
- Michael LevyBoston$387K
- Leeann BurtonBoston$325K
- Ilena GeorgeBoston$316K
- Andrew BudsonBoston$304K
- Denis BalabanBoston$297K
Where these figures come from
- Payments: CMS Open Payments, program years 2019–2025 (publication P06302026_06032026).
- Identity: NPPES NPI Registry, July 2026.