Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Lionel Foster, MD

Urology Physician · Yuba City, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Low-engagement
370 DEL NORTE STREET, Yuba City, CA 95991
5307514792
In practice since 2006 (19 years)
NPI: 1104833375 verify on NPPES ↗
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating. This page presents federal public records about Dr. Foster from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
Are you Dr. Foster? Request a correction or review of any data shown here. Provider portal →

What this data tells you about Dr. Foster

Dr. Lionel Foster is an urology physician in Yuba City, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Foster performed 707 Medicare services across 434 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Foster received a total of $62 from 4 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 4 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Foster is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.

✓ 19 years in practice ▲ 707 Medicare services $62 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
707
Medicare services
Bottom 36% in CA for urology physician
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
434
Unique beneficiaries
$95
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~37 Medicare services per year of practice

Top procedures by volume

Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.

Procedure Volume Avg. paid Avg. submitted
Office visit, established patient (20-29 min)
An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition.
 535 $55 $130
Cystourethroscopy
A diagnostic exam of the bladder and urethra using an endoscope to visually inspect the urinary tract.
 61 $52 $426
Laser vaporization of prostate
A procedure that uses a laser to remove excess prostate tissue through an endoscope. The process includes controlling any bleeding that occurs during the treatment.
 44 $526 $7,445
New patient office visit (30-44 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range.
 29 $89 $192
Shock wave crushing of kidney stones
A procedure that uses shock waves to break kidney stones into smaller pieces so they can pass more easily from the body.
 13 $501 $3,145
Cystoscopy with chemical ablation of bladder
A procedure where a camera is used to examine the bladder and a chemical agent is applied to destroy abnormal tissue.
 13 $113 $837
Prostate gland biopsy
A procedure to remove small samples of tissue from the prostate gland for laboratory examination.
 12 $76 $461
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.
1.8% high complexity
1.7% medium
96.5% routine

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2020 ↗
$62
Total received (2018-2020)
Avg $21/year across 3 years
Bottom 6% in CA for urology physician
4
Companies
4
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →

Payment profile

Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.

Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$62 (100.0%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2020
$29
2019
$18
2018
$15

Payments by company (2020)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Boston Scientific Corporation
$15
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$14
Top 3 companies account for 100.0% of 2020 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2020) ›
ACELL, INC.
$18
Mallinckrodt LLC
$15
Boston Scientific Corporation
$15
Pacira Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
$14
Top 3 companies account for 77.5% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
EXPAREL · OFIRMEV · POLARIS
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →

Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.

Looking for an urology physician in Yuba City?
Compare urology physicians in the Yuba City area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse urology physicians nearby

Geographic Context

Urology physicians within 10 mi
4
Per 100K population
4.0
County median income
$75,450
Nearest hospital
SUTTER SURGICAL HOSPITAL - NORTH VALLEY
0.0 mi

Data Sources

Provider Registry ✓ NPPES Weekly updates
Medicare Enrollment ✓ PECOS Monthly updates
Practice Data ✓ Medicare Util. Annual (CY lag)
Industry Payments ✓ Open Payments CY 2020
Disciplinary History — Not public N/A

This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →

Summary

Dr. Foster is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with low-engagement industry engagement, with 19 years of NPI registration.

This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Foster experienced with office visit, established patient (20-29 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Foster performed 535 office visit, established patient (20-29 min) services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. Foster receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Foster received a total of $62 from 4 companies across 4 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
How do Dr. Foster's costs compare to other urology physicians in Yuba City?
Dr. Foster's average Medicare payment per service is $95. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. Foster) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →

Explore related providers

Same specialty & city
Urology Physicians in Yuba City
Browse urology physicians in Yuba City ranked by procedure volume and transparency data.
Highest volume
Top Urology Physicians in CA
Urology physicians ranked by total Medicare services performed statewide.
Industry payments
Pharma Payments to Urology Physicians in CA
Which CA urology physicians receive the most from drug and device companies.
By company
ACELL, INC. Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from ACELL, INC.
By company
Mallinckrodt LLC Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Mallinckrodt LLC.
By company
Boston Scientific Corporation Payments to Doctors
See all physicians who received payments from Boston Scientific Corporation.
About this page

All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.

This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. Data Coverage reflects data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.

Provider corrections: Provider portal · Privacy questions: Privacy Policy · Terms: Terms of Use · Methodology: Methodology

Data Disclaimer — Data sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), Open Payments program, Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data, and Provider Enrollment & Certification data (PECOS). Published under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by CMS, HHS, or the U.S. Government. Data may contain errors as reported to CMS by providers and reporting entities. Payments from industry are legal and do not indicate wrongdoing. Medicare data reflects only patients aged 65+ or those with qualifying disabilities. For corrections, contact CMS directly. This information does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a healthcare provider. Procedure descriptions use plain language and do not reference CPT® codes, which are copyrighted by the American Medical Association. Full methodology → · Report a data error → · Privacy policy →