Medicare Enrolled

Dr. Ron Alterman, M.D.

Neurological Surgery · Boston, MA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology — Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Speaking/Promotional
110 FRANCIS STREET,, Boston, MA 02215
6176329795
In practice since 2006 (20 years)
NPI: 1750357430 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. Alterman 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 →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Alterman

Dr. Ron Alterman is a neurological surgery specialist in Boston, MA, with 20 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Alterman performed 64 Medicare services across 64 unique beneficiaries.

Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Alterman received a total of $50,279 from 14 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 127 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. The majority of payments are for speaking programs and promotional activities, reflecting participation in industry-sponsored events. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.

The Data Coverage level for Dr. Alterman 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.

✓ 20 years in practice ▲ 64 Medicare services $50,279 industry payments

Medicare Practice Summary

Medicare Utilization ↗
64
Medicare services
Bottom 20% in MA for neurological surgery
Lower Medicare volume may reflect subspecialty focus, hospital-based work, or a higher share of non-Medicare patients.
64
Unique beneficiaries
$628
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~3 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
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.
 19 $67 $273
Skull bone removal with brain neurostimulator electrode insertion
Surgical removal of a portion of the skull to allow for the computer-assisted placement of neurostimulator electrodes into the brain.
 16 $1,858 $7,448
Brain neurostimulator pulse device insertion with 2+ electrodes
Surgical placement of a brain neurostimulator pulse generator connected to two or more electrode arrays.
 16 $483 $2,937
New patient office visit (45-59 min)
An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter.
 13 $113 $446
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.

Industry Payment Transparency

Open Payments through 2024 ↗
$50,279
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $7,183/year across 7 years
Top 12% in MA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
14
Companies
127
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.

Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$35,620 (70.8%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$8,338 (16.6%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$5,059 (10.1%)
Scientific / Research
Research funding and grants
$1,263 (2.5%)

Payment trend by year

Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

2024
$3,038
2023
$3,609
2022
$22,116
2021
$3,763
2020
$196
2019
$5,903
2018
$11,654

Payments by company (2024)

Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,628
Abbott Laboratories
$1,050
Boston Scientific Corporation
$293
Imperative Care, Inc
$67
Top 3 companies account for 97.8% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic, Inc.
$27,232
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$9,031
Elekta, Inc.
$5,173
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
$2,363
Brainlab, Inc.
$1,733
Boston Scientific Corporation
$1,614
Surgical Information Sciences, Inc.
$1,500
Abbott Laboratories
$1,226
Imperative Care, Inc
$102
Monteris Medical Corporation
$101
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
$83
Accuray Incorporated
$72
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$36
SI-BONE, INC.
$13
Top 3 companies account for 82.4% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
ACTIVA · ACTIVA PC · Airo · Buzz · Curve · CyberKnife System · Elements · Exact Trac · GENERAL DBS · GENERAL PAIN MANAGEMENT · General - DBS · INFINITY · Icon · Infinity DBS Pulse Generators · Integra · Kick · Neuroblate · Neuromodulation Dspsbls and Accs · Node · Novalis · PERCEPT PC BRAINSENSE · RECLAIM · STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM · TramaCad · Unity · VERCISE · ZOOM 88-T LARGE DISTAL PLATFORM · ZOOM REPERFUSION CATHETER
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 →

The majority of payments (71%) are for speaking programs and promotional activities, which reflect participation in industry-sponsored educational or marketing events. This is common in neurological surgery and does not inherently indicate bias, but patients may wish to be aware.

Looking for a neurological surgery specialist in Boston?
Compare neurological surgerists in the Boston area by procedure volume, costs, and industry payment transparency.
Browse neurological surgerists nearby

Geographic Context

Neurological surgerists within 10 mi
171
Per 100K population
21.9
County median income
$92,859
Nearest hospital
BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
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 2024
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. Alterman is a clinical cardiology specialist, with moderate Medicare volume, with speaking/promotional industry engagement in the top 12% of MA peers, with 20 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. Alterman experienced with new patient office visit (30-44 min)?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Alterman performed 19 new patient office visit (30-44 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. Alterman receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Alterman received a total of $50,279 from 14 companies across 127 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. Alterman's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in Boston?
Dr. Alterman's average Medicare payment per service is $628. 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. Alterman) 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 →

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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 →