Joint injection (small joint) cost in Ames, IA — inpatient
In Ames, IA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for joint injection or drainage, small joint (fingers, toes) as an inpatient: from $210.40 to $210.40, with a median of $210.40. Across Iowa, the median is $272.35 at 67 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 20600, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IA · (515) 382-2111 PR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ SMALL JT/BURSA W/O US | $210.40 | $263.00 | $181.00–$263.00 | 20% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $210.40, median $210.40, highest $210.40.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $166.40 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This code covers injecting or draining a small joint, such as a finger or toe joint.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the injection. The steroid or other medicine may be billed separately.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 20600 ($347.58). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Story County Hospital Nevada, IAHC DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $31.20 | file |