Joint injection (small joint) cost in Charlotte, NC — inpatient
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 12 hospitals list a cash price for joint injection or drainage, small joint (fingers, toes) as an inpatient: from $178.00 to $2,466.00, with a median of $451.48. The lowest listed price is at Gaston Memorial Hospital and 2 other hospitals — $273.48 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $254.75 at 36 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 9 cities for code 20600, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 and May 11, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston Memorial Hospital lowest Belmont, NC HCHG ASC DRAIN/INJECTIONJOINT/BURSA | $178.00 | $178.00 | $140.98–$169.10 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital lowest Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG ASC DRAIN/INJECTIONJOINT/BURSA | $178.00 | $178.00 | $140.98–$169.10 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital lowest Mount Holly, NC HCHG ASC DRAIN/INJECTIONJOINT/BURSA | $178.00 | $178.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$812.66 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$812.66 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$812.66 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $279.91–$794.60 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $279.91–$794.60 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$812.66 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $302.49–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $302.49–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $302.49–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $302.49–$830.71 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $258.88–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $258.88–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC ER ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT W/O US GUID | $451.48 | $902.95 | $273.59–$857.80 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG INJ OF MINOR JOINT | $691.00 | $691.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG INJ OF MINOR JOINT | $691.00 | $691.00 | $518.25–$656.45 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG INJ OF MINOR JOINT | $691.00 | $691.00 | $518.25–$656.45 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Mount Holly, NC HCHG ARTHROCENT SMALL JT RT | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Belmont, NC HCHG ARTHROCENT SMALL JT LT | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | $1,026.00–$1,299.60 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG ASP/INJ SMALL JNT/BURSA WO US | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | $1,026.00–$1,299.60 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG ARTHROCENT SMALL JT LT | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | $1,026.00–$1,299.60 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG ARTHROCENT SMALL JT RT | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | $1,026.00–$1,299.60 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG ASP/INJ SMALL JNT/BURSA WO US | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | $1,026.00–$1,299.60 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG ASP/INJ SMALL JNT/BURSA WO US | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Mount Holly, NC HCHG ARTHROCENT SMALL JT LT | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital one side Belmont, NC HCHG ARTHROCENT SMALL JT RT | $1,368.00 | $1,368.00 | $1,026.00–$1,299.60 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB ARTHO/ASP/INJ/SMALL JOINT OR BURSA | $2,466.00 | $4,932.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $178.00, median $451.48, highest $2,466.00 — a 13.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $451.48 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 8 of 10 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. 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.