Joint injection (small joint) cost in Columbus, OH
In Columbus, OH, 18 hospitals list a cash price for joint injection or drainage, small joint (fingers, toes): from $69.49 to $1,685.45, with a median of $637.00. The lowest listed price is at Morrow County Hospital — $567.51 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $493.50 at 129 hospitals.
- The median here, $637.00, is 77% above the US median of $359.00.
- That is 2.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- Columbus, OH ranks 4th of 4 metro areas in Ohio by median, cheapest first.
- 2 of 18 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 12 cities for code 20600, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 22, 2025 and Jul 31, 2026.
Lowest$69.49Morrow County Hospital
Median$637.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$1,685.45in this market
Difference24.3×highest vs lowest
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Columbus, OH.
median
Lowest $69.49Highest $15,111.36
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morrow County Hospital lowest Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from small joint File of Oct 22, 2025 · source file | $69.49 | $106.90 | $39.55–$103.69 | 35% |
| Fairfield Medical Center Lancaster, OH · (740) 687-8000 ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOIN File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $226.80 | $504.00 | $226.80–$734.00 | 55% |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 ASP &/OR INJ, SM JOINT, W/O US GUIDANCE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $288.00 | $320.00 | $150.40–$313.60 | 10% |
| Mount Carmel East one side Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Rt+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $294.45 | $453.00 | $203.40–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's one side Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Lt+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $294.45 | $453.00 | $203.40–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Dublin one side Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Lt+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $294.45 | $453.00 | $203.40–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Grove City one side Grove City, OH HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Lt+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $294.45 | $453.00 | $203.40–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital one side New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Lt+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $294.45 | $453.00 | $203.40–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Bl File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $442.00 | $680.00 | $260.19–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Bl File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $442.00 | $680.00 | $255.29–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Bl File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $442.00 | $680.00 | $260.19–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Bl File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $442.00 | $680.00 | $260.19–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Bl File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $442.00 | $680.00 | $255.29–$3,186.00 | 35% |
| Morrow County Hospital Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from small joint File of Oct 22, 2025 · source file | $454.03 | $698.50 | $258.45–$677.55 | 35% |
| Licking Memorial Hospital Newark, OH · (740) 348-4000 HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Small Jt/Bursa W/O US File of Mar 16, 2026 · source file | $603.85 | $603.85 | $290.05–$1,207.70 | — |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $670.15 | $1,031.00 | — | 35% |
| Hocking Valley Community Hospital Logan, OH · (740) 380-8000 HC Arthrocentesis Joint/Bursa Small W/O Ultrasound Guidance File of Jul 31, 2026 · source file | $710.00 | $710.00 | — | — |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $730.60 | $1,124.00 | — | 35% |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,685.45 | $2,593.00 | — | 35% |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,685.45 | $2,593.00 | — | 35% |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,685.45 | $2,593.00 | — | 35% |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,685.45 | $2,593.00 | — | 35% |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,685.45 | $2,593.00 | — | 35% |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Asp Or Inj Joint Small File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,685.45 | $2,593.00 | — | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Dublin one side Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Rt File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $15,111.36 | — | $1,363.01–$9,997.92 | — |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $69.49, median $637.00, highest $1,685.45 — a 24.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $603.85. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 9 of 9 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 joint injection (small joint) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Joint injection (small joint) explained.