Joint injection (small joint) cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 25 hospitals list a cash price for joint injection or drainage, small joint (fingers, toes): from $53.20 to $2,144.40, with a median of $452.90. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Washington — $399.70 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $410.85 at 99 hospitals.
- The median here, $452.90, is 26% above the US median of $359.00.
- That is 1.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 17 cities for code 20600, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 10, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 2026.
Lowest$53.20UPMC Washington
Median$452.90half of hospitals charge less
Highest$2,144.40in this market
Difference40.3×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 Pittsburgh, PA.
median
Lowest $53.20Highest $2,144.40
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Washington lowest Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 ARTHRO/ASPRTN/INJCTN-5M JOINT File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $53.20 | $76.00 | $20.70–$649.03 | 30% |
| UPMC Washington one side Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 SMALL JOINT ASPIRATION-LT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $99.75 | $142.50 | $20.70–$102.60 | 30% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 SMALL JOINT ASPIRATION-E File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $102.69 | $146.70 | $20.70–$649.03 | 30% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $235.50 | $785.00 | $19.80–$785.00 | 70% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC ARTHRO ASP/INJ SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $286.80 | $478.00 | $19.80–$406.30 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 ZZ XR ASPIRATE/INJ SMALL JOINT File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $293.40 | $489.00 | $11.80–$72.56 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 ARTHRO ASP/INJ SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $301.20 | $502.00 | $19.80–$931.20 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 ARTHRO ASP INJ SM JO/BU WO US+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $319.20 | $532.00 | $19.80–$425.60 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 ARTHRO ASP/INJ SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $321.00 | $535.00 | $19.80–$454.75 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 ARTHRO ASP/INJ SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $322.80 | $538.00 | $19.80–$457.30 | 40% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 ZZ XR ASPIRATE/INJECT SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $354.60 | $591.00 | $21.60–$799.31 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 20600 ARTHROCENTESIS SMALL JOINT File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $354.60 | $591.00 | $3,000.00 | 40% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 ZZ IR ASPIRATE/INJECT SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $354.60 | $591.00 | $21.60–$799.31 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC ARTHRO ASP INJ SM JO/BU WO US+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $357.60 | $596.00 | $19.80–$548.32 | 40% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 ARTHRO ASP/INJ SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $379.80 | $633.00 | $19.80–$892.40 | 40% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital one side Butler, PA Small Joint Asp/Inj Lt 20605+3 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $452.90 | $647.00 | $120.99–$679.35 | 30% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA ASP SM Joint Fingers/Toes+4 more lines at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $452.90 | $647.00 | $120.99–$679.35 | 30% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM SMALL JOINT File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $457.50 | $915.00 | $19.80–$693.20 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital one side Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $457.50 | $915.00 | $171.55–$693.20 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $512.50 | $1,025.00 | $19.80–$693.20 | 50% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 ARTHRO ASP/INJ SMALL JOINT File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $559.80 | $933.00 | $31.86–$3,080.72 | 40% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC ARTHCS SM JT/BURSA WO US GUID File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $818.51 | $1,063.00 | $7.15–$1,241.60 | 23% |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC ARTHCS SM JT/BURSA WO US GUID File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $829.14 | $1,063.00 | $7.15–$1,241.60 | 22% |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC ARTHCS SM JT/BURSA WO US GUID File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $829.14 | $1,063.00 | $7.15–$1,241.60 | 22% |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC ARTHCS SM JT/BURSA WO US GUID File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $830.28 | $1,122.00 | $7.15–$1,241.60 | 26% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 ARTHRO ASP/INJ SMALL JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $855.00 | $1,425.00 | $19.80–$1,282.50 | 40% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC ARTHCS SM JT/BURSA WO US GUID File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $862.13 | $1,181.00 | $7.15–$1,241.60 | 27% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC ARTHCS SM JT/BURSA WO US GUID File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $897.56 | $1,181.00 | $7.15–$1,241.60 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC ARTHCS SM JT/BURSA WO US GUID File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $908.82 | $1,122.00 | $7.15–$1,241.60 | 19% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 ARTHROCENTEST ASP OR INJ SM JT+1 more line at this price File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $2,144.40 | $3,574.00 | $1,204.44–$2,787.72 | 40% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 DRAIN/INJECT SM JNT/BURSA File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $2,144.40 | $3,574.00 | $961.41–$4,379.94 | 40% |
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
Outpatient: lowest $53.20, median $452.90, highest $2,144.40 — a 40.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 22 facilities here, median $506.35. 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 24 of 25 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.