Joint injection (small joint) cost in Waterbury, CT
In Waterbury, CT, 2 hospitals list a cash price for joint injection or drainage, small joint (fingers, toes): from $474.50 to $10,217.18, with a median of $5,345.84. The lowest listed price is at UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital — $4,871.34 less than the median here. Across Connecticut, the median is $355.75 at 12 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 20600, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and May 13, 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 Waterbury, CT.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital lowest Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 Aspiration and/or inject of fluid from joint 20600 | $474.50 | $948.99 | $472.60–$3,180.75 | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 DRAIN/INJECT Joint/Bursa; w/o US Guidance | $539.49 | $1,078.97 | $537.33–$3,180.75 | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 Drain Inj Small Joint | $539.49 | $1,078.97 | $539.49–$7,506.00 | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 IR Aspirate Inject Small Joint Left | $539.49 | $1,078.97 | $539.49–$7,506.00 | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 IR Aspirate Inject Small Joint Right | $539.49 | $1,078.97 | $539.49–$7,506.00 | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| Saint Marys Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 709-6020 HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Injection Small Joint/Bursa W/O Ultrasound Guidance Rt | $10,217.18 | — | $1,780.39–$10,429.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $474.50, median $5,345.84, highest $10,217.18 — a 21.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $474.50. 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 2 of 2 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.