Joint injection (medium joint) cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 15 hospitals list a cash price for joint injection or drainage, medium joint (wrist, elbow, ankle): from $209.28 to $2,623.78, with a median of $343.00. The lowest listed price is at Children's Mercy Hospital and 1 other hospital — $133.72 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $338.65 at 61 hospitals.
- The median here, $343.00, is 10% below the US median of $379.80.
- That is 1.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- Kansas City, MO has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Missouri with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 3 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 11 cities for code 20605, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Lowest$209.28Children's Mercy Hospital + 1 more
Median$343.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$2,623.78in this market
Difference12.5×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 Kansas City, MO-KS.
median
Lowest $209.28Highest $2,623.78
one sideboth sides
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Mercy Hospital lowest Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 DRAIN/INJ INTER JOINT/BURSA W/O US TX RM E+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $209.28 | $436.00 | $178.76–$735.32 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas lowest Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 DRAIN/INJ INTERM JNT/BURSA TX RM RHU+3 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $209.28 | $436.00 | $178.76–$735.32 | 52% |
| Lakewood Medical Center one side Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-7000 20605 Drain/Inj Med Joint wo US RT EPP+15 more lines at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $249.48 | $453.60 | $83.85–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| University Health Truman Medical Center one side Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-1000 20605 Drain/Inj wo US Md Jnt/Brsa Rt RAY+15 more lines at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $249.48 | $453.60 | $57.45–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| Lakewood Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-7000 20605 Joint Inj Interm WOC File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $249.48 | $453.60 | $83.85–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| University Health Truman Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-1000 20605 Joint Inj Interm WOC File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $249.48 | $453.60 | $57.45–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| Providence Medical Center Kansas City, KS · (913) 596-4000 Hc Drain/Inject Intermediate Joint/Bursa File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $289.00 | $966.27 | $99.25–$966.27 | 70% |
| Saint John Hospital Leavenworth, KS · (913) 680-6000 Drain/Inj Joint/Bursa W/O Us - 20605 - OR36020605+1 more line at this price File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $289.00 | $6,195.55 | $99.25–$4,956.44 | 95% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 DRAIN/INJ INTERM JNT/BURSA ER File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $290.40 | $605.00 | $201.80–$735.32 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 DRAIN/INJ INTERM JNT/BURSA ER File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $290.40 | $605.00 | $201.80–$735.32 | 52% |
| St Joseph Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Hc Drain/Inject Intermediate Joint/Bursa File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $305.00 | $813.47 | $244.04–$813.47 | 63% |
| Lakewood Medical Center one side Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-7000 LT+2 more lines at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $330.00 | $600.00 | $10.00–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| University Health Truman Medical Center one side Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-1000 JOINT INJECTION, INTERM+2 more lines at this price File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $330.00 | $600.00 | $10.00–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| Liberty Hospital Liberty, MO · (816) 781-7200 DRAIN/INJ INTER JNT/BURSA+5 more lines at this price File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $343.00 | $1,231.00 | $343.45–$1,004.50 | 72% |
| Liberty Hospital one side Liberty, MO · (816) 781-7200 4S DRAIN/INJ INTERM JNT/B+3 more lines at this price File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $343.00 | $1,231.00 | $343.45–$1,004.50 | 72% |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $380.10 | $543.00 | $307.45–$461.55 | 30% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 DRAIN/INJ INTER JOINT/BURSA W/O US TX RM SED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $386.40 | $805.00 | $201.80–$735.32 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 DRAIN/INJ INTER JOINT/BURSA W/O US TX RM SED File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $386.40 | $805.00 | $201.80–$735.32 | 52% |
| Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO · (816) 380-5888 Inj Aspiration Interm Joint File of Apr 7, 2026 · source file | $431.87 | $616.95 | $80.20–$1,160.00 | 30% |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF MEDIUM JOINT OR JOINT CAPSULE W/O US File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $445.19 | $635.98 | $307.45–$540.58 | 30% |
| Lakewood Medical Center one side Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-7000 20605 Drain/Inj Med Joint/Bursa Rt FAR File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $497.81 | $905.10 | $83.85–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| University Health Truman Medical Center one side Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-1000 20605 Drain/Inj Med Joint/Bursa Rt FAR File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $497.81 | $905.10 | $57.45–$3,100.00 | 45% |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 DX SP ARTHROCENTESIS RAD SUP File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $511.06 | $730.08 | $307.45–$620.57 | 30% |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 DX SP ARTHROCENTESIS INTERMEDIATE JOINT File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $511.97 | $731.38 | $307.45–$621.67 | 30% |
| Ascentist Hospital Leawood, KS · (913) 529-1801 PR DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US 20605BIL File of Apr 26, 2026 · source file | $523.10 | $1,301.00 | $482.41–$651.79 | 60% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 DRAIN/INJ INTER JOINT/BURSA W/O US TX RM IR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $537.12 | $1,119.00 | $201.80–$1,007.10 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 DRAIN/INJ INTER JOINT/BURSA W/O US TX RM IR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $537.12 | $1,119.00 | $201.80–$1,007.10 | 52% |
| Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO · (816) 380-5888 JOINT ASPIRATION 20605 File of Apr 7, 2026 · source file | $611.80 | $874.00 | $113.62–$1,160.00 | 30% |
| Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO · (816) 380-5888 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/US File of Apr 7, 2026 · source file | $693.70 | $991.00 | $128.83–$1,160.00 | 30% |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 Aspiration or Inject Joint Bursa File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $734.57 | $2,533.00 | $172.26–$2,860.00 | 71% |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,881.97 | $1,881.97 | — | — |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,881.97 | $1,881.97 | — | — |
| Centerpoint Medical Center one side Independence, MO · (816) 698-7000 ARTH JNTBRS INT WO US RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,623.78 | $2,623.78 | $341.09–$2,361.40 | — |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital both sides Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 DX SP ARTHROCENTESIS INTERMEDIATE JOINT BILAT File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $625.54 | $893.62 | $307.45–$759.58 | 30% |
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 $209.28, median $343.00, highest $2,623.78 — a 12.5× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $625.54, median $625.54, highest $625.54.
The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a
price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single
published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $380.10. 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 12 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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 (medium joint) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Joint injection (medium joint) explained.