Joint injection (medium joint) cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 19 hospitals list a cash price for joint injection or drainage, medium joint (wrist, elbow, ankle): from $67.80 to $2,144.40, with a median of $403.20. The lowest listed price is at Monogahela Valley Hospital — $335.40 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $379.80 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 19 facilities across 12 cities for code 20605, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monogahela Valley Hospital lowest Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 ARTHROCENTESIS-INTERMED JO | $67.80 | $113.00 | $30.40–$138.48 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $241.20 | $402.00 | $32.58–$4,343.18 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $282.00 | $470.00 | $18.77–$399.50 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INTERMED JOINT | $283.20 | $472.00 | $18.77–$1,312.80 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $283.20 | $472.00 | $18.77–$1,312.80 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 ARTHR ASP/INJ MED JT/BUR WO/US | $283.20 | $472.00 | $18.77–$1,312.80 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC ARTHROCENTESIS MED JOINT | $316.80 | $528.00 | $18.77–$448.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC ARTHRO ASP/INJ INTERMED JOINT | $316.80 | $528.00 | $18.77–$448.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC ARTHRO ASP INJ INT J/BU WO US | $316.80 | $528.00 | $18.77–$448.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $316.80 | $528.00 | $18.77–$448.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $334.20 | $557.00 | $18.77–$445.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $336.00 | $560.00 | $18.77–$476.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 ARTHROCENTESIS MED JOINT | $336.00 | $560.00 | $18.77–$476.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $353.00 | $706.00 | $23.65–$693.20 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $379.80 | $633.00 | $18.92–$1,258.10 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INTERMED JOINT | $379.80 | $633.00 | $18.92–$1,258.10 | 40% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM MEDIUM JOINT | $395.00 | $790.00 | $23.65–$693.20 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $403.20 | $672.00 | $18.77–$618.24 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC ARTHROCENTESIS MED JOINT | $403.20 | $672.00 | $18.77–$618.24 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC ARTHRO ASP INJ INT J/BU WO US | $403.20 | $672.00 | $18.77–$618.24 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 INTERMEDIATE JT ASPIRATION-E | $704.90 | $1,007.00 | $24.73–$725.04 | 30% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 ARHTRO/ASPRTN/INJCTN-INTRMD | $742.00 | $1,060.00 | $24.73–$763.20 | 30% | — source file |
| Alle-Kiski Medical Center Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC ARTHCS INTER JT/BUR WO US GUID | $818.51 | $1,063.00 | $5.00–$1,750.40 | 23% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC ARTHCS INTER JT/BUR WO US GUID | $829.14 | $1,063.00 | $5.00–$1,750.40 | 22% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC ARTHCS INTER JT/BUR WO US GUID | $829.14 | $1,063.00 | $5.00–$1,750.40 | 22% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC ARTHCS INTER JT/BUR WO US GUID | $830.28 | $1,122.00 | $5.00–$1,750.40 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INT JT WO/US | $855.00 | $1,425.00 | $18.59–$1,282.50 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 ARTHROCENTESIS MED JOINT | $855.00 | $1,425.00 | $18.59–$1,282.50 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 ARTHRO ASP/INJ INTERMED JOINT | $855.00 | $1,425.00 | $18.59–$1,282.50 | 40% | — source file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC ARTHCS INTER JT/BUR WO US GUID | $862.13 | $1,181.00 | $5.00–$1,750.40 | 27% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC ARTHCS INTER JT/BUR WO US GUID | $897.56 | $1,181.00 | $5.00–$1,750.40 | 24% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC ARTHCS INTER JT/BUR WO US GUID | $908.82 | $1,122.00 | $5.00–$1,750.40 | 19% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 ARTHROCEN ASP OR INJ INT JOINT | $2,144.40 | $3,574.00 | $1,204.44–$2,787.72 | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 DRAIN/INJ INTERM JNT/BURSA | $2,144.40 | $3,574.00 | $961.41–$4,379.94 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 ARTHROCENTESIS INTERMEDIATE JOINT | $2,144.40 | $3,574.00 | $1,204.44–$2,787.72 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $67.80, median $403.20, highest $2,144.40 — a 31.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $503.70. 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 19 of 19 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 medium-sized joint such as the wrist, elbow or ankle.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the procedure. The medicine and imaging guidance are billed separately.
7 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 20605 ($422.54). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PAPR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US | $19.57 | file |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PAPR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US | $22.66 | file |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PAPR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US | $22.66 | file |
| Alle-Kiski Medical Center Natrona Heights, PAPR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US | $23.69 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PAPR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US | $24.72 | file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PAPR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US | $26.78 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PAPR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US | $27.81 | file |