Joint injection (medium joint) cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for joint injection or drainage, medium joint (wrist, elbow, ankle): from $113.28 to $785.40, with a median of $473.76. The lowest listed price is at Swedish Edmonds — $360.48 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $517.40 at 27 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 6 cities for code 20605, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish Edmonds lowest Edmonds, WA · (425) 640-4000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERMED | $113.28 | $236.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 ED - ARTHROCENTESIS/ASP/INJ, INTERM JOINT W/O US, FAC | $457.47 | $897.00 | $538.20–$717.60 | 49% | — source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 ARTHROCENTESIS, ASP/INJ, INTERMEDIATE JOINT OR BURSA W/O US | $457.47 | $897.00 | $538.20–$717.60 | 49% | — source file |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Arthrocentesis Intmd Jt/Bursa | $472.00 | $944.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERMED | $473.76 | $987.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERM W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE | $473.76 | $987.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERMED | $473.76 | $987.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERM W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE | $473.76 | $987.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERM W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE | $473.76 | $987.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERMED | $473.76 | $987.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC ARTHROCENTESIS - MEDIUM | $532.00 | $665.00 | $56.53–$1,123.87 | 20% | — source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 HB ARTHROCENTESIS INTERMEDIATE JOINT GANG | $544.00 | $680.00 | $296.00–$657.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 IVR ASP/INJ CYST MED JT. | $560.00 | $700.00 | $296.00–$657.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC ARTHRO/ASP/INJ INTERMEDIATE JT | $567.20 | $709.00 | $295.19–$1,123.87 | 20% | — source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC ED ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US CDM | $683.28 | $1,314.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERM W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE | $683.28 | $1,314.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 HB MOR CPT 20605 | $688.00 | $860.00 | $296.00–$657.00 | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Arthro Asp/Inj Interm Jnt/Bursa W/O US Guide | $785.40 | $785.40 | $197.92–$753.98 | — | — source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US CDM | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERM W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US CDM | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ INTERM JT/BURS W/O US CDM | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERMED | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERM W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERM W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERMED | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA INTERMED | $867.36 | $1,807.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Arthro Asp/Inj Interm Jnt/Bursa W/O US Guide | $1,010.65 | — | — | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $113.28, median $473.76, highest $785.40 — a 6.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $567.20. 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 3 of 4 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 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.