Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Fayetteville, AR
In Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, 3 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $48.10 to $399.31, with a median of $95.00. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas — $46.90 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $172.90 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas lowest Department Bella Vista, AR Hchg Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Pf | $48.10 | $74.00 | $5.00–$11.35 | 35% | — source file |
| Ozarks Community Hospital Gravette, AR · (479) 787-5291 ASPIRATION & OR INJ MAJOR JOINT | $95.00 | $126.00 | $36.46–$630.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Ozarks Community Hospital Gravette, AR · (479) 787-5291 NEEDLE ASPIRATION MAJOR | $95.00 | $126.00 | $36.46–$630.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Ozarks Community Hospital Gravette, AR · (479) 787-5291 ASPIRATION &/OR INJ MAJORJOINT OR BURSA | $95.00 | $1,139.00 | $36.46–$630.00 | 92% | — source file |
| Ozarks Community Hospital Gravette, AR · (479) 787-5291 O/R ASPIRATION & OR INJ MAJOR JOINT | $95.00 | $126.00 | $36.46–$630.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Department Bella Vista, AR Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $196.95 | $303.00 | $297.00–$674.19 | 35% | — source file |
| Arkansas Childrens Northwest Springdale, AR · (479) 725-6800 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $399.31 | $443.68 | $286.49–$443.68 | 10% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Department Bella Vista, AR Bil Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $676.65 | $1,041.00 | $297.00–$674.19 | 35% | — source file |
| Arkansas Childrens Northwest Springdale, AR · (479) 725-6800 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT | $3,793.91 | $4,215.46 | $286.49–$1,465.00 | 10% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $48.10, median $95.00, highest $399.31 — a 8.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $95.00. 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 3 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 procedure uses a needle to inject medicine into, or draw fluid out of, a large joint such as the knee, shoulder or hip, or a large bursa. It is commonly used for arthritis or bursitis pain, or to test joint fluid.
What the price covers
The price covers the injection or drainage procedure for one joint. The drug itself, such as a steroid or gel injection, and any lab test of the fluid are billed separately.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 20610 ($464.10). 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.
| Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas Department Bella Vista, ARAsp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Mlp | $40.95 | file |