Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Harrisburg, PA
In Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $329.30 to $635.76, with a median of $456.03. The lowest listed price is at Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute — $126.73 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $456.00 at 72 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute lowest Harrisburg, PA · (717) 782-4742 20610 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US Tech | $329.30 | $1,919.00 | $723.08–$1,535.20 | 83% | — source file |
| UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals Harrisburg, PA · (717) 782-3131 HC ASP/INJ MAJ JOINT HIP,SHLD,KN W/O US | $453.60 | $756.00 | $31.73–$2,120.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Carlisle Carlisle, PA · (717) 249-1212 HC ASP/INJ MAJ JOINT HIP,SHLD,KN W/O US | $453.60 | $756.00 | $29.84–$3,397.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 20610 XR Joint Inj Major Hip, Knee Shoulder Tech | $458.45 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 20610 XR Aspiration LRG Jt(Hip, Shoulder,Knee) Tech | $458.45 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center one side Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 20610 IR Joint, Major RT Drain or Inj w/oUS Tech | $458.45 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center one side Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 20610 IR Joint, Major LT Drain or Inj w/oUS Tech | $458.45 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 20610 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US Tech | $458.45 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center one side Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 CT Joint Major Arthrocentesis/Asp/Inj Rt Tech | $458.45 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center one side Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 CT Joint Major Arthrocentesis/Asp/Inj Lt Tech | $458.45 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 20610 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US Tech | $603.91 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center one side Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 20610 IR Joint, Major RT Drain or Inj w/oUS Tech | $603.91 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 20610 XR Aspiration LRG Jt(Hip, Shoulder,Knee) Tech | $603.91 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center one side Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 CT Joint Major Arthrocentesis/Asp/Inj Rt Tech | $603.91 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 20610 XR Joint Inj Major Hip, Knee Shoulder Tech | $603.91 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center one side Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 CT Joint Major Arthrocentesis/Asp/Inj Lt Tech | $603.91 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center one side Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 20610 IR Joint, Major LT Drain or Inj w/oUS Tech | $603.91 | $1,919.00 | $255.00–$1,535.20 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center one side Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 CT Joint Major Arthrocentesis/Asp/Inj Rt - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center one side Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 CT Joint Major Arthrocentesis/Asp/Inj Lt - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 XR Joint Inj Major Hip, Knee Shoulder - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 XR Aspiration LRG Jt(Hip, Shoulder,Knee) - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center one side Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 PS CT Joint/Bursa Major Arthr/Asp/Inj Rt - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center one side Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 PS CT Joint/Bursa Major Arthr/Asp/Inj Lt - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 20610 Arthrocentesis Maj Joint | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 NVI Inject Major Jts Hip, Knee, Shoulder - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 NV INJ MAJ JTS HIP-KNEE-SHOUL | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JT | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center one side Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 IR Joint, Major RT Drain or Inj w/oUS - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center one side Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 IR Joint, Major LT Drain or Inj w/oUS - Report | $635.76 | $1,919.00 | $276.72–$1,750.71 | 67% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $329.30, median $456.03, highest $635.76 — a 1.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $456.03. 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 6 of 6 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 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.