Surgery and procedures CPT 20610 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Hilton Head Island, SC — inpatient

In Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC, 1 hospital lists a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound as an inpatient: from $220.20 to $220.20, with a median of $220.20. Across South Carolina, the median is $556.00 at 17 hospitals.

Cash prices at 1 facility for code 20610, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$220.20Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Median$220.20half pay less
Highest$220.20in this market
Difference1.0×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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC.

median
Lowest $220.20Highest $1,621.20
one sideboth sides

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Beaufort Memorial Hospital lowest Beaufort, SC · (843) 522-5200 DRAIN/INJECT,JOINT/BURSA $220.20 $367.00 $110.83–$300.94 40% —
source file
Beaufort Memorial Hospital lowest Beaufort, SC · (843) 522-5200 ASP OR INJ MAJOR JOINT BURSA $220.20 $367.00 $110.83–$300.94 40% —
source file
Beaufort Memorial Hospital Beaufort, SC · (843) 522-5200 CYST ASP MAJOR JOINT SURG R $231.60 $386.00 $116.57–$316.52 40% —
source file
Beaufort Memorial Hospital Beaufort, SC · (843) 522-5200 MAJOR JOINT CYST ASP L $231.60 $386.00 $116.57–$316.52 40% —
source file
Beaufort Memorial Hospital Beaufort, SC · (843) 522-5200 HIP INJ SURG $231.60 $386.00 $116.57–$316.52 40% —
source file
Beaufort Memorial Hospital Beaufort, SC · (843) 522-5200 ARTHROCENTESIS LARGE JOINT $231.60 $386.00 $116.57–$316.52 40% —
source file
Beaufort Memorial Hospital both sides Beaufort, SC · (843) 522-5200 DRAIN/INJCT MAJ JNT/BRSA BILAT $1,621.20 $2,702.00 $816.00–$2,215.64 40% —
source file

Inpatient: lowest $220.20, median $220.20, highest $220.20.

Both sides : lowest $1,621.20, median $1,621.20, highest $1,621.20.

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 outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $220.20 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.