Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Lexington, KY
In Lexington-Fayette, KY, 10 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $471.13 to $2,136.82, with a median of $702.62. The lowest listed price is at Saint Joseph East — $231.49 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $391.16 at 70 hospitals.
- The median here, $702.62, is 60% above the US median of $439.76.
- That is 2.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- Lexington, KY ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Kentucky by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 6 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 9, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Joseph East lowest Lexington, KY · (859) 967-5000 HC Aspiration/Injection Major Joint File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $471.13 | $1,122.00 | $229.45–$2,584.00 | 58% |
| Continuing Care Hospital Lexington, KY HC ASPIRATION/INJECTION MAJOR JOINT File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $497.50 | $1,122.00 | $1,021.02–$1,088.34 | 56% |
| Saint Joseph Hospital Lexington, KY · (859) 313-1000 HC Aspir/Inj Joint Major File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $497.70 | $1,048.00 | $299.77–$301.27 | 53% |
| Saint Joseph Hospital Lexington, KY · (859) 313-1000 HC Aspiration/Injection Major Joint File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $532.84 | $1,122.00 | $263.22–$2,152.00 | 53% |
| Saint Joseph Hospital Nicholasville, KY · (859) 313-1000 HC Aspir/Inj Joint Major File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $575.56 | $1,073.00 | $299.77–$301.27 | 46% |
| Saint Joseph Hospital Nicholasville, KY · (859) 313-1000 HC Aspiration/Injection Major Joint File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $601.84 | $1,122.00 | $263.22–$886.38 | 46% |
| Bourbon Community Hospital Paris, KY · (859) 987-3600 Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (eg, shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa); without ultrasound guidance File of Jul 11, 2026 · source file | $687.26 | $1,718.16 | $290.02–$1,718.16 | 60% |
| University of Kentucky Hospital one side Lexington, KY · (859) 257-2278 Hc Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O Us Left File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $717.98 | $1,794.96 | — | 60% |
| University of Kentucky Hospital one side Lexington, KY · (859) 257-2278 Hc Arthrocentesis Aspiration/Injection Major Joint/Bursa Without Us-Unilateral+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $718.65 | $1,796.63 | — | 60% |
| Clark Regional Medical Center Winchester, KY · (859) 737-8559 Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (eg, shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa); without ultrasound guidance File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $925.40 | $2,313.51 | $6,108.28 | 60% |
| Bluegrass Community Hospital Versailles, KY · (859) 879-2300 Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (eg, shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa); without ultrasound guidance File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $1,004.14 | $2,510.36 | $753.11–$2,510.36 | 60% |
| Saint Joseph East Lexington, KY · (859) 967-5000 HC Aspir/Inj Joint Major File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $1,023.72 | $2,438.00 | $308.11–$2,584.00 | 58% |
| University of Kentucky Hospital one side Lexington, KY · (859) 257-2278 Hc Pbb Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O Us Left File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,078.98 | $2,697.46 | — | 60% |
| Baptist Health Lexington Lexington, KY · (859) 260-6100 Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from large joint File of Sep 28, 2026 · source file | $1,507.37 | $2,009.82 | $180.88–$4,877.00 | 25% |
| Georgetown Community Hospital Georgetown, KY · (502) 868-1100 Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (eg, shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa); without ultrasound guidance File of Jul 10, 2026 · source file | $2,136.82 | $5,342.06 | $290.02–$5,342.06 | 60% |
| University of Kentucky Hospital both sides Lexington, KY · (859) 257-2278 Hc Ct Guided Arthrocentesis Aspiration/Injection Major Joint/Bursa Without Us-Bilateral+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,078.98 | $2,697.46 | — | 60% |
Outpatient: lowest $471.13, median $702.62, highest $2,136.82 — a 4.5× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $1,078.98, median $1,078.98, highest $1,078.98.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $497.70. 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 7 of 9 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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 joint injection (cortisone shot) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Joint injection (cortisone shot) explained.