Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Little Rock, AR
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 10 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $177.19 to $841.59, with a median of $468.00. The lowest listed price is at Conway Regional Medical Center — $290.81 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $399.31 at 50 hospitals.
- The median here, $468.00, is 6% above the US median of $440.72.
- That is 1.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- 1 of 10 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 5 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 7, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Oct 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conway Regional Medical Center lowest Conway, AR · (501) 329-3831 DRAIN/INJECT JOINT/BURSA File of Jul 2, 2026 · source file | $177.19 | $805.40 | $161.08–$805.40 | 78% |
| Conway Regional Medical Center Conway, AR · (501) 329-3831 ER ASP/INJ MJ JNT SHLD/KNEE/HP+3 more lines at this price File of Jul 2, 2026 · source file | $213.95 | $972.52 | $194.50–$972.52 | 78% |
| CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Little Rock, AR · (501) 552-3000 LC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIRATION/INJ+2 more lines at this price File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $300.50 | $1,227.00 | $276.53–$2,332.00 | 76% |
| St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center Sherwood, AR · (501) 552-7100 CR INJ MAJOR JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $305.90 | $1,227.00 | $276.53–$1,516.00 | 75% |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US File of Aug 13, 2026 · source file | $399.31 | $443.68 | $287.00–$443.68 | 10% |
| UAMS Health Benton-Bryant Bryant, AR ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $468.00 | $780.00 | $250.00–$1,306.00 | 40% |
| UAMS Health Benton-Bryant one side Bryant, AR ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $468.00 | $780.00 | $278.39–$1,306.00 | 40% |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT File of Jun 17, 2026 · source file | $468.00 | $780.00 | $250.00–$1,306.00 | 40% |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences one side Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT+1 more line at this price File of Jun 17, 2026 · source file | $468.00 | $780.00 | $278.39–$1,306.00 | 40% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - Little Rock Little Rock, AR · (501) 202-2000 20610 - ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIRAND-INJ MAJOR JT-BURSA W-O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $514.69 | $2,058.77 | $288.41–$10,533.00 | 75% |
| Cornerstone Hospital Little Rock Little Rock, AR ASP/INJECT MAJOR JOINT/BURSA File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $565.00 | $565.00 | — | — |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock North Little Rock, AR · (501) 202-3000 20610 - ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIRAND-INJ MAJOR JT-BURSA W-O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $606.79 | $2,427.16 | $288.41–$10,533.00 | 75% |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT File of Aug 13, 2026 · source file | $632.18 | $702.42 | $287.00–$702.42 | 10% |
| UAMS Health Benton-Bryant Bryant, AR DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $744.00 | $1,240.00 | $250.00–$1,306.00 | 40% |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US File of Jun 17, 2026 · source file | $744.00 | $1,240.00 | $250.00–$1,306.00 | 40% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - Conway Conway, AR · (501) 585-2000 20610 - ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIRAND-INJ MAJOR JT-BURSA W-O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $841.59 | $3,366.34 | $288.41–$10,533.00 | 75% |
Outpatient: lowest $177.19, median $468.00, highest $841.59 — a 4.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $303.20. 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 9 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 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 joint injection (cortisone shot) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Joint injection (cortisone shot) explained.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 20610 ($445.50). 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.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, ARASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT | $0.01 | file |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, ARASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT | $0.90 | file |