Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Memphis, TN
In Memphis, TN-MS-AR, 12 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $61.80 to $307.34, with a median of $236.83. The lowest listed price is at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto — $175.03 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $295.05 at 42 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 7 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 27, 2026 and Feb 28, 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto lowest Southaven, MS · (662) 772-4000 HC ED 20610-ASPIRATION OR INJECTION MAJOR JOINT/BURSA WO IMAGNG | $61.80 | $309.00 | $80.34–$1,847.00 | 80% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis Memphis, TN · (901) 226-5000 HC ED 20610-ASPIRATION OR INJECTION MAJOR JOINT/BURSA WO IMAGNG | $64.89 | $309.00 | $34.40–$1,847.00 | 79% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Women's Memphis, TN HC ED 20610-ASPIRATION OR INJECTION MAJOR JOINT/BURSA WO IMAGNG | $64.89 | $309.00 | $80.34–$1,134.30 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville Collierville, TN HC ED 20610-ASPIRATION OR INJECTION MAJOR JOINT/BURSA WO IMAGNG | $64.89 | $309.00 | $80.34–$1,134.30 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton Covington, TN · (901) 476-2621 HC ED 20610-ASPIRATION OR INJECTION MAJOR JOINT/BURSA WO IMAGNG | $74.16 | $309.00 | $80.34–$2,859.69 | 76% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden West Memphis, AR · (870) 394-7800 HC ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JOINT | $181.05 | $1,207.00 | $250.00–$4,722.27 | 85% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto Southaven, MS · (662) 772-4000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JOINT | $241.40 | $1,207.00 | $256.79–$4,722.27 | 80% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis Memphis, TN · (901) 226-5000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JOINT | $253.47 | $1,207.00 | $34.40–$4,722.27 | 79% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Women's Memphis, TN HC ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JOINT | $253.47 | $1,207.00 | $256.79–$4,722.27 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville Collierville, TN HC ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JOINT | $253.47 | $1,207.00 | $256.79–$4,722.27 | 79% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton Covington, TN · (901) 476-2621 HC ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JOINT | $289.68 | $1,207.00 | $235.17–$4,722.27 | 76% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Methodist South Hospital Memphis, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $292.60 | $1,330.00 | $141.00–$1,028.38 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN · (901) 516-8274 HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $292.60 | $1,330.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Germantown Hosp Germantown, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $292.60 | $1,330.00 | $141.00–$1,028.38 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist North Hospital Memphis, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $292.60 | $1,330.00 | $141.00–$1,542.57 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Olive Branch, MS · (662) 932-9000 HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $292.60 | $1,330.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Childrens Hosp Memphis, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $307.34 | $1,397.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist University Hospital Memphis, TN · (901) 516-8274 HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $669.46 | $3,043.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Germantown Hosp Germantown, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $669.46 | $3,043.00 | $141.00–$1,028.38 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Olive Branch Hospital Olive Branch, MS · (662) 932-9000 HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $669.46 | $3,043.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist South Hospital Memphis, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $669.46 | $3,043.00 | $141.00–$1,028.38 | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist Lebonheur Childrens Hosp Memphis, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $2,372.90 | $10,785.90 | — | 78% | — source file |
| Methodist North Hospital Memphis, TN HC Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $12,570.93 | $57,140.59 | $141.00–$1,542.57 | 78% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $61.80, median $236.83, highest $307.34 — a 5.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $236.83. 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 5 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.
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.
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-Crittenden West Memphis, ARHC ED 20610-ASPIRATION OR INJECTION MAJOR JOINT/BURSA WO IMAGNG | $46.35 | file |