Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Nashville, TN
In Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN, 10 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $341.41 to $5,564.65, with a median of $444.72. The lowest listed price is at Sumner Regional Medical Center — $103.31 less than the median here. Across Tennessee, the median is $343.47 at 66 hospitals.
- The median here, $444.72, is about the same as the US median of $439.76.
- That is 1.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- Nashville, TN ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Tennessee by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 9 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumner Regional Medical Center lowest Gallatin, TN · (615) 328-8888 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 | $341.41 | $1,465.26 | $1,428.30 | 77% |
| Saint Thomas Hospital for Specialty Surgery Nashville, TN ASPIRATION/INJECTION MAJOR JOINT/BURSA W/O ULTRASOUND GUIDANCE 20610+1 more line at this price File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $383.79 | $675.00 | $91.24–$4,936.00 | 43% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital one side Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 XR ASPIR INJ JOINT MAJOR LT+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $395.57 | $1,318.55 | $20.30–$1,004.50 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Murfreesboro, TN · (615) 396-4100 IR ARTHCNTS/ASP/INJ MJR WO US+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $395.57 | $1,318.55 | $20.30–$1,004.50 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital one side Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 XR ASPRINJ JOINT LT MAJOR+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $395.57 | $1,318.55 | $20.30–$1,004.50 | 70% |
| Stones River Hospital one side Woodbury, TN · (615) 563-4001 ARTH JNTBRS MJR WO US RT+1 more line at this price File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $395.57 | $1,318.55 | $20.30–$1,004.50 | 70% |
| Saint Thomas West Hospital Harding Pk Nashville, TN · (615) 222-2111 CT ASPIRATION JOINT MAJOR+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $395.57 | $1,318.55 | $20.30–$1,004.50 | 70% |
| Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Lebanon, TN · (615) 444-2250 HC ARTHOCENTESIS ASP/INJ MAJOR File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $493.87 | $1,703.00 | — | 71% |
| Macon Community Hospital Lafayette, TN · (615) 666-2147 20610 ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIRAND/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US TECHFEE File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $531.36 | $885.60 | $238.64–$797.04 | 40% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital one side Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 XR Hip Injection/Asp Left+11 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $648.60 | $1,081.00 | — | 40% |
| Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN · (615) 341-4000 20610 ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US TechFee+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $648.60 | $1,081.00 | — | 40% |
| Trousdale Medical Center Hartsville, TN · (615) 374-2221 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 | $653.66 | $1,289.28 | $141.55–$1,289.28 | 49% |
| Riverview Regional Medical Center Carthage, TN · (615) 735-9815 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 | $5,564.65 | $17,069.49 | $94.00 | 67% |
Outpatient: lowest $341.41, median $444.72, highest $5,564.65 — a 16.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $493.87. 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 8 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 joint injection (cortisone shot) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Joint injection (cortisone shot) explained.