Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Portland, ME
In Portland-South Portland, ME, 4 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $66.00 to $1,066.70, with a median of $127.03. The lowest listed price is at York Hospital — $61.03 less than the median here. Across Maine, the median is $142.75 at 15 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 9, 2025 and Sep 9, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Portland-South Portland, ME.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York Hospital lowest York, ME · (207) 351-2478 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $66.00 | $110.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 DR Asp joint/hip/knee/shoulder | $108.00 | $180.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 PR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US - AMBULATORY RATE | $111.30 | $111.30 | $42.72–$125.93 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME PR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US | $142.75 | $142.75 | $42.72–$125.93 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 Asp joint/hip/knee/shoulder - 20610 | $223.80 | $373.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 ASP JOINT/HIP/KNEE/SHOULDER W/O US GUID | $223.80 | $373.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 PR ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US | $242.60 | $242.60 | $42.72–$125.93 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 JOINT(MAJOR)INJ PROC 20610LT | $430.20 | $717.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 JOINT INJECTION (MAJOR) | $430.20 | $717.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 JOINT(MAJOR)INJ PROC 20610RT | $430.20 | $717.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 HC DRAIN/INJ MAJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US GUIDANCE | $489.35 | $489.35 | $285.70–$1,297.68 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US MAJOR JOINT | $512.40 | $854.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME HC DRAIN/INJ MAJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US GUIDANCE | $734.10 | $734.10 | $285.70–$1,297.68 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC DRAIN/INJ MAJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US GUIDANCE | $1,066.70 | $1,066.70 | $288.28–$1,031.06 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $66.00, median $127.03, highest $1,066.70 — a 16.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $127.03. 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 1 of 3 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 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.
| York Hospital York, MEDRAIN/INJ MAJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US GUID | $45.00 | file |