Surgery and procedures CPT 20610 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Pullman, WA — inpatient

In Pullman, WA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound as an inpatient: from $168.00 to $724.20, with a median of $446.10. The lowest listed price is at Whitman Hospital and Medical Center — $278.10 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $493.90 at 50 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 20610, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jun 9, 2026 and Jun 29, 2026.

Lowest$168.00Whitman Hospital and Medical Center
Median$446.10half pay less
Highest$724.20in this market
Difference4.3×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Pullman, WA.

median
Lowest $168.00Highest $724.20

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Whitman Hospital and Medical Center lowest Colfax, WA · (509) 397-3435 Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from large joint $168.00 $210.00 $113.23–$205.80 20% Jun 29, 2026
source file
Pullman Regional Hospital Pullman, WA · (509) 332-2541 Aspiration and/or injection of fluid from large joint $724.20 $852.00 $298.20–$834.96 15% Jun 9, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $168.00, median $446.10, highest $724.20 — a 4.3× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $446.10 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 2 of 2 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.