Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 14 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $100.10 to $1,828.80, with a median of $196.95. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital South — $96.85 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $191.10 at 31 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 11 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 Apr 24, 2026 and Jun 12, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Mlp | $100.10 | $154.00 | $10.01–$154.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 MAJOR JOINT INJECTION | $105.58 | $175.96 | $175.96 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $112.50 | $150.00 | $60.00–$135.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $112.50 | $150.00 | $60.00–$135.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities Washington, MO Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $112.50 | $150.00 | $60.00–$127.50 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $112.50 | $150.00 | $60.00–$135.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $112.50 | $150.00 | $60.00–$135.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US | $112.50 | $150.00 | $60.00–$135.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Pf | $117.65 | $181.00 | $301.61–$691.76 | 35% | — source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 Aspiration and/or injection, major joint or bursa (shoulder, hip, knee, subacromial bursa, etc) | $169.84 | $212.30 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Mlp | $191.10 | $294.00 | $301.61–$384.31 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Mlp | $191.10 | $294.00 | $251.65–$1,199.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Mlp | $202.80 | $312.00 | $251.65–$387.54 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Pf | $224.90 | $346.00 | $301.61–$691.76 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Pf | $224.90 | $346.00 | $251.65–$1,106.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid Pf | $238.55 | $367.00 | $23.86–$367.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Hchg Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Pf | $238.55 | $367.00 | $23.86–$367.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $266.50 | $410.00 | $3,428.00–$8,893.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $266.50 | $410.00 | $2,087.00–$3,194.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $362.70 | $558.00 | $36.27–$558.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $502.45 | $773.00 | $50.25–$773.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid | $502.45 | $773.00 | $239.00–$310.00 | 35% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC ASPIR/INJECT MAJOR JOINT OR BURSA | $566.64 | $787.00 | $213.37–$822.34 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $609.84 | $847.00 | $169.40–$847.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid | $623.35 | $959.00 | $62.34–$863.10 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $623.35 | $959.00 | $3,199.00–$7,801.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $662.40 | $920.00 | $224.03–$920.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC ASPIR/INJECT MAJOR JOINT OR BURSA | $662.40 | $920.00 | $224.03–$920.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Bil Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $685.10 | $1,054.00 | $3,153.00–$6,631.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Bil Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $753.35 | $1,159.00 | $75.34–$1,159.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Bil Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $825.50 | $1,270.00 | $2,087.00–$3,194.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Bil Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Pf | $825.50 | $1,270.00 | $82.55–$1,270.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Bil Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $935.35 | $1,439.00 | $3,199.00–$7,801.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Asp/Inj Major Jt W/O US Guid | $956.15 | $1,471.00 | $276.00–$288.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Bil Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid | $1,229.15 | $1,891.00 | $3,428.00–$8,893.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $1,282.23 | $1,282.23 | $39.00–$501.82 | — | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC ARTHROCNT/ASP/INJ JNT MAJOR W/O US GUID-BIL | $1,324.80 | $1,840.00 | $224.03–$1,840.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC ASPIR/INJECT MAJOR JOINT OR BURSA | $1,828.80 | $2,540.00 | $213.37–$2,540.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 ASPIRATION AND/OR INJECTION OF FLUID FROM LARGE JOINT | $11,842.92 | $11,842.92 | $39.00–$1,929.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $100.10, median $196.95, highest $1,828.80 — a 18.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $368.24. 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 12 of 13 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.
5 rows held back from this comparison
They are 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.
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MOAsp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Mlp | $30.55 | file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MOAsp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Mlp | $30.55 | file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MOAsp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Mlp | $30.55 | file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MOHchg Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Pf | $36.40 | file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MOHchg Asp/Inj Major Jt WO US Guid Pf | $36.40 | file |