Surgery and procedures CPT 20610 Outpatient

Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Salem, OH

In Salem, OH, 2 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $288.00 to $343.00, with a median of $315.50. The lowest listed price is at East Liverpool City Hospital — $27.50 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $696.00 at 112 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.

Lowest$288.00East Liverpool City Hospital
Median$315.50half pay less
Highest$343.00in this market
Difference1.2×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 Salem, OH.

median
Lowest $288.00Highest $1,030.00
one sideboth sides

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 ARTHROCENT ASPIR-INJ JT MAJOR - 20610 - 3612759 $288.00 $1,237.40 $283.19–$2,790.05 77% Sep 1, 2026
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East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US - 20610 - 3612002 $288.00 $1,308.85 $283.19–$2,790.05 78% Sep 1, 2026
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East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us - 20610 - OR36020610 $288.00 $2,790.05 $283.19–$2,790.05 90% Sep 1, 2026
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East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 ER ARTHROCENT ASP/INJ JT MAJ $288.00 $1,237.40 $283.19–$2,790.05 77% Sep 1, 2026
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East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 ARTHROCENT ASPIR-INJ JT MAJOR - 20610 - 3612758 $288.00 $1,237.40 $283.19–$2,790.05 77% Sep 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 ASPIRATION/INJECT MAJOR JOINT $343.00 $343.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 C RM ASPIR/INJ MAJOR JOINT $513.00 $513.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 ASPIR/INJECT MAJOR JOINT $513.00 $513.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 MAJ JOINT INJ SHOULDER HIP KNE $515.00 $515.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 ASPIR/INJCT MAJOR JOINT W/O US $515.00 $515.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 INTRA AURICULAR KNEE INJ $515.00 $515.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 ASPIRATION/INJ LARGE JOINT $515.00 $515.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 ARTHROCENTESIS, ASPIR INJ MAJO $569.75 $569.75 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 C RM ASPIR/INJ MAJOR JOINT BIL $765.50 $765.50 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 ASP/INJECT MAJ JOINT BIL W/O U $1,030.00 $1,030.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center both sides Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 ASPIR/INJECT BILAT MAJOR JOINT $514.00 $514.00 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Outpatient: lowest $288.00, median $315.50, highest $343.00 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.

Both sides : lowest $514.00, median $514.00, highest $514.00.

The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $343.00. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.