Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $120.00 to $1,479.80, with a median of $516.24. The lowest listed price is at Swedish Edmonds — $396.24 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $484.86 at 52 hospitals.
- The median here, $516.24, is 17% above the US median of $439.76.
- That is 1.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- 1 of 12 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 8 cities for code 20610, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 6, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish Edmonds lowest Edmonds, WA · (425) 640-4000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $120.00 | $250.00 | — | 52% |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 ARTHROCENTESIS, ASP/INJ, MAJOR JOINT OR BURSA W/O US+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $457.47 | $897.00 | $538.20–$717.60 | 49% |
| Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Snoqualmie, WA · (425) 831-2300 Facility Fee HC 20610 ARTHROCENTESIS MJR JT/BURSA File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $465.43 | $802.47 | $76.53–$738.27 | 42% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $497.28 | $1,036.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $497.28 | $1,036.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $497.28 | $1,036.00 | — | 52% |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 HB TX RM ARTHRO.MAJOR JOINT OR BURSA+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $535.20 | $669.00 | $296.00–$657.00 | 20% |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 IVR ARTHROCENTESIS ASP/INJ MJR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $560.00 | $700.00 | $296.00–$657.00 | 20% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC ARTHROCENTESIS - LARGE JOINT File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $600.00 | $750.00 | $6.00–$1,123.87 | 20% |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc 20610 Arthrocentesis Mjr Jt/Bursa File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $652.50 | $1,305.00 | — | 50% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC ARTHRO/ASP/INJ MAJ JNT/BUR/CYS File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $663.20 | $829.00 | $295.19–$1,123.87 | 20% |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC INJ MAJOR JOINT - SHOULDER/HIP/KNEE+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $683.28 | $1,314.00 | — | 48% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC ED ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US CDM+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $911.04 | $1,898.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC ED ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US CDM+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $911.04 | $1,898.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $911.04 | $1,898.00 | — | 52% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Arthro Asp/Inj Major Jnt/Bursa W/O US Guide File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $1,388.40 | $1,388.40 | $349.88–$1,985.66 | — |
| Valley Medical Center Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $1,479.80 | $2,114.00 | — | 30% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Arthro Asp/Inj Major Jnt/Bursa W/O US Guide File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $1,894.85 | — | — | — |
| Valley Medical Center Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 Arthrocentesis Aspir&/Inj Major Jt/Bursa W/O US File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $2,085.09 | $2,978.70 | — | 30% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital one side Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Arthro Asp/Inj Major Jnt/Bursa W/O US Guide|LEFT SIDE File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $12,815.25 | — | — | — |
| Seattle Children's Hospital one side Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 Arthro Asp/Inj Major Jnt/Bursa W/O US Guide|RIGHT SIDE File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $15,609.90 | — | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $120.00, median $516.24, highest $1,479.80 — a 12.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $673.24. 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 5 of 5 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.