Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in California

In California, 190 hospitals publish a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $47.25 to $14,634.16, with a median of $951.60. The lowest price is at Madera Community Hospital (Madera). The highest price is 309.7× the lowest.

• The median here, $951.60, is 116% above the US median of $439.76.
• That is 3.0× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
• California ranks 47th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 52 of 190 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 20610. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map