Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Connecticut
In Connecticut, 15 hospitals publish a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $260.00 to $2,568.00, with a median of $652.05. The lowest price is at Midstate Medical Center (Meriden) and 2 other hospitals. The highest price is 9.9× the lowest.
- The median here, $652.05, is 48% above the US median of $439.76.
- That is 2.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- Connecticut ranks 41st of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- 7 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Connecticut law (C.G.S. §19a-673): if you are uninsured, your income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level and Medicaid has turned you down, a hospital and the clinicians billing through it may collect no more than the cost of your care (its charges times its cost-to-charge ratio), which is usually well below its list price. Ask the billing office to apply it. 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 Sep 27, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$260.00Midstate Medical Center + 2 more
Median$652.05half of hospitals charge less
Highest$2,568.00in Connecticut
Lowest saves$392.05vs the median
Hospitals in Connecticut, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midstate Medical Center lowest Meriden · Meriden, CT DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $260.00 | $260.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The William W Backus Hospital lowest Norwich · Norwich, CT DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $260.00 | $260.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Windham Community Memorial Hospital lowest Willimantic · Willimantic, CT DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $260.00 | $260.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Day Kimball Healthcare Putnam · Putnam, CT MED/SURG OBV ARTHROCENTESIS LARGE | $301.68 | $791.80 | Aug 1, 2026 source file |
| Connecticut Children's Hartford · Hartford, CT Drain/Inj Major Joint/Bursa W/O US | $539.40 | $899.00 | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center one side Hartford · Hartford, CT HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Inj Major Joint/Bursa W/O US Guidance Rt | $594.00 | $1,080.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Saint Marys Hospital one side Waterbury · Waterbury, CT HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Inj Major Joint/Bursa W/O US Guidance Rt | $629.20 | $1,144.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Gaylord Hospital Wallingford · Wallingford, CT Arthrcentesis Mjr Jt wo US-Fac | $652.05 | $931.49 | Apr 21, 2026 source file |
| Johnson Memorial Hospital one side Stafford Springs · Stafford Springs, CT HC Arthrocentesis/Aspiration/Inj Major Joint/Bursa W/O US Guidance Rt | $781.00 | $1,420.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Manchester Memorial Hospital Manchester · Manchester, CT ARTHR ASP&/INJ MAJ JT/BUR/CYST | $1,053.65 | $1,053.65 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Torrington · Torrington, CT HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJECTION MAJOR JT/BURSA WO/US GUIDANCE | $1,061.06 | $1,061.06 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Hospital of Central Connecticut New Britain · New Britain, CT HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJECTION MAJOR JT/BURSA WO/US GUIDANCE | $1,061.06 | $1,061.06 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Hartford Hospital Hartford · Hartford, CT HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJECTION MAJOR JT/BURSA WO/US GUIDANCE | $1,213.00 | $1,213.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury · Waterbury, CT IR Aspirate Inject Major Joint Left | $1,546.54 | $3,093.08 | May 13, 2026 source file |
| John Dempsey Hospital of the University of Connecticut Farmington · Farmington, CT HC ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US | $2,568.00 | $4,280.00 | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford, CT | 3 | $539.40 | $594.00 |
| Waterbury, CT | 2 | $629.20 | $1,087.87 |
| Farmington, CT | 1 | $2,568.00 | $2,568.00 |
| Manchester, CT | 1 | $1,053.65 | $1,053.65 |
| Meriden, CT | 1 | $260.00 | $260.00 |
| New Britain, CT | 1 | $1,061.06 | $1,061.06 |
| Norwich, CT | 1 | $260.00 | $260.00 |
| Putnam, CT | 1 | $301.68 | $301.68 |
| Stafford Springs, CT | 1 | $781.00 | $781.00 |
| Torrington, CT | 1 | $1,061.06 | $1,061.06 |
| Wallingford, CT | 1 | $652.05 | $652.05 |
| Willimantic, CT | 1 | $260.00 | $260.00 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What joint injection (cortisone shot) is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Joint injection (cortisone shot) explained.
Injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound in other states
- Alabama$385.00
- Alaska$418.00
- Arizona$567.43
- Arkansas$399.31
- California$951.60
- Colorado$344.34
- Delaware$960.45
- District of Columbia$557.92, 3 hospitals
- Florida$668.20
- Georgia$905.19
- Hawaii$599.25
- Idaho$305.00
- Illinois$494.00
- Indiana$412.92
- Iowa$354.00
- Kansas$342.23
- Kentucky$391.16
- Louisiana$258.30
- Maine$269.32
- Maryland$240.42
- Massachusetts$566.25
- Michigan$422.07
- Minnesota$362.85
- Mississippi$248.95
- Missouri$290.88
- Montana$275.85
- Nebraska$198.69
- Nevada$333.00
- New Hampshire$336.29
- New Jersey$1,065.25
- New Mexico$427.38
- New York$505.82
- North Carolina$418.80
- North Dakota$303.20
- Ohio$696.00
- Oklahoma$366.05
- Oregon$312.00
- Pennsylvania$468.12
- Puerto Rico$2,100.00, 3 hospitals
- Rhode Island$1,510.00
- South Carolina$646.52
- South Dakota$688.00
- Tennessee$343.47
- Texas$592.44
- Utah$460.95
- Vermont$681.90
- Virginia$387.46
- Washington$484.86
- West Virginia$343.50
- Wisconsin$399.36
- Wyoming$408.00
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.