Joint injection (cortisone shot) cost in Vermont
In Vermont, 11 hospitals publish a cash price for injection or fluid drainage of a major joint (knee, shoulder, hip), no ultrasound: from $49.63 to $4,973.12, with a median of $681.90. The lowest price is at Gifford Medical Center (Randolph). The highest price is 100.2× the lowest.
- The median here, $681.90, is 55% above the US median of $439.76.
- That is 2.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($313.60).
- Vermont ranks 43rd of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
- 4 of 11 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
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 Oct 25, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$49.63Gifford Medical Center
Median$681.90half of hospitals charge less
Highest$4,973.12in Vermont
Lowest saves$632.27vs the median
Hospitals in Vermont, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gifford Medical Center lowest Randolph · Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT DRAIN/INJ JOINT/BURSA W/O US | $49.63 | $99.26 | Feb 12, 2026 source file |
| Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital St. Johnsbury · St. Johnsbury, VT DI INJECTION PROC MAJOR JOINT | $77.25 | $103.00 | Aug 27, 2026 source file |
| Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Bennington · Bennington, VT ARTHROCENTESIS MAJOR JT/BURSA | $177.00 | $177.00 | Oct 15, 2026 source file |
| Porter Hospital Middlebury · Middlebury, VT HC - ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US | $359.00 | $359.00 | Apr 28, 2026 source file |
| North Country Hospital & Health Center Newport · Newport, VT 20610-Major Joint Aspirate/Inject w/o US | $669.80 | $837.25 | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Brattleboro · Brattleboro, VT 20610 ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US TechFee | $681.90 | $974.13 | Dec 29, 2025 source file |
| Grace Cottage Hospital Townshend · Brattleboro, VT 20610 Intra-articular Glenohumeral Joint Injection, W/out Ultrasound Guidance | $702.00 | $878.00 | — source file |
| Central Vermont Medical Center Berlin · Barre, VT HC - ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US | $776.00 | $776.00 | Oct 1, 2026 source file |
| Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center Windsor · Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT Hc Arthrocentesis Aspiration &/Or Inj Major Jt Or Bursa Wo Us | $784.00 | $980.00 | — source file |
| University of Vermont Medical Center Burlington · Burlington-South Burlington, VT HC - ARTHROCENTESIS ASPIR&/INJ MAJOR JT/BURSA W/O US | $822.00 | $822.00 | Oct 12, 2026 source file |
| Northwestern Medical Center one side Saint Albans · Burlington-South Burlington, VT Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us | $4,973.12 | $10,581.11 | Aug 5, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brattleboro, VT | 2 | $681.90 | $691.95 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 2 | $822.00 | $2,897.56 |
| Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT | 2 | $49.63 | $416.82 |
| Barre, VT | 1 | $776.00 | $776.00 |
| Bennington, VT | 1 | $177.00 | $177.00 |
| Middlebury, VT | 1 | $359.00 | $359.00 |
| Newport, VT | 1 | $669.80 | $669.80 |
| St. Johnsbury, VT | 1 | $77.25 | $77.25 |
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
- Connecticut$652.05
- 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
- Virginia$387.46
- Washington$484.86
- West Virginia$343.50
- Wisconsin$399.36
- Wyoming$408.00
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.