Prices at 5 hospitals in Birmingham, AL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $506 — 24% above the US median ($407), roughly 8.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama | Birmingham, AL | $506 | $936 | — | — | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $506 — about 8.9× the Medicare rate ($57). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($114).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,390 list price could save about $884 (64%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Birmingham
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Ingram, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 35 |
| Kathleen Mckeon, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 31 |
| David Mclain, M.D. | Rheumatology | Birmingham, AL | 23 |
| Norman Waldrop, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 23 |
| Vanessa Hill | Nurse Practitioner | Birmingham, AL | 23 |
| Joseph Sherrill, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 14 |
| Charles Pitts, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 12 |
All Joint aspiration or injection (mid-size joint) prices in Alabama → · All Joint aspiration or injection (mid-size joint) prices (national) · All hospitals in Birmingham