Shoulder X-ray cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 8 hospitals list a cash price for shoulder X-ray, complete, 2 or more views: from $107.09 to $625.00, with a median of $241.15. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $134.06 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $383.50 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 5 cities for code 73030, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg Radex Shoulder Complete Minimum 2 Views | $107.09 | $237.98 | $62.86–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg Radex Shoulder Complete Minimum 2 Views | $119.40 | $265.34 | $62.86–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Xr Shoulder 2+ Views | $141.40 | $202.00 | $35.35–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Xr Shoulder 2+ Views | $233.10 | $333.00 | $43.72–$656.29 | 30% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Xr Shoulder 2+ Views | $249.20 | $356.00 | $18.90–$534.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg Radex Shoulder Complete Minimum 2 Views | $256.05 | $569.00 | $26.05–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 X-RAY EXAM OF SHOULDER | $383.50 | $383.50 | $31.72–$817.41 | — | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC X-Ray Shoulder Min 2 Views | $625.00 | $625.00 | $35.26–$625.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $107.09, median $241.15, highest $625.00 — a 5.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $233.10. 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 7 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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 it is
A complete shoulder X-ray takes at least two pictures of the shoulder from different angles to show the bones of the joint. It is ordered for shoulder pain, injury, suspected dislocation or arthritis, and is often done before any shoulder MRI.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers taking the X-ray of one shoulder. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.