Shoulder MRI cost in Albany, NY
In Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye: from $602.51 to $602.51, with a median of $602.51. The lowest listed price is at St Peters Hospital and 1 other hospital. Across New York, the median is $934.53 at 60 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 73221, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Peters Hospital lowest Albany, NY · (518) 525-1550 PR MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast | $602.51 | — | $40.68–$602.51 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Samaritan Hospital lowest Troy, NY · (518) 427-3402 PR MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast | $602.51 | — | $40.68–$602.51 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Samaritan Hospital one side Troy, NY · (518) 427-3402 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Rt | $2,376.40 | $3,656.00 | $134.69–$5,357.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Peters Hospital one side Albany, NY · (518) 525-1550 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Lt | $2,376.40 | $3,656.00 | $131.48–$5,357.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Peters Hospital one side Albany, NY · (518) 525-1550 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Rt | $2,376.40 | $3,656.00 | $131.48–$5,357.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Samaritan Hospital one side Troy, NY · (518) 427-3402 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Lt | $2,376.40 | $3,656.00 | $134.69–$5,357.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Peters Hospital Albany, NY · (518) 525-1550 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Bl | $3,563.95 | $5,483.00 | $131.48–$5,483.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Samaritan Hospital Troy, NY · (518) 427-3402 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Bl | $3,563.95 | $5,483.00 | $134.69–$5,483.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $602.51, median $602.51, highest $602.51.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $540.00. 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 0 of 2 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
An MRI of an upper-limb joint makes detailed pictures of one joint, most often the shoulder, though the code also covers the elbow and wrist. It shows tendons, ligaments, cartilage and the labrum, such as a rotator cuff tear that does not show on X-rays. No contrast dye is used.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan of one joint. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.