Shoulder MRI cost in Albuquerque, NM — inpatient
In Albuquerque, NM, 4 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,132.50 to $1,209.30, with a median of $1,154.40. The lowest listed price is at Lovelace Medical Center — $21.90 less than the median here. Across New Mexico, the median is $1,426.37 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 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 Albuquerque, NM.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lovelace Medical Center lowest Albuquerque, NM · (505) 727-8000 MRI scan of arm joint without contrast | $1,132.50 | $3,775.00 | $230.96–$2,831.25 | 70% | — source file |
| Lovelace Westside Hospital Albuquerque, NM · (505) 727-2001 MRI scan of arm joint without contrast | $1,154.40 | $3,848.00 | $163.88–$2,886.00 | 70% | — source file |
| Lovelace Womens Hospital Albuquerque, NM MRI scan of arm joint without contrast | $1,154.40 | $3,848.00 | $229.52–$5,367.96 | 70% | — source file |
| Lovelace UNM Rehabilition Hospital Albuquerque, NM MRI scan of arm joint without contrast | $1,209.30 | $4,031.00 | $229.52–$5,623.25 | 70% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,132.50, median $1,154.40, highest $1,209.30 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $1,154.40 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 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.