Shoulder MRI cost in Charleston, SC — inpatient
In Charleston-North Charleston, SC, 5 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $869.50 to $2,446.60, with a median of $2,446.60. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Medical Center — $1,577.10 less than the median here. Across South Carolina, the median is $2,302.20 at 19 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 cities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Medical Center lowest Charleston, SC · (843) 792-2300 HB MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $869.50 | $1,739.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Roper Hospital Charleston, SC · (843) 724-2800 HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont | $2,446.60 | $3,764.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
| Roper St Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital Mount Pleasant, SC HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont | $2,446.60 | $3,764.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
| Roper St Francis Hospital Berkeley Summerville, SC · (854) 529-3002 HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont | $2,446.60 | $3,764.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
| Bon Secours St Francis Xavier Hospital Charleston, SC · (843) 402-1006 HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont | $2,446.60 | $3,764.00 | — | 35% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $869.50, median $2,446.60, highest $2,446.60 — a 2.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $2,446.60 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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.