Shoulder MRI cost in Columbia, SC
In Columbia, SC, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye: from $1,253.50 to $2,015.00, with a median of $1,253.50. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast and 1 other hospital. Across South Carolina, the median is $2,302.20 at 19 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 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 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 Columbia, SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast lowest Columbia, SC HB MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $1,253.50 | $2,507.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown lowest Columbia, SC · (803) 256-5300 HB MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $1,253.50 | $2,507.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kershaw Medical Center Camden, SC · (803) 432-4311 HB MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $2,015.00 | $4,030.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,253.50, median $1,253.50, highest $2,015.00 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,253.50. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
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.