Shoulder MRI cost in El Centro, CA — inpatient
In El Centro, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye (one side of the body) as an inpatient: from $670.50 to $670.50, with a median of $670.50. Across California, the median is $2,676.25 at 174 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 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 El Centro, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneers Memorial Hospital one side lowest Brawley, CA · (760) 351-3333 MRI Elbow w/o Contrast Left+7 more lines at this price source file | $670.50 | $1,915.70 | $144.00–$1,915.70 | 65% |
One side of the body : lowest $670.50, median $670.50, highest $670.50.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $670.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.