Shoulder MRI cost in Houston, TX
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 13 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye: from $231.94 to $3,312.48, with a median of $1,033.00. The lowest listed price is at Harris Health and 1 other hospital — $801.06 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $1,788.37 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 9 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 5, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Health lowest Taub Loop Houston, TX · (713) 873-2000 MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $231.94 | $3,761.00 | $209.16–$2,444.65 | 94% | — source file |
| Harris Health one side Houston, TX MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT W/O CONTRAST-LT | $231.94 | $3,761.00 | $209.16–$2,444.65 | 94% | — source file |
| Harris Health one side Taub Loop Houston, TX · (713) 873-2000 MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT W/O CONTRAST-RT | $231.94 | $3,761.00 | $209.16–$2,444.65 | 94% | — source file |
| Harris Health one side Taub Loop Houston, TX · (713) 873-2000 MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT W/O CONTRAST-LT | $231.94 | $3,761.00 | $209.16–$2,444.65 | 94% | — source file |
| Harris Health lowest Houston, TX MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $231.94 | $3,761.00 | $209.16–$2,444.65 | 94% | — source file |
| Harris Health one side Houston, TX MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT W/O CONTRAST-RT | $231.94 | $3,761.00 | $209.16–$2,444.65 | 94% | — source file |
| The Methodist Hospital Houston, TX · (713) 790-2221 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,031.00 | $2,062.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston, TX · (281) 477-1000 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital Katy, TX HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital Nassau Bay, TX · (281) 333-5503 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital Baytown, TX · (281) 420-8600 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital Cypress, TX · (346) 618-1506 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Sugar Land, TX · (281) 274-8000 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital The Woodlands, TX · (936) 270-2000 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist West Houston Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 522-1000 HC MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $1,033.00 | $2,066.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens Texas Galveston, TX · (409) 770-6600 MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE | $1,845.30 | $1,845.30 | $171.55–$483.44 | — | — source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 824-1000 TC MR UPPER EXTREMITY ANY JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $3,312.48 | $4,944.00 | $209.16–$4,696.80 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 824-1000 TC MR UPPER EXTREMITY ANY JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $3,312.48 | $4,944.00 | $209.16–$4,696.80 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 824-1000 TC MR UPPER EXTREMITY ANY JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $3,312.48 | $4,944.00 | $209.16–$4,696.80 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $231.94, median $1,033.00, highest $3,312.48 — a 14.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $1,033.00. 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 3 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.