Shoulder MRI cost in Joplin, MO
In Joplin, MO-KS, 4 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye (one side of the body): from $1,244.75 to $2,216.50, with a median of $1,664.24. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas — $419.49 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,935.50 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 73221, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 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 Joplin, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas one side lowest Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $1,244.75 | $1,915.00 | $120.75–$1,312.68 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas one side lowest Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $1,244.75 | $1,915.00 | $120.75–$1,312.68 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Carthage one side Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $1,443.00 | $2,220.00 | $1,719.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Carthage one side Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $1,443.00 | $2,220.00 | $609.83–$2,220.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West one side Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 MRI-SHOULDER WO CONTRAST LT | $1,885.48 | $4,713.71 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West one side Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 MRI-WRIST WO CONTRAST RT | $1,885.48 | $4,713.71 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West one side Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 MRI-WRIST WO CONTRAST LT | $1,885.48 | $4,713.71 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West one side Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 MRI-ELBOW WO CONTRAST RT | $1,885.48 | $4,713.71 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West one side Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 MRI-ELBOW WO CONTRAST LT | $1,885.48 | $4,713.71 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West one side Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 MRI-SHOULDER WO CONTRAST RT | $1,885.48 | $4,713.71 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin one side Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $2,216.50 | $3,410.00 | $120.71–$1,312.68 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin one side Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $2,216.50 | $3,410.00 | $157.73–$452.15 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas both sides Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $2,065.05 | $3,177.00 | $120.75–$1,312.68 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Carthage both sides Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $2,117.70 | $3,258.00 | $1,719.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin both sides Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $3,324.75 | $5,115.00 | $157.73–$452.15 | 35% | — source file |
One side of the body : lowest $1,244.75, median $1,664.24, highest $2,216.50 — a 1.8× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $2,065.05, median $2,117.70, highest $3,324.75 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,885.48. 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 2 of 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.