Shoulder MRI cost in Los Angeles, CA — inpatient
In Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 25 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,470.70 to $5,569.32, with a median of $2,444.00. The lowest listed price is at Providence Cedars Sinai Tarzana Medical Center — $973.30 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,444.00 at 92 hospitals.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 18 cities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 26, 2025 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Cedars Sinai Tarzana Medical Center lowest Tarzana, CA · (818) 881-0800 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,470.70 | $4,202.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Los Alamitos Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI UP EXT JNT W/O CM | $1,527.20 | $3,818.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Placentia Linda Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI UP EXT JNT W/O CM | $1,527.20 | $3,818.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 HB MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $1,527.20 | $3,818.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Fountain Valley Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI UP EXT JNT W/O CM | $1,527.20 | $3,818.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica, CA · (310) 829-5511 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,808.45 | $5,167.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance Torrance, CA · (310) 540-7676 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,874.95 | $5,357.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Little Co of Mary Medical Center San Pedro San Pedro, CA · (310) 832-3311 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,874.95 | $5,357.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Mission Hills, CA · (818) 365-8051 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $2,280.25 | $6,515.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - West la Los Angeles, CA · (213) 857-2201 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Baldwin Park Baldwin Park, CA · (626) 851-1011 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay Harbor City, CA · (310) 325-5111 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Anaheim Anaheim, CA · (714) 279-4000 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Woodland Hills Woodland Hills, CA · (818) 719-3800 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Panorama City Panorama City, CA · (818) 375-2000 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Irvine Irvine, CA MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Downey Downey, CA · (562) 461-6007 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · (323) 783-4011 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Mission Hospital Regional Med Center Mission Viejo, CA · (949) 364-1400 HC MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE LIMITED | $2,841.12 | $5,919.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mission Hospital Regional Med Center Mission Viejo, CA · (949) 364-1400 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $2,841.12 | $5,919.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Burbank, CA · (818) 843-5111 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $3,084.90 | $8,814.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Lakewood Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI UP EXT JNT W/O CM | $3,684.80 | $9,212.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital Marina del Rey, CA · (310) 823-8911 HB MRI EXT UPP JT WO CONT UNI | $4,154.75 | $6,391.93 | $300.99–$9,712.00 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| St Joseph Hospital of Orange Orange, CA · (714) 633-9111 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $4,798.08 | $9,996.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Joseph Hospital of Orange Orange, CA · (714) 633-9111 HC MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE LIMITED | $4,798.08 | $9,996.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Jude Hospital Fullerton, CA · (714) 992-3000 HC MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE LIMITED | $4,974.72 | $10,364.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Jude Hospital Fullerton, CA · (714) 992-3000 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $4,974.72 | $10,364.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 HB MRI EXT UPP JT WO CONT UNI | $5,569.32 | $8,568.18 | $300.99–$14,761.00 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,470.70, median $2,444.00, highest $5,569.32 — a 3.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 28 facilities here, median $2,083.20 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 11 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.