Shoulder MRI cost in Madison, WI
In Madison, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye: from $570.05 to $2,064.30, with a median of $1,317.18. The lowest listed price is at Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital — $747.13 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $1,570.64 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 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 Jan 28, 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 Madison, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital lowest Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 Pro MRI Joint Upr Extrem W/O Dye | $570.05 | $877.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Meriter Madison, WI · (608) 417-6210 HC MRI UP EXTR ANY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $2,064.30 | $2,580.37 | $233.48–$2,451.35 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 Rt Joint Upper Extrem W/O Contrast | $2,653.95 | $4,083.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $3,230.50 | $4,970.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $570.05, median $1,317.18, highest $2,064.30 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,317.18. 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 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.