Shoulder MRI cost in Milwaukee, WI — inpatient
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 16 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $744.70 to $4,368.26, with a median of $2,110.00. The lowest listed price is at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin — $1,365.30 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $1,570.64 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 9 cities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC MRI UPPER JOINT WO CONTRAST LIMITED | $744.70 | $1,354.00 | $947.80–$1,286.30 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC MRI UPPER JOINT WO CONTRAST LIMITED | $744.70 | $1,354.00 | $947.80–$1,286.30 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREMITY WO CONTRAST | $1,355.21 | $2,557.00 | $232.67–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin Franklin, WI HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREMITY WO CONTRAST | $1,355.21 | $2,557.00 | $232.67–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREMITY WO CONTRAST | $1,355.21 | $2,557.00 | $232.67–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Franklin, WI HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREMITY WO CONTRAST | $1,355.21 | $2,557.00 | $232.67–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$40,765.01 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT W/O DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $2,532.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREMITY WO CONTRAST | $2,154.98 | $4,066.00 | $106.95–$762.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREMITY WO CONTRAST | $2,154.98 | $4,066.00 | $106.95–$762.56 | 47% | — source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC MRI UPPER JOINT WO CONTRAST | $2,516.94 | $4,576.25 | $3,203.38–$4,347.44 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC MRI UPPER JOINT WO CONTRAST | $2,516.94 | $4,576.25 | $3,203.38–$4,347.44 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT BIL WO CONTRAST | $4,220.00 | $8,440.00 | $5,064.00–$7,174.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 MR UPPER EXTREM JOINT BIL WO CONTRAST | $4,220.00 | $8,440.00 | $5,064.00–$7,174.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute Mequon, WI HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREMITY WO CONTRAST | $4,368.26 | $8,242.00 | $106.95–$762.56 | 47% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $744.70, median $2,110.00, highest $4,368.26 — a 5.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,110.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 9 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 9 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.