Shoulder MRI cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $504.00 to $2,458.20, with a median of $726.00. The lowest listed price is at Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner — $222.00 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $975.00 at 51 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 cities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner lowest Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC MRI UP EXT JT W/O CONTRAS | $504.00 | $1,800.00 | — | 72% | — source file |
| St Bernard Parish Hospital Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC MRI UP EXT JT W/O CONTRAS | $608.32 | $1,901.00 | — | 68% | — source file |
| Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC MRI UP EXT JT W/O CONTRAS | $726.00 | $3,300.00 | — | 78% | — source file |
| The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC MRI UP EXT JT W/O CONTRAS | $976.80 | $2,640.00 | — | 63% | — source file |
| St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 MRI U EXTRE ANY JOINT WO | $2,458.20 | $4,097.00 | $2,306.61–$4,097.00 | 40% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $504.00, median $726.00, highest $2,458.20 — a 4.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $691.90 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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.