Shoulder MRI cost in Riverside, CA — inpatient
In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $790.08 to $7,261.41, with a median of $2,444.00. The lowest listed price is at St Mary Medical Center — $1,653.92 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,444.00 at 92 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 6 cities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 2, 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary Medical Center lowest Apple Valley, CA · (760) 242-2311 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $790.08 | $1,646.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center lowest Apple Valley, CA · (760) 242-2311 HC MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE LIMITED | $790.08 | $1,646.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-8000 HC MRI UPPER EXTREM JOINT WO CONT | $2,199.60 | $4,888.00 | $977.60–$4,154.80 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Moreno Valley Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 251-6530 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 - Riverside Riverside, CA · (951) 353-2000 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 - Fontana Fontana, CA · (909) 427-5000 MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Palo Verde Hospital one side Blythe, CA · (760) 922-4115 MRI UE Joint w/o Contrast Left | $2,665.50 | $3,554.00 | — | 25% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Palo Verde Hospital one side Blythe, CA · (760) 922-4115 MRI UE Joint w/o Contrast Right | $2,665.50 | $3,554.00 | — | 25% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-4000 HC MRI UPPER EXTREM JOINT WO CONT | $3,790.80 | $8,424.00 | $1,684.80–$7,581.60 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 486-4000 HC MRI Upper Extrem Joint WO Cont | $7,261.41 | $7,261.41 | $144.00–$7,261.41 | — | — source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 486-4000 HC MRI Upper Extrem Joint WO Cont | $7,261.41 | $7,261.41 | $144.00–$7,261.41 | — | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $790.08, median $2,444.00, highest $7,261.41 — a 9.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $2,444.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 6 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.