Shoulder MRI cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 12 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye: from $429.59 to $3,413.52, with a median of $1,965.83. The lowest listed price is at Gateway Regional Medical Center — $1,536.24 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,935.50 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 10 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 Apr 24, 2026 and Apr 24, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Regional Medical Center lowest Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 MR-UPPER JOINT WO | $429.59 | $715.99 | $715.99 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson one side Festus, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $1,301.30 | $2,002.00 | $560.00–$775.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson one side Festus, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $1,301.30 | $2,002.00 | $560.00–$775.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South one side Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $1,487.85 | $2,289.00 | $560.00–$679.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South one side Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $1,487.85 | $2,289.00 | $560.00–$679.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis one side Saint Louis, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $1,790.75 | $2,755.00 | $179.08–$2,755.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis one side Saint Louis, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $1,790.75 | $2,755.00 | $206.06–$574.77 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington one side Washington, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $1,834.30 | $2,822.00 | $351.00–$797.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington one side Washington, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $1,834.30 | $2,822.00 | $560.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE | $1,935.50 | $1,935.50 | $171.55–$483.44 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln one side Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Lt | $1,996.15 | $3,071.00 | $560.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln one side Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Rt | $1,996.15 | $3,071.00 | $560.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital one side Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 MRI UE Joint w/o Contrast Left | $2,022.24 | $2,527.80 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital one side Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 MRI UE Joint w/o Contrast Right | $2,022.24 | $2,527.80 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC MRI UPPR EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $2,943.36 | $4,088.00 | $219.59–$4,088.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC MRI UPPR EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $2,946.24 | $4,092.00 | $486.73–$4,092.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC MRI UPPR EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $3,338.64 | $4,637.00 | $209.13–$4,637.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC MRI UPPR EXT JOINT W/O CONTRAST | $3,413.52 | $4,741.00 | $209.13–$4,741.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson both sides Festus, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $1,951.95 | $3,003.00 | $351.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South both sides Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $2,626.65 | $4,041.00 | $351.00–$1,000.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital both sides Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 MRI UE Joint w/o Contrast Bilateral | $2,730.03 | $3,412.53 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis both sides Saint Louis, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $3,288.35 | $5,059.00 | $560.00–$693.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln both sides Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $3,392.35 | $5,219.00 | $339.24–$5,219.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington both sides Washington, MO MRI Extr Uppr Jt WO Cont Bi | $4,209.40 | $6,476.00 | $351.00–$797.00 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $429.59, median $1,965.83, highest $3,413.52 — a 7.9× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $1,951.95, median $3,009.19, highest $4,209.40 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $2,944.80. 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 6 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 1 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.