Shoulder MRI cost in San Antonio, TX — inpatient
In San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $570.75 to $570.75, with a median of $570.75. Across Texas, the median is $1,788.37 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 14, 2025 and Oct 14, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System one side lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR ELBOW RIGHT WO IV | $570.75 | $2,283.00 | $844.71–$1,940.55 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System one side lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR WRIST RIGHT WO IV | $570.75 | $2,283.00 | $844.71–$1,940.55 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR BRACHIAL PLEXUS WO | $570.75 | $2,283.00 | $844.71–$1,940.55 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System one side lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR SHOULDER RIGHT WO | $570.75 | $2,283.00 | $844.71–$1,940.55 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System one side lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR WRIST LEFT WO IV C | $570.75 | $2,283.00 | $844.71–$1,940.55 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System one side lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR SHOULDER LEFT WO I | $570.75 | $2,283.00 | $844.71–$1,940.55 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System one side lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR ELBOW LEFT WO IV C | $570.75 | $2,283.00 | $844.71–$1,940.55 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System both sides San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR SHOULDER BILATERAL | $727.75 | $2,911.00 | $1,077.07–$2,474.35 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System both sides San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR ELBOW BILATERAL WO | $727.75 | $2,911.00 | $1,077.07–$2,474.35 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
| University Health System both sides San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR WRIST BILATERAL WO | $727.75 | $2,911.00 | $1,077.07–$2,474.35 | 75% | Oct 14, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $570.75, median $570.75, highest $570.75.
Both sides : lowest $727.75, median $727.75, highest $727.75.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $554.16 — 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 and 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.