Shoulder MRI cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $2,444.00 to $4,831.75, with a median of $2,465.25. The lowest listed price is at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion and 2 other hospitals — $21.25 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,444.00 at 92 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 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 - San Marcos lowest San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 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 - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa lowest San Diego, CA MRI ANY JT UPPER EXTREMITY W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $2,444.00 | $4,700.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital one side San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR WRIST RIGHT WO IV CONTRAST | $2,465.25 | $3,287.00 | $575.22–$2,958.30 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center one side Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR WRIST RIGHT WO IV CONTRAST | $2,465.25 | $3,287.00 | $920.36–$2,629.60 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital one side La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR WRIST RIGHT WO IV CONTRAST | $2,465.25 | $3,287.00 | $460.18–$2,695.34 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center one side Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC MRI JOINT UPPER EXTREM - MR WRIST RIGHT WO IV CONTRAST | $2,465.25 | $3,287.00 | $460.18–$2,465.25 | 25% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Mri Scan Of Arm Joint Arm Joint | $4,831.75 | $8,785.00 | $282.95–$4,392.50 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $2,444.00, median $2,465.25, highest $4,831.75 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $2,465.25 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 8 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.