Shoulder MRI cost in Santa Cruz, CA
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye: from $7,631.85 to $7,631.85, with a median of $7,631.85. Across California, the median is $2,444.00 at 92 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 73221, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 15, 2026 and Sep 15, 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watsonville Community Hospital one side lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 MR-LT UPPER JOINT WO | $7,631.85 | $12,719.75 | $280.80–$41,783.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital one side lowest Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 MR-RT UPPER JOINT WO | $7,631.85 | $12,719.75 | $280.80–$41,783.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE | $7,631.85 | $12,719.75 | $280.80–$41,783.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital both sides Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 MR-UPPER JOINT WO BILATERAL | $9,806.43 | $16,344.05 | $280.80–$41,783.55 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $7,631.85, median $7,631.85, highest $7,631.85.
Both sides : lowest $9,806.43, median $9,806.43, highest $9,806.43.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $7,631.85. 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 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.