Shoulder MRI cost in Seattle, WA — inpatient
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 7 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $268.00 to $2,296.00, with a median of $1,057.44. The lowest listed price is at Seattle Children's Hospital — $789.44 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $1,756.30 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Children's Hospital lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI, Joint Upper Extrem | $268.00 | $268.00 | $36.82–$214.40 | — | — source file |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 MRI UPPER EXT JOINT INTERM | $1,053.66 | $2,066.00 | $1,323.27–$1,652.80 | 49% | — source file |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,057.44 | $2,203.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,057.44 | $2,203.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,057.44 | $2,203.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Mri Up Extrem Joint Wo Con | $1,104.15 | $2,208.30 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE LIMITED | $1,139.32 | $2,191.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC MRI UPPER EXTREMITY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,139.32 | $2,191.00 | — | 48% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC MRI JOINT UPR EXTREM W/O DYE | $2,296.00 | $2,870.00 | $241.72–$2,583.00 | 20% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $268.00, median $1,057.44, highest $2,296.00 — a 8.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $1,053.66 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 3 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.