Shoulder MRI cost in Virginia Beach, VA
In Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC, 12 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye: from $1,430.63 to $5,052.60, with a median of $1,932.50. The lowest listed price is at Riverside Smithfield Hospital — $501.87 less than the median here. Across Virginia, the median is $1,932.50 at 66 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,932.50, is 4% above the US median of $1,850.73.
- That is 7.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- Virginia Beach, VA has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Virginia with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 8 cities for code 73221, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 16, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 11, 2026 and Jul 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Smithfield Hospital lowest Smithfield, VA MRI Upper Joint W/O Contrast File of Mar 11, 2026 · source file | $1,430.63 | $2,861.25 | — | 50% |
| Chesapeake General Hospital Chesapeake, VA · (757) 312-8121 Hc Mri-Upper Ext Jnt Wo Cont File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $1,787.71 | $2,979.52 | — | 40% |
| Sentara Norfolk General Hospital one side Norfolk, VA · (757) 388-3000 Chgr-Mr Ue Unilat W/Joint W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,932.50 | $3,865.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Careplex Hospital one side Hampton, VA · (757) 827-2545 Chgr-Mr Ue Unilat W/Joint W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,932.50 | $3,865.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Princess Anne Hospital one side Virginia Beach, VA · (757) 507-1520 Chgr-Mr Ue Unilat W/Joint W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,932.50 | $3,865.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital one side Virginia Beach, VA · (757) 395-8000 Chgr-Mr Ue Unilat W/Joint W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,932.50 | $3,865.00 | — | 50% |
| Sentara Leigh Hospital one side Norfolk, VA · (757) 261-6700 Chgr-Mr Ue Unilat W/Joint W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,932.50 | $3,865.00 | — | 50% |
| Hospital for Extended Recovery one side Norfolk, VA · (757) 388-3000 Chgr-Mr Ue Unilat W/Joint W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,932.50 | $3,865.00 | — | 50% |
| Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters one side Norfolk, VA · (757) 668-9647 MRI UP EXT W/JNT WO RT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $3,358.28 | $3,731.42 | $858.23–$3,544.85 | 10% |
| Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters Norfolk, VA · (757) 668-9647 MRI UP EXTR W/JNT WO File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $3,498.92 | $3,887.69 | $894.17–$3,693.31 | 10% |
| Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center one side Portsmouth, VA · (757) 398-2200 HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont|LEFT SIDE+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,052.60 | $8,421.00 | — | 40% |
| Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center Suffolk, VA · (757) 673-5917 HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,052.60 | $8,421.00 | — | 40% |
| Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center Portsmouth, VA · (757) 398-2200 HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,052.60 | $8,421.00 | — | 40% |
| Mary Immaculate Hospital Newport News, VA · (757) 886-6000 HC MRI-Upper Ext Jnt WO Cont File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,052.60 | $8,421.00 | — | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $1,430.63, median $1,932.50, highest $5,052.60 — a 3.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $1,932.50. 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 shoulder MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Shoulder MRI explained.