Shoulder MRI cost in Waco, TX — inpatient
In Waco, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $872.37 to $2,311.68, with a median of $1,592.03. The lowest listed price is at Ascension Providence — $719.66 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $1,788.37 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jun 13, 2026 and Jun 13, 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 Waco, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Providence one side lowest Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 MRI ELBOW LEFT W/O | $872.37 | $2,423.25 | $211.18–$1,319.12 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Providence Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 MRI UPPER EXT JOINT W/O CONTRA | $872.37 | $2,423.25 | $211.18–$1,319.12 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Providence one side lowest Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 MRI ELBOW RIGHT W/O | $872.37 | $2,423.25 | $211.18–$1,319.12 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Providence one side lowest Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 MRI SHOULDER LEFT W/O | $872.37 | $2,423.25 | $211.18–$1,319.12 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Providence one side Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 MRI SHOULDER RIGHT W/O | $959.58 | $2,665.50 | $211.18–$1,319.12 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Providence one side Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 MRI WRIST LEFT W/O | $959.58 | $2,665.50 | $211.18–$1,319.12 | 64% | — source file |
| Ascension Providence one side Waco, TX · (254) 751-4000 MRI WRIST RIGHT W/O | $959.58 | $2,665.50 | $211.18–$1,319.12 | 64% | — source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest Waco, TX · (254) 202-2000 HC MRI EXT UPPER JNT W/O CON | $2,311.68 | $3,852.80 | $1,271.42–$2,696.96 | 40% | Jun 13, 2026 source file |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest Waco, TX · (254) 202-2000 HC MR EXT UPPER JNT WO CM | $2,311.68 | $3,852.80 | $1,271.42–$2,696.96 | 40% | Jun 13, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $872.37, median $1,592.03, highest $2,311.68 — a 2.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,592.03 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 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.