Shoulder MRI cost in Waterloo, IA — inpatient
In Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $552.80 to $3,125.20, with a median of $3,125.20. The lowest listed price is at Allen Hospital — $2,572.40 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $1,467.07 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Hospital lowest Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 PR MRI, JOINT UPPER EXTREM | $552.80 | $691.00 | $185.57–$765.33 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA · (319) 235-3941 HC MRI UP EXTR ANY JOINT WO CONTRAST | $1,299.74 | $1,624.67 | $1,051.16 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center one side Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Lt | $3,125.20 | $4,808.00 | $224.79–$4,808.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital one side Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Rt | $3,125.20 | $4,808.00 | $224.79–$4,808.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital one side Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Lt | $3,125.20 | $4,808.00 | $224.79–$4,808.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center one side Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Rt | $3,125.20 | $4,808.00 | $224.79–$4,808.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sartori Memorial Hospital Cedar Falls, IA · (319) 268-3000 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Bl | $4,687.80 | $7,212.00 | $224.79–$7,212.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA · (319) 272-8000 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Bl | $4,687.80 | $7,212.00 | $224.79–$7,212.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $552.80, median $3,125.20, highest $3,125.20 — a 5.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $3,125.20 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 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 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.