Scans and imaging CPT 73221 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Shoulder MRI cost in Hartford, CT — inpatient

In Hartford, CT, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $781.80 to $1,675.85, with a median of $1,228.83. The lowest listed price is at Connecticut Children's — $447.03 less than the median here. Across Connecticut, the median is $1,843.33 at 6 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 73221, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and Mar 31, 2026.

Lowest$781.80Connecticut Children's
Median$1,228.83half pay less
Highest$1,675.85in this market
Difference2.1×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Hartford, CT.

median
Lowest $781.80Highest $2,513.50

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Connecticut Children's lowest Hartford, CT · (860) 545-9000 MRI Upper Extremity Joint WO $781.80 $1,303.00 $373.55–$1,107.55 40% —
source file
Connecticut Children's lowest Hartford, CT · (860) 545-9000 MRI Upper Extremity Joint WO $781.80 $1,303.00 $373.55–$1,107.55 40% —
source file
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center one side Hartford, CT · (860) 714-5541 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Lt $1,675.85 $3,047.00 $264.18–$2,589.95 45% Mar 31, 2026
source file
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center one side Hartford, CT · (860) 714-5541 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Rt $1,675.85 $3,047.00 $264.18–$2,589.95 45% Mar 31, 2026
source file
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Hartford, CT · (860) 714-5541 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Bl $2,513.50 $4,570.00 $264.18–$3,884.50 45% Mar 31, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $781.80, median $1,228.83, highest $1,675.85 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,228.83 — 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.