Shoulder MRI cost in Waterbury, CT — inpatient
In Waterbury, CT, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the shoulder, elbow or wrist joint, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $2,010.80 to $2,179.08, with a median of $2,094.94. The lowest listed price is at Saint Marys Hospital — $84.14 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 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 31, 2026 and May 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 Waterbury, CT.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Marys Hospital one side lowest Waterbury, CT · (203) 709-6020 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Lt | $2,010.80 | $3,656.00 | $264.18–$3,656.00 | 45% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Saint Marys Hospital one side lowest Waterbury, CT · (203) 709-6020 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Rt | $2,010.80 | $3,656.00 | $264.18–$3,656.00 | 45% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Upper Ext Jnt wo Contrast LT | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Elbow wo Contrast Left | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Elbow wo Contrast Right | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Shoulder wo Contrast Right | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Shoulder wo Contrast Left | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Wrist wo Contrast Left | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Wrist wo Contrast Right | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital one side Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Upper Ext Jnt wo Contrast RT | $2,179.08 | $4,358.15 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| Saint Marys Hospital Waterbury, CT · (203) 709-6020 HC MRI Upper Extremity Joint W/O Contrast Bl | $3,016.75 | $5,485.00 | $264.18–$5,485.00 | 45% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital both sides Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Wrist wo Contrast Bilateral | $834.24 | $1,668.48 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital both sides Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Upper Ext Jnt wo Contrast Bilat | $834.24 | $1,668.48 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital both sides Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Elbow wo Contrast Bilateral | $834.24 | $1,668.48 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
| UConn Health, Waterbury Hospital both sides Waterbury, CT · (203) 573-6000 MRI Shoulder wo Contrast Bilat | $834.24 | $1,668.48 | — | 50% | May 13, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $2,010.80, median $2,094.94, highest $2,179.08 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $834.24, median $834.24, highest $834.24.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $2,094.94 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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 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.