Knee MRI cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 25 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of knee or other lower-limb joint, no contrast dye: from $234.31 to $6,214.20, with a median of $2,117.73. The lowest listed price is at Advanced Surgical Hospital — $1,883.42 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $2,036.58 at 101 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,117.73, is 14% above the US median of $1,852.45.
- That is 8.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 16 cities for code 73721, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 7, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 2026.
Lowest$234.31Advanced Surgical Hospital
Median$2,117.73half of hospitals charge less
Highest$6,214.20in this market
Difference26.5×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 Pittsburgh, PA.
median
Lowest $234.31Highest $6,214.20
one sideboth sides
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Surgical Hospital one side lowest Washington, PA · (724) 884-0710 LE JOINT W/O MR LT+1 more line at this price File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file | $234.31 | $2,600.00 | $222.52–$1,300.00 | 91% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital one side Kittanning, PA VISIONARIE KNEE RT+1 more line at this price File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $525.00 | $1,750.00 | $232.41–$1,750.00 | 70% |
| Uniontown Hospital one side Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 MRI SCAN OF LEG JOINT WITHOUT CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $566.00 | $1,132.00 | $171.55–$538.86 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 MRI JNT OF LWR EXTRE W/O DYE File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $634.00 | $1,268.00 | $47.87–$538.86 | 50% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital one side Kittanning, PA MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT LT UNE+1 more line at this price File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $1,072.80 | $3,576.00 | $232.41–$3,576.00 | 70% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital one side Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 MR KNEE LT WO CONTRAST+5 more lines at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $1,120.80 | $1,868.00 | $226.85–$1,494.40 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital one side Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 MR KNEE LT WO CONTRAST+5 more lines at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $1,120.80 | $1,868.00 | $1.82–$8,750.00 | 40% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital one side Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 MR KNEE LT WO CONTRAST+6 more lines at this price File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $1,120.80 | $1,868.00 | $226.85–$1,494.40 | 40% |
| UPMC Washington one side Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 MRI LOWER EXT SURG PLAN-LT+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,554.42 | $2,220.60 | $210.45–$1,598.83 | 30% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 MRI LOW EXT ANY JT W/O File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,554.42 | $2,220.60 | $172.84–$1,598.83 | 30% |
| Highlands Hospital one side Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 MRI KNEE RT WO CONTRAST+7 more lines at this price File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | $986.06–$2,282.28 | 40% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital one side Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 MRI JOINT LOWER EXT LT W/O+1 more line at this price File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | $787.09–$3,585.81 | 40% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 MRI LOW EXTREMITY JOINT WITHOUT CONTRAST File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | $986.06–$2,282.28 | 40% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC MRI LE JNT WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $2,010.47 | $2,611.00 | $150.41–$734.63 | 23% |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC MRI LE JNT WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $2,036.58 | $2,611.00 | $132.85–$734.63 | 22% |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC MRI LE JNT WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $2,036.58 | $2,611.00 | $149.62–$731.92 | 22% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC MRI LE JNT WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $2,117.73 | $2,901.00 | $165.45–$815.95 | 27% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $2,124.60 | $3,541.00 | $229.21–$3,186.90 | 40% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC MRI LE JNT WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $2,204.76 | $2,901.00 | $162.71–$810.53 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC MRI LE JNT WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $2,232.36 | $2,756.00 | $108.55–$761.74 | 19% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA MRI Lower Extr Jt wo Contrast File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $2,766.40 | $3,952.00 | $739.02–$4,149.60 | 30% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $2,796.00 | $4,660.00 | $230.45–$4,100.80 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $3,682.80 | $6,138.00 | $198.97–$5,217.30 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $3,801.60 | $6,336.00 | $214.16–$5,385.60 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $3,834.60 | $6,391.00 | $213.60–$5,432.35 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $3,940.80 | $6,568.00 | $231.07–$5,254.40 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $4,125.00 | $6,875.00 | $192.10–$6,187.50 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $4,272.00 | $7,120.00 | $215.68–$6,550.40 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 MR LOW EXTREM ANY JNT WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $6,214.20 | $10,357.00 | $248.89–$8,803.45 | 40% |
| Advanced Surgical Hospital both sides Washington, PA · (724) 884-0710 LE JOINT W/O MR BILAT File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file | $234.31 | $6,700.00 | $222.52–$3,350.00 | 97% |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
Outpatient: lowest $234.31, median $2,117.73, highest $6,214.20 — a 26.5× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $234.31, median $234.31, highest $234.31.
The two groups are not comparable and are not averaged together: a
price for both sides of the body covers twice the work. Merging them is how a single
published "median" ends up far above what one side actually costs.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 26 facilities here, median $2,077.16. 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 17 of 25 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 knee MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Knee MRI explained.