Knee MRI with contrast cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 26 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of knee or other lower-limb joint, without and then with contrast dye: from $672.68 to $9,705.50, with a median of $3,508.50. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $2,835.82 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $2,980.00 at 32 hospitals.
- The median here, $3,508.50, is 31% above the US median of $2,670.10.
- That is 9.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($356.43).
- 17 of 26 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 26 facilities across 19 cities for code 73723, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 3, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 15, 2025 and Sep 1, 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg MRI Any Jt Lower Extrem W/O & W/Contrast Matrl File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $672.68 | $1,494.84 | $394.86–$1,282.35 | 55% |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg MRI Any Jt Lower Extrem W/O & W/Contrast Matrl File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $749.99 | $1,666.64 | $418.11–$1,548.00 | 55% |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester, MA · (781) 729-9000 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,058.00 | $1,058.00 | — | — |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 MRI; JT LW EXTRM W&WO (RT)+2 more lines at this price File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $1,273.30 | $1,819.00 | $81.05–$1,364.79 | 30% |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC MRI Le Jnt W&WO Contr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,404.90 | $2,007.00 | $333.33–$2,007.00 | 30% |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham, MA · (508) 679-3131 MRI Any Jt Lower Extrem W/O & W/Contrast Matrl File of Dec 15, 2025 · source file | $1,691.50 | $3,383.00 | $398.60–$2,574.46 | 50% |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC MRI Le Jnt W&WO Contr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,719.20 | $2,456.00 | $385.88–$3,684.00 | 30% |
| Emerson Hospital one side Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 MRI HIP RIGHT WO CONTRAST+7 more lines at this price File of May 18, 2026 · source file | $2,127.00 | $2,836.00 | $809.91–$2,836.00 | 25% |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 MRI LOW EXTRM JNT W/&W/O CONT File of May 18, 2026 · source file | $2,127.00 | $2,836.00 | $809.91–$2,836.00 | 25% |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth, MA · (508) 746-2000 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,627.00 | $2,627.00 | — | — |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC MRI Le Jnt W&WO Contr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,657.20 | $3,796.00 | $333.33–$3,796.00 | 30% |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington, MA · (781) 744-5100 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,945.00 | $2,945.00 | — | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham, MA · (781) 453-3002 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,015.00 | $3,015.00 | — | — |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC MRI Jnt Lwr Ext W/O & W/ Contrast File of Mar 20, 2026 · source file | $3,125.00 | $3,125.00 | $477.02–$3,125.00 | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Milton, MA · (617) 696-4600 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,892.00 | $3,892.00 | — | — |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg MRI Any Jt Lower Extrem W/O & W/Contrast Matrl File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $4,099.95 | $9,111.00 | $356.43–$7,744.35 | 55% |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 MRI JOINT LWR EXTR W/O&W/DYE File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $4,388.50 | $4,388.50 | $359.77–$873.36 | — |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston, MA · (617) 754-5800 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,531.00 | $4,531.00 | — | — |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA · (617) 492-3500 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,586.00 | $4,586.00 | — | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 667-7000 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,195.00 | $5,195.00 | — | — |
| Exeter Hospital Exeter, NH · (603) 778-7311 HC MRI ANY JOINT LOWER EXT W WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,672.00 | $5,672.00 | — | — |
| Frisbie Memorial Hospital one side Rochester, NH · (603) 332-5211 MRI LW JNT W&WO CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $8,219.00 | $8,219.00 | $677.25–$6,575.20 | — |
| Seabrook Emergency one side Seabrook, NH · (603) 436-5110 MRI LW JNT W&WO CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $8,458.00 | $8,458.00 | $348.47–$8,035.10 | — |
| Portsmouth Regional Hospital one side Portsmouth, NH · (603) 436-5110 MRI LW JNT W&WO CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $8,458.00 | $8,458.00 | $348.47–$8,035.10 | — |
| Dover Emergency Room one side Dover, NH · (603) 436-5110 MRI LW JNT W&WO CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $8,458.00 | $8,458.00 | $348.47–$8,035.10 | — |
| Plaistow Fser one side Plaistow, NH · (603) 421-2100 MRI LW JNT W&WO CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $9,705.50 | $9,705.50 | $299.90–$9,220.23 | — |
| Parkland Medical Center one side Derry, NH · (603) 421-2100 MRI LW JNT W&WO CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $9,705.50 | $9,705.50 | $299.90–$9,220.23 | — |
| Emerson Hospital both sides Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 MRI LOW EXT JNT BILAT WOW CON File of May 18, 2026 · source file | $4,253.25 | $5,671.00 | $809.91–$5,671.00 | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $672.68, median $3,508.50, highest $9,705.50 — a 14.4× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $4,253.25, median $4,253.25, highest $4,253.25.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 19 facilities here, median $2,657.20. 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 9 of 17 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 with contrast is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Knee MRI with contrast explained.