How much does MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast cost in San Francisco, CA?
CPT 73721 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for San Francisco, CA.
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) lowest | Hospital | $213cash | 0.9× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $1,954cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $2,210cash | 9.1× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $2,210cash | 9.1× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,381cash | 9.8× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,438cash | 14.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $3,898cash | 16.1× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $4,042cash | 16.7× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,156cash | 17.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $4,281cash | 17.7× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $6,729cash | 27.8× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | — |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | — |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $25,339cash | 104.8× | — |
- For 73721 (MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast), Medicare's benchmark rate is $241.72. A fair self-pay target for this line is $483.44. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 73721 is $4,156.00, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $2,295.49–$7,464.00. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
What should 73721 cost in San Francisco, CA?
For MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73721) in San Francisco, CA, a fair self-pay price is around $4,099, with hospitals ranging from $2,295 to $7,464 across 17 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $242, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast cost in San Francisco, CA?
A fair self-pay price for MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73721) in San Francisco, CA is around $4,099, with hospital prices ranging from $2,295 to $7,464 across 17 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 73721?
Medicare pays about $242 for MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73721). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
Compare other procedures in San Francisco, CA
Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.