How much does MRI upper extremity joint, without contrast cost in California?
CPT 73221 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
73221 MRI upper extremity joint, without contrast
Ask to pay
$483
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$2,455
Medicare $242
Ask $483
$57 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $37,154
What Medicare paysⓘ
$242
Typical price near you
$2,455
Cash / self-pay price
$2,963
Prices near you — 79 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $57cash | 0.2× | — |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) | Hospital | $63cash | 0.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) | Hospital | $152cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $213cash | 0.9× | — |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $305cash | 1.3× | — |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $313negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $316negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $322negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $324negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $376negotiated | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $500cash | 2.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $578cash | 2.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $727cash | 3.0× | — |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $790cash | 3.3× | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $867cash | 3.6× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $867cash | 3.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $867cash | 3.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $867cash | 3.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $1,154cash | 4.8× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $1,389cash | 5.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $1,471cash | 6.1× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $1,527cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $1,527cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $1,527cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $1,527cash | 6.3× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $1,553cash | 6.4× | — |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,872cash | 7.7× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $1,875cash | 7.8× | ★★★★★ |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $2,055cash | 8.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,130cash | 8.8× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $2,130cash | 8.8× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $2,130cash | 8.8× | — |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $2,280cash | 9.4× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $2,431cash | 10.1× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,444cash | 10.1× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,444cash | 10.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,444cash | 10.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $2,465cash | 10.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $2,465cash | 10.2× | — |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $2,465cash | 10.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,465cash | 10.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $2,841cash | 11.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $3,085cash | 12.8× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,304cash | 13.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,304cash | 13.7× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,304cash | 13.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $3,685cash | 15.2× | — |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $3,791cash | 15.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $3,845cash | 15.9× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $3,863cash | 16.0× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,274cash | 17.7× | — |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $4,281cash | 17.7× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,284cash | 17.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $4,378cash | 18.1× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $4,378cash | 18.1× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,506cash | 18.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $4,516cash | 18.7× | — |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $4,798cash | 19.8× | ★★★★★ |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,832cash | 20.0× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $4,975cash | 20.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $6,073cash | 25.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $6,147cash | 25.4× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) | Hospital | $7,261cash | 30.0× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | — |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | — |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $7,291cash | 30.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $7,819cash | 32.3× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) | Hospital | $8,332cash | 34.5× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) gross charge | Hospital | $11,537cash | 47.7× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) gross charge | Hospital | $11,537cash | 47.7× | — |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) gross charge | Hospital | $11,537cash | 47.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $12,023cash | 49.7× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $15,700cash | 65.0× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $37,154cash | 153.7× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 7 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 73221 (MRI upper 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 73221 is $2,963.01, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,389.30–$4,974.72. 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.
See MRI upper extremity joint, without contrast prices in another area
What should 73221 cost in California?
For MRI upper extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73221) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $2,455, with hospitals ranging from $1,389 to $4,975 across 79 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 upper extremity joint, without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for MRI upper extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73221) in California is around $2,455, with hospital prices ranging from $1,389 to $4,975 across 79 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 73221?
Medicare pays about $242 for MRI upper extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73221). 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 upper 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.
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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.