How much does MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast cost in California?
CPT 73721 — 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.
73721 MRI lower 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
$2,605
Medicare $242
Ask $483
$63 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $25,339
What Medicare paysⓘ
$242
Typical price near you
$2,605
Cash / self-pay price
$3,247
Prices near you — 79 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) lowest | 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× | — |
| 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× | ★★★★★ |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $395negotiated | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $395negotiated | 1.6× | — |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $500cash | 2.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $778cash | 3.2× | — |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $780cash | 3.2× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $945cash | 3.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $945cash | 3.9× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $945cash | 3.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $1,058cash | 4.4× | — |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $1,439cash | 6.0× | — |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $1,520cash | 6.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $1,530cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $1,530cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $1,530cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $1,530cash | 6.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $1,657cash | 6.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $1,657cash | 6.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,768cash | 7.3× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $1,875cash | 7.8× | ★★★★★ |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $1,954cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $2,169cash | 9.0× | — |
| 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× | — |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $2,280cash | 9.4× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,381cash | 9.8× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,392cash | 9.9× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,392cash | 9.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,392cash | 9.9× | ★★★★★ |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $2,603cash | 10.8× | ★★★★★ |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,605cash | 10.8× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $2,653cash | 11.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $3,085cash | 12.8× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $3,173cash | 13.1× | — |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $3,247cash | 13.4× | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,247cash | 13.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $3,247cash | 13.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $3,247cash | 13.4× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $3,370cash | 13.9× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,438cash | 14.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,438cash | 14.2× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,438cash | 14.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $3,556cash | 14.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $3,729cash | 15.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $3,834cash | 15.9× | — |
| 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× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,478cash | 18.5× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $4,500cash | 18.6× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $4,500cash | 18.6× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $4,514cash | 18.7× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $4,975cash | 20.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,985cash | 20.6× | ★★★★★ |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) | Hospital | $5,206cash | 21.5× | — |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $6,276cash | 26.0× | ★★★★★ |
| 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 Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | 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 Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $7,464cash | 30.9× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) | Hospital | $8,651cash | 35.8× | — |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) gross charge | Hospital | $12,808cash | 53.0× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) gross charge | Hospital | $12,808cash | 53.0× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) gross charge | Hospital | $12,808cash | 53.0× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $13,281cash | 54.9× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $15,700cash | 65.0× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $25,339cash | 104.8× | — |
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. 6 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- 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 $3,246.75, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,530.00–$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 lower extremity joint, without contrast prices in another area
What should 73721 cost in California?
For MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73721) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $2,605, with hospitals ranging from $1,530 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 lower extremity joint, without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for MRI lower extremity joint, without contrast (CPT 73721) in California is around $2,605, with hospital prices ranging from $1,530 to $4,975 across 79 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.
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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.