MRI of the shoulder without contrast cost in California

Prices at 159 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,646 — 37% above the US median ($1,938), roughly 12.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $417 $317 — — —
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $452 — ★ 2/5 194 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $521 $885 — 114 min —
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $578 $307 ★ 5/5 — —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $671 $302 ★ 3/5 191 min —
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $781 $326 ★ 2/5 178 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $781 $326 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $798 $207 ★ 1/5 306 min —
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $822 $305 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $859 — — 121 min —
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $867 $307 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $867 $307 ★ 5/5 186 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $867 $307 ★ 4/5 200 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $900 $429 ★ 1/5 160 min —
College Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,013 $304 ★ 3/5 322 min —
College Hospital Cerritos, CA $1,013 $304 — — —
Glendora Hospital Glendora, CA $1,013 $304 — — —
Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA $1,115 $383 ★ 1/5 248 min —
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $1,406 $1,343 ★ 3/5 254 min —
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville, CA $1,435 $1,941 ★ 3/5 116 min —
San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp, CA $1,487 $304 ★ 2/5 213 min —
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,503 $1,014 ★ 3/5 — —
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,527 $414 ★ 4/5 318 min —
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,527 $414 ★ 1/5 238 min —
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $1,527 $414 ★ 2/5 158 min —

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$4,981
Cash / self-pay
$2,646
Insurer-negotiated
$400
Medicare pays
$205
$448$7,291
Median cash $2,646  ·  Medicare $205  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,646 — about 12.9× the Medicare rate ($205). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($410).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $4,981 list price could save about $2,335 (47%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

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MRI of the shoulder without contrast cost in other states

All MRI of the shoulder without contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →