Price Comparison Report

MRI Shoulder without Contrast

Raleigh, NC · 5 facilities · CPT 73221 · September 06, 2026

Summary

5 facilities within 25 miles of Raleigh publish prices for MRI Shoulder without Contrast. Cash prices range from $876 to $2,083 — a 2.4x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $2,512.

$876 lowest
$2,083 highest
Best Value

Duke University Hospital

Durham, VA · Duke Health · 20.8 mi

$876 Cash price
5/5 CMS rating
80.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 5 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 80%. Cash price of $876 is below the statewide average of $2,512.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Duke University Hospital 5★ · 20.8 mi · For-profit
$876
2
Duke Regional Hospital 4★ · 20.8 mi · Local government
$1,314
3
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus 4★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$1,629
4
Rex Hospital 5★ · 0.0 mi · State government
$2,083
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Duke University Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 20.8 mi $876 $3,245 3.7x 5/5 80.0% For-profit
2 Duke Regional Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 20.8 mi $1,314 $4,868 3.7x 4/5 71.0% Local government
3 Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh, NC · 0.0 mi $1,629 $4,288 2.63x 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
4 Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh, NC · 0.0 mi $2,083 $3,472 1.67x 5/5 80.0% State government
5 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh, NC · 3.8 mi — $2,820 — — —

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for MRI Shoulder without Contrast. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Duke University Hospital

Cash: $876
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $225 -$652
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $233 -$644
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $233 -$644
Humana Medicare Advantage $233 -$644
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $233 -$644
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $235 -$641
VOANS Medicare Advantage $235 -$641
Cigna Medicare Advantage $240 -$636
Liberty Medicare Advantage $240 -$636
Aetna Whole Health $672 -$204
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $734 -$142
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $734 -$142
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $734 -$142
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $734 -$142
Trillium Managed Medicaid $734 -$142

10 additional plans not shown.

Duke Regional Hospital

Cash: $1,314
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $227 -$1,087
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $235 -$1,079
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $235 -$1,079
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $235 -$1,079
VOANS Medicare Advantage $235 -$1,079
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $240 -$1,074
Cigna Medicare Advantage $240 -$1,074
Liberty Medicare Advantage $240 -$1,074
Humana Medicare Advantage $241 -$1,073
Aetna Whole Health $747 -$567
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $783 -$531
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $783 -$531
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $783 -$531
Trillium Managed Medicaid $783 -$531
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $870 -$444

10 additional plans not shown.

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Cash: $1,629
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage $234 -$1,396
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $234 -$1,396
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $234 -$1,396
Liberty Medicare Advantage $238 -$1,391
Pruitt Medicare Advantage $238 -$1,391
Alignment Medicare Advantage $245 -$1,384
Ambetter Exchange $295 -$1,335
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $769 -$860
Carolina Complete Managed Medicaid $769 -$860
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $769 -$860
Aetna Narrow Network $861 -$768
Cigna Exchange $1,261 -$369
Aetna Preferred $1,581 -$48
First Health Coventry Carelink $1,972 +$343
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial $2,136 +$506

6 additional plans not shown.

Rex Hospital

Cash: $2,083
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
ALIGNMENT SMART HMO $234 -$1,850
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $234 -$1,850
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
TRICARE HMO $234 -$1,850
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $234 -$1,850
Blue Cross Blue Shield BLUE HOME $731 -$1,352
ALLIANCE MANAGED MEDICAID $772 -$1,311

13 additional plans not shown.

Before you call

The data in this report is from each hospital's publicly filed prices. Here's how to use it.

Confirm the price

Call the hospital's billing department and ask for a price estimate or Good Faith Estimate for MRI Shoulder without Contrast (CPT 73221). Under federal law, they must provide this. Compare it to the published price in this report.

Ask about cash pay

If you haven't met your deductible, ask for the cash/self-pay rate. At many hospitals, the cash price is lower than the insurance-negotiated rate. You can see this in the insurance table above — some negotiated rates exceed the cash price.

Compare before you schedule

You are not required to use the facility your doctor referred you to. You can request a referral to any in-network facility. The same procedure, same quality — sometimes at a fraction of the price.

Ask about financial help

Most nonprofit hospitals in Virginia offer financial assistance to patients based on household income. This is separate from insurance — even insured patients can qualify. Ask billing for their Financial Assistance Policy.

Financial assistance by facility

Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to have financial assistance programs. Below is what we know about each facility's charitable care.

Facility Status Charity Care Provided How to Apply
Duke University Hospital For-profit — N/A (for-profit)
Duke Regional Hospital Local government — N/A (for-profit)
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Nonprofit — Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Rex Hospital State government — N/A (for-profit)
Duke Health Raleigh Hospital — N/A (for-profit)

What to do next

  1. Identify your top 2-3 facilities based on price, quality rating, and distance. The data in this report shows that lower price does not mean lower quality — check the star ratings.
  2. Call billing before you schedule. Confirm the published price. Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Ask whether there's a prompt-pay or cash-pay discount beyond the listed rate.
  3. Check your deductible status. If you haven't met your deductible, compare the cash rate to what you'd owe through insurance. In some cases, paying cash is cheaper than using your plan.
  4. Apply for financial assistance if your household income is under $60,000-$125,000 (thresholds vary). Most eligible patients never apply because they don't know the program exists.
  5. Get everything in writing. Before your procedure, get a written price estimate. After, review the bill line by line. Roughly 80% of hospital bills contain errors (Becker's Hospital Review).

Data sources

Hospital prices
Published machine-readable files, required under CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180)
Quality ratings
CMS Hospital Compare, updated quarterly
Patient satisfaction
HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)
Financial data
CMS Cost Reports (charity care, revenue) and IRS 990 filings (officer compensation)

This report is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every price shown is a price a hospital published — not an estimate. Actual out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance plan, deductible status, and clinical circumstances. Consult your healthcare provider and insurer before making decisions.