MRI of the Knee: what it covers and what it costs
What does a MRI of the Knee cost? Across 38 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a Knee MRI (CPT 73721) runs from about $194 in Detroit, MI to $2,475 in Chicago, IL, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 23 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What a Knee MRI price actually covers
A knee MRI images soft tissue the joint's bones hide from X-ray — cartilage, menisci, ligaments including the ACL, and tendons. It is billed under the general code for MRI of a lower-extremity joint; there is no knee-specific code.
Code scope. 73721 = MRI of any lower-extremity JOINT without contrast; this is the code used for knee MRI (there is no knee-specific code). With contrast 73722; without/with 73723.
What is — and isn't — in the price
As with other MRI, the hospital charge and the radiologist's reading fee are commonly separate line items. Because knee MRI is overwhelmingly an outpatient study, the facility component is usually the larger of the two.
Why Knee MRI prices differ so much between hospitals
Site of service dominates. The same knee study performed in a hospital outpatient department and at an independent imaging centre can differ several-fold, and both are billing the identical code. Whether the study is ordered with contrast, and whether both knees are imaged in one visit, change the code and therefore the price.
What else usually lands on the bill
Frequently preceded by knee X-rays, which are billed separately and are far cheaper. An MR arthrogram, where contrast is injected into the joint first, adds both an injection procedure and fluoroscopic guidance to the bill.
What to ask before you book
Ask whether the price is for one knee or both, and whether the facility bills a separate radiology professional fee. If the referral is for a joint MRI without contrast, confirm no contrast is planned before arriving.
Where the money actually moves
Because knee MRI is elective and rarely urgent, there is usually time to compare. Independent centres and hospital departments bill the same code, and many centres quote a bundled self-pay rate covering both the scan and the radiologist's read.
What the Knee MRI numbers show nationally
A Knee MRI costs 12.8× as much in Chicago as in Detroit
Across the 38 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $194 in Detroit, MI to $2,475 in Chicago, IL — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1179% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Knee MRI prices
Lowest: HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $92; ASCENSION ST VINCENT HOSPITAL (Indianapolis, IN) at $148; ASCENSION ST VINCENT HEART CENTER (Indianapolis, IN) at $148. Highest: RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER (Kansas City, MO) at $9,091; SAN ANTONIO REGIONAL HOSPITAL (Riverside, CA) at $6,888; SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL (Seattle, WA) at $5,736. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
23 of 38 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Knee MRI price
Cheapest published cash price: $450 (Phoenix). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 80% below the list price for a Knee MRI
Across the 33 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 80% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Kansas City: $18,677 list against $776 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a Knee MRI price
242 hospital price-file entries across 38 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 73721 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Knee MRI price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Knee MRI, by metro — lowest first. 23 of these 38 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 34 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI | $194 | $92–$659 | $1,571 | 6 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $207 | $148–$278 | $874 | 4 |
| Raleigh, NC | $294 | $294–$815 | $1,629 | 3 |
| Portland, OR | $304 | $275–$787 | — | 8 |
| Buffalo, NY | $321 | $296–$401 | — | 3 |
| Tampa, FL | $337 | $273–$411 | — | 6 |
| Sacramento, CA | $339 | $282–$339 | $3,438 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $339 | $339–$1,049 | $3,438 | 7 |
| St. Louis, MO | $370 | $341–$1,543 | $1,751 | 7 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $476 | $350–$4,431 | $450 | 10 |
| New York, NY | $495 | $302–$570 | $575 | 7 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $495 | $345–$1,454 | — | 3 |
| Orlando, FL | $503 | $395–$1,919 | — | 3 |
| Seattle, WA | $517 | $245–$5,736 | $720 | 8 |
| Memphis, TN | $518 | $221–$2,192 | — | 3 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $525 | $525 | $590 | 3 |
| Baltimore, MD | $542 | $363–$624 | — | 4 |
| Nashville, TN | $542 | $542–$796 | — | 9 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $568 | $270–$2,228 | $2,392 | 5 |
| Washington, DC | $601 | $401–$1,982 | $835 | 8 |
| Riverside, CA | $623 | $270–$6,888 | $2,389 | 6 |
| Atlanta, GA | $628 | $223–$4,042 | $1,516 | 9 |
| Kansas City, MO | $776 | $558–$9,091 | — | 7 |
| Hartford, CT | $886 | $289–$1,229 | — | 4 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $939 | $235–$3,192 | $2,085 | 8 |
| Birmingham, AL | $945 | $216–$2,752 | — | 9 |
| Denver, CO | $945 | $614–$5,182 | $2,186 | 10 |
| Cleveland, OH | $953 | $226–$1,059 | $1,084 | 8 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $954 | $262–$5,617 | $2,259 | 15 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $1,424 | $1,412–$5,370 | — | 6 |
| Houston, TX | $1,553 | $578–$2,311 | — | 6 |
| Austin, TX | $1,709 | $309–$4,734 | $728 | 9 |
| Miami, FL | $1,757 | $160–$2,532 | — | 4 |
| Dallas, TX | $1,875 | $314–$3,309 | $2,046 | 10 |
| San Diego, CA | $2,020 | $307–$3,896 | $3,247 | 6 |
| San Jose, CA | $2,058 | $339–$4,443 | — | 3 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $2,455 | $249–$2,848 | $4,125 | 5 |
| Chicago, IL | $2,475 | $1,958–$2,823 | $1,520 | 3 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Knee MRI cost?
- Across 38 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $601, ranging from $194 in Detroit to $2,475 in Chicago. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 73721.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- As with other MRI, the hospital charge and the radiologist's reading fee are commonly separate line items. Because knee MRI is overwhelmingly an outpatient study, the facility component is usually the larger of the two.
- Why do Knee MRI prices differ so much between hospitals?
- Site of service dominates. The same knee study performed in a hospital outpatient department and at an independent imaging centre can differ several-fold, and both are billing the identical code. Whether the study is ordered with contrast, and whether both knees are imaged in one visit, change the code and therefore the price.