Knee MRI cost in McAllen
MRI knee without contrast (CPT 73721): the cash price and what insurers pay at 7 hospitals in the McAllen area, from each hospital’s own price file.
- Prices from each hospital’s official price file
- Checked October 30, 2026
- Outpatient facility prices
- The most expensive hospital charges 66× the cheapest for the same code, CPT 73721. Children’s hospitals, and hospitals whose cash price is just their list price, are left out of these figures.
- At 2 of 3 hospitals that publish both, the cash price is lower than the hospital’s median employer-plan rate, which is what a plan member pays in full before meeting the deductible. Cash or insurance?
Outpatient facility charge only. These are the hospital’s own published prices for the facility part of the visit. The doctor’s or radiologist’s fee is billed separately and isn’t included, and your final bill can differ (extra tests, contrast, supplies). Not medical or insurance advice.
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers paylowest–highest | Publishedprice file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knapp Medical CenterWeslaco | $238 | $4,282 | $179–1,285median $2528 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Mission Regional Medical CenterMission | $238 | $4,193–5,323 | $239–2,608median $3108 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Driscoll Children's Hospital - Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg · children’s hospital | $1,620 | $8,101 | $166–1,000median $2199 insurers | Oct 6, 2025 over a year old |
| Doctors Hospital at RenaissanceEdinburg | $5,358–5,985same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $5,358–5,985 | $238–2,693median $4956 insurers | Apr 1, 2026 |
| Rio Grande Regional HospitalMcAllen | $11,687–18,323same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $11,687–18,323 | $518–15,575median $3,2436 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| South Texas Health System EdinburgEdinburg | $7,126–31,370 | $9,501–41,827 | $445–33,462median $2,8796 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Cornerstone Regional HospitalEdinburg | not published | – | $234–5,145median $2449 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
Cash price = the hospital’s published “discounted cash price” for self-pay patients. List price = its gross charge. Insurers pay = the rates negotiated with each insurer plan in the same file (employer, marketplace and Medicare Advantage plans). Where a hospital has several lines for the code, the range is shown. Each row shows the date the hospital published its price file. 1 hospital in the area aren’t listed yet (no file we could read); see data status.
Cash or your insurance plan?Your plan pays a different rate at each hospital. See your plan’s own rate at every hospital nearby, next to the cash price, and what you would pay after your deductible. See an example report.
See what your plan paysWhat the price covers
The scan and the facility. The radiologist’s reading is usually billed separately by a physician group.
Before you book
- Call the hospital’s scheduling or price-estimate line and quote the code: CPT 73721, and confirm which joint and that it is “without contrast”.
- If you pay cash, ask for the self-pay price in writing (a Good Faith Estimate). Uninsured and self-pay patients have a right to one under the No Surprises Act.
- If you use insurance, check the hospital is in network for your exact plan; your share depends on your deductible and coinsurance. Cash or insurance?
Questions
How much does a knee MRI cost in McAllen without insurance?
At the 3 McAllen hospitals (not counting children’s hospitals) that publish a cash price, the outpatient facility charge for a knee MRI (CPT 73721) runs from $238 at Knapp Medical Center to $15,787 at South Texas Health System Edinburg. The doctor’s or radiologist’s fee is extra.
Why do prices differ so much between hospitals?
Each hospital sets its own list price and its own cash discount, and negotiates a different rate with each insurer plan. The same CPT code can cost several times more at one hospital than at another a few miles away.
Is the cash price the final price?
No. It is the hospital’s published discounted cash price for the facility part of the visit. Ask the hospital to confirm it before you book, and ask whether the reading physician bills separately.
Other cities: Houston · Dallas–Fort Worth · San Antonio · Austin · Miami · Fort Lauderdale · Tampa–St. Petersburg · Jacksonville · all cities