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State Price Transparency Index 55 Mapped Hospitals 132 Shoppable Procedures −7% vs. U.S. Median (near the U.S. average)

Arkansas Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 55 Arkansas hospitals.

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
0.93×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price7% Below Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Across 55 Arkansas hospitals, typical commercial prices average 7% below the U.S. fair price (0.93×) after accounting for local wages.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Arkansas Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across Arkansas, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.55 Hospitals · 132 Procedures
Hospitals Priced55 in ARTotal hospitals in Arkansas with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare1.4× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across Arkansas hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in AR0.70× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in Arkansas: Arkansas Extended Care Hospital - Ft Smith (Fort Smith) at 0.70× fair market price.

Most affordable Arkansas hospital: Arkansas Extended Care Hospital - Ft Smith (Fort Smith) at 0.70× the fair price (30% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint55 Arkansas Hospitals Analyzed

Arkansas Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 55 reporting hospitals and 132 shoppable procedures in Arkansas, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 0.93× the U.S. fair price average (1.4× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 4.3× across the state — from 0.70× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 3.02× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 0.93× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 1.4× Medicare
Advantage

Best Value in Arkansas (Lowest-Priced Hospitals & Patient Edge)

  • Best-value hospital in Arkansas: Arkansas Extended Care Hospital - Ft Smith (Fort Smith) prices care at 0.70× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Arkansas Extended Care Hospital - Hot Springs (Hot Springs, 0.70× fair) and Lawrence Memorial Hospital (0.75× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile Arkansas hospitals (Q25) charge 0.93× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across Arkansas must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where Arkansas Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup Arkansas facilities reach 4.1× Medicare (Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville, Forrest City Medical Center).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 4.3× between the lowest-priced (0.70×) and highest-priced (3.02×) hospitals in Arkansas.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable AR Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.70× – 0.93× Fair

Led by Arkansas Extended Care Hospital - Ft Smith (Fort Smith) at 0.70× fair price.

Typical Arkansas Hospital (State Median)1.4× Medicare
1.06× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 55 Arkansas hospitals.

Highest-Markup AR Hospitals (Top 25%)4.3× State Spread
1.30× – 3.02× Fair

Highest-priced quarter of Arkansas hospitals where shopping around saves the most.

Arkansas County Price & Affordability Heatmap 36 of 75 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Arkansas County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 75 counties in Arkansas

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Pulaski County7hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $60k
Sebastian County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $56k
Washington County2hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $66k
Faulkner County2hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $65k
Garland County2hosps
1.23× Fair
Income $55k
Desha County2hosps
1.55× Fair
Income $36k
Logan County2hosps
1.81× Fair
Income $54k
Lawrence County1hosp
0.75× Fair
Income $44k
Ouachita County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $50k
Benton County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $90k
Polk County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $49k
Johnson County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $45k
Stone County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $39k
Independence County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $56k
Pope County1hosp
0.95× Fair
Income $55k
Boone County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $54k
Baxter County1hosp
1.03× Fair
Income $48k
Drew County1hosp
1.06× Fair
Income $41k
Arkansas County1hosp
1.06× Fair
Income $61k
Hot Spring County1hosp
1.07× Fair
Income $53k
Crawford County1hosp
1.09× Fair
Income $60k
Chicot County1hosp
1.12× Fair
Income $40k
Scott County1hosp
1.13× Fair
Income $46k
Dallas County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $45k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 75 total in Arkansas

All Hospitals in Arkansas (55)

Ranked by how their commercial prices compare to the fair BaseRate — best value first. Select any hospital to inspect its full procedure price list.

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Compare Prices by Procedure in Arkansas (132)

High-impact surgeries, scans, and hospital stays are listed first with the typical Arkansas price. Search any procedure below.

Browse Arkansas by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each Arkansas regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in Arkansas

Across the 56 Arkansas hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

Blue Cross Blue Shield 53 of 56 hospitals
UnitedHealthcare 51 of 56 hospitals
Cigna 43 of 56 hospitals
Humana 42 of 56 hospitals
Aetna 35 of 56 hospitals

Also negotiating in Arkansas: Ambetter (Centene) (41) · WellCare (21) · CareSource (16) · HealthLink (9) · Independent Health (6) · Devoted Health (5).

Prices are sourced from each hospital's federally-required public price file, most recently published October 2026. The BaseRate is a modeled fair-price estimate — not a bill or quote. How we build these numbers →