Prices at 5 hospitals in Little Rock, AR, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $880 — 30% below the US median ($1,252), roughly 2.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI-St Vincent Infirmary | Little Rock, AR | $366 | $740 | ★ 3/5 | 173 min | — |
| University of Arkansas Medical Sciences | Little Rock, AR | $880 | $604 | ★ 2/5 | 285 min | — |
| Arkansas State Hospital | Little Rock, AR | $880 | $604 | — | — | — |
| Arkansas Children's Hospital | Little Rock, AR | $993 | $841 | — | — | — |
| Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock | Little Rock, AR | $1,090 | $771 | ★ 3/5 | 140 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 September 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)
Typical cash price here is $880 — about 2.8× the Medicare rate ($311). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($622).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,467 list price could save about $587 (40%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Little Rock
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Lindsey, MPAS, PA-C, RDMS | Physician Assistant | Little Rock, AR | 103 |
| Robert Fricke, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 88 |
| Blake Jacks, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 79 |
| Lauren Brown, PA-C | Physician Assistant | Little Rock, AR | 71 |
| Brandon Kelly, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 67 |
| Steven Dunnagan, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 61 |
| David Hays, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 58 |
| Thomas St Amour, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 39 |
| David Heister, M.D. PH.D. | Interventional Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 37 |
| Joseph Konrad, M.D. | Interventional Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 37 |
| Whitney Goodwin, MD | Interventional Radiology | Little Rock, AR | 33 |
| Jose Caceres, M.D. | Pulmonary Disease | Little Rock, AR | 29 |
All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices in Arkansas → · All Chest fluid drain (thoracentesis) prices (national) · All hospitals in Little Rock