Urine culture cost in Little Rock, AR
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 3 hospitals list a cash price for urine culture for bacteria, with colony count: from $27.00 to $132.21, with a median of $83.20. The lowest listed price is at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — $56.20 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $47.45 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities for code 87086, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 21, 2025 and Nov 21, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences lowest Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 BACTERIAL COLONY COUNT; URINE | $27.00 | $45.00 | $7.83–$887.00 | 40% | — source file |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 URINE CULTURE/COLONY COUNT | $29.40 | $49.00 | $7.83–$887.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 219-7000 87086 - Culture,Bact,Quant Count Urine | $83.20 | $104.00 | $36.77–$159.00 | 20% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 BACTERIAL COLONY COUNT; URINE | $132.21 | $146.90 | $8.07–$68.14 | 10% | — source file |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 URINE CULTURE/COLONY COUNT | $140.27 | $155.85 | $8.07–$68.14 | 10% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $27.00, median $83.20, highest $132.21 — a 4.9× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 3 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A urine culture grows bacteria from a urine sample in the lab and counts how many colonies appear. It is used to confirm a urinary tract infection, especially when symptoms return or first treatment does not work.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the culture and colony count. If bacteria grow, identifying them and testing which antibiotics work are separate codes with their own charges.