HIV viral load test cost in Little Rock, AR
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 12 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative): from $63.68 to $2,153.00, with a median of $114.19. The lowest listed price is at CHI St. Vincent Infirmary — $50.51 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $168.64 at 54 hospitals.
- The median here, $114.19, is 59% below the US median of $277.20.
- That is 1.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($85.10).
- 1 of 12 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 5 cities for code 87536, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 7, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 21, 2025 and Oct 1, 2026.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI St. Vincent Infirmary lowest Little Rock, AR · (501) 552-3000 #HIVI RNA BY PCR ULTRASENSITIVE File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $63.68 | $260.00 | $67.49–$275.83 | 76% |
| Conway Regional Medical Center Conway, AR · (501) 329-3831 HIV-1 QUANT & REVRSE TRNSCRPJ File of Jul 2, 2026 · source file | $64.02 | $291.00 | $58.20–$291.00 | 78% |
| St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center Sherwood, AR · (501) 552-7100 #HIVI RNA BY PCR ULTRASENSITIVE File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $64.82 | $260.00 | $67.49–$275.83 | 75% |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 HIV-1 QUANT&REVRSE TRNSCRPJ File of Jun 17, 2026 · source file | $69.60 | $116.00 | $82.55–$887.00 | 40% |
| UAMS Health Benton-Bryant Bryant, AR HIV-1 QUANT&REVRSE TRNSCRPJ File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $69.60 | $116.00 | $82.55–$887.00 | 40% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - Little Rock Little Rock, AR · (501) 202-2000 87536 - IADNA HIV-1 QUANT AND REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $113.72 | $454.88 | $85.10–$185.82 | 75% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - Conway Conway, AR · (501) 585-2000 87536 - IADNA HIV-1 QUANT AND REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $114.66 | $458.64 | $85.10–$185.82 | 75% |
| Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock North Little Rock, AR · (501) 202-3000 87536 - IADNA HIV-1 QUANT AND REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $114.66 | $458.64 | $85.10–$185.82 | 75% |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 HIV-1 QUANT&REVRSE TRNSCRPJ File of Aug 13, 2026 · source file | $121.15 | $134.61 | $85.10–$134.61 | 10% |
| Conway Regional Medical Center Conway, AR · (501) 329-3831 HIV-1 QUANTITATION PCR+2 more lines at this price File of Jul 2, 2026 · source file | $126.08 | $573.08 | $85.10–$573.08 | 78% |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital-Encore Bryant, AR · (501) 213-4500 HIV 1 RNA, Quantitative Real Time PCR Quest+1 more line at this price File of Nov 21, 2025 · source file | $220.00 | $275.00 | $159.00–$387.87 | 20% |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 219-7000 HIV 1 RNA, Qn PCR W/Reflex To Genotype Quest+1 more line at this price File of Nov 21, 2025 · source file | $220.00 | $275.00 | $159.00–$387.87 | 20% |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 DETECTION TEST BY NUCLEIC ACID FOR HIV-1 VIRUS; QUANTIFICATION File of Jun 17, 2026 · source file | $238.20 | $397.00 | $82.55–$887.00 | 40% |
| UAMS Health Benton-Bryant Bryant, AR DETECTION TEST BY NUCLEIC ACID FOR HIV-1 VIRUS; QUANTIFICATION File of Oct 1, 2026 · source file | $238.20 | $397.00 | $82.55–$887.00 | 40% |
| CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Little Rock, AR · (501) 552-3000 HIV1-RNA BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $436.91 | $1,784.00 | $67.49–$1,248.80 | 76% |
| St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center Sherwood, AR · (501) 552-7100 HIV1-RNA BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $444.76 | $1,784.00 | $67.49–$1,248.80 | 75% |
| CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Little Rock, AR · (501) 552-3000 #HIV1-RNA BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $480.74 | $1,963.00 | $67.49–$1,374.10 | 76% |
| St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center Sherwood, AR · (501) 552-7100 #HIV1-RNA BY PCR File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $489.38 | $1,963.00 | $67.49–$1,374.10 | 75% |
| Cornerstone Hospital Little Rock Little Rock, AR HIV VIRAL LOAD, QUANT (DNA) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,153.00 | $2,153.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $63.68, median $114.19, highest $2,153.00 — a 33.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $64.42. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 4 it is 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 HIV viral load test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: HIV viral load test explained.