Rapid strep test cost in Little Rock, AR
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 2 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $9.29 to $23.40, with a median of $16.35. The lowest listed price is at Arkansas Childrens Hospital — $7.06 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $36.75 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 87880, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital lowest Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC | $9.29 | $10.32 | $10.32–$16.53 | 10% | — source file |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 DETECTION TEST BY IMMUNOASSAY WITH DIRECT VISUAL OBSERVATION FOR STREPTOCOCCUS; GROUP A (STREP) | $23.40 | $39.00 | $12.87–$887.00 | 40% | — source file |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC | $34.20 | $57.00 | $12.87–$887.00 | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $9.29, median $16.35, highest $23.40 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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 it is
A rapid strep test checks a throat swab for group A strep bacteria, the cause of strep throat, and gives a result in minutes. It helps the clinician decide whether antibiotics are needed.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the rapid test only. The visit is billed separately, and a backup throat culture, if done, has its own charge.