Best Hospitals in Arkansas 2026
Arkansas has 90 hospitals with an average procedure payment of $13K. The top-rated hospital is Fayetteville Ar Va Medical Center in Fayetteville with a 5-star CMS rating.
Sorted by average Medicare payment, Arkansas's 90 hospitals span from $8,616 (St Vincent Medical Center/North) at the low end to $21,585 (Rivendell Behavioral Health Services) at the high end. Within-state cost spread on hospital procedures is consistently wide across the U.S.
These rankings are pure-cost rankings. The quality dimension lives in the CMS Hospital Compare star rating shown alongside each entry; the combined-value grade on the right of the table aggregates both. For patients comparing hospital costs, the ranking is a useful first cut, but the procedure-specific page is the better tool: cost spreads vary by DRG code, and the all-procedure average can hide important per-procedure differences.
Across Arkansas's 90 Medicare-participating hospitals, the average payment per procedure is $13K, below the national average of $16K. 7% ofArkansas's hospitals carry a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or higher, and 29% earn an A or B on our Value Score, which weighs price (40%), quality (40%), and patient outcomes (20%).
Procedure prices in Arkansas range from St Vincent Medical Center/North at $9K per procedure to Rivendell Behavioral Health Services at $22K — a difference of $13K on the same kinds of inpatient stays. Where you go for the same procedure can swing the bill by more than the procedure itself.
All numbers come from the latest CMS Hospital Compare release, which uses Medicare claims data and only reflects payments for Medicare inpatient stays — not what private insurers or self-pay patients actually pay. Star ratings combine seven groups of measures including mortality, patient safety, readmissions, and patient experience. Lower-priced hospitals can still earn an A on the Value Score if their quality stays competitive.
Top 3 Hospitals in Arkansas
Fayetteville Ar Va Medical Center
Fayetteville, AR
Arkansas's top-rated hospital with a 5-star CMS quality rating and an average payment of $16K per procedure. Outcome score: 50/100.
Washington Regional Medical Center
Fayetteville, AR
Second-best in Arkansas. 4-star CMS rating with an outcome score of 74/100. Average procedure payment: $10K.
St Vincent Medical Center/North
Sherwood, AR
Third on quality + outcomes. 4-star CMS rating; Value Score 82/100. Lists 8 priced procedures.
Top 20 of 90 Hospitals in Arkansas
Hospital quality and cost data for Arkansas is sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare dataset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on CMS quality ratings and patient outcomes, Fayetteville Ar Va Medical Center in Fayetteville is the top-rated hospital in Arkansas with a 5-star CMS rating and an average procedure payment of $16K. Its Value Score is 77/100 (Grade B).
Arkansas has 90 Medicare-participating hospitals. The average procedure payment across the state is $13K, and 29% of hospitals earn an A or B Value Score.
Arkansas's average procedure payment of $13K is below the national average of $16K. Within the state, prices range from $9K at St Vincent Medical Center/North to $22K at Rivendell Behavioral Health Services — a gap of $13K per procedure.
Of 90 hospitals analyzed in Arkansas, 6 (7%) earn a CMS quality rating of 4 stars or better. CMS star ratings combine measures of mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, timeliness, and effectiveness of care.
Hospitals are ranked first by CMS star quality rating (1-5 stars), then by outcome score, which reflects mortality rates, patient safety, and readmissions. The Value Score combines price percentile (40%, lower price = higher score), quality rating (40%), and outcome score (20%).
Hospitals ranked by CMS star quality rating and outcome score. Value Score: price percentile (40% inverted), quality rating (40%), outcome score (20%).