Cataract Surgery Cost in Arkansas (2026)
Modest savings vs. the US average · AR
What Drives Pricing Here
Three factors explain most of why cataract surgery costs what it does in Arkansas.
Regional Price Parity
Arkansas's cost-of-living index sits at 91.2 — meaningfully below the national benchmark (100). This directly scales facility and staffing overhead, which flow through to every procedure price.
Specialist Availability
16 facilities perform this procedure in Arkansas — competition keeps pricing honest and gives you real leverage to shop quotes.
Vs. National Benchmark
At -8.8% below the national average ($5,000), Arkansas is a discount market. Often driven by lower overhead or less metro concentration — quality can still be excellent.
Cataract Surgery in Arkansas: What to Know
Arkansas offers advanced cataract surgery options. McFarland Eye Care in Little Rock pioneered "no-stitch" surgery, a global standard, and now provides custom laser procedures with the LenSx laser and Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) for post-surgery vision adjustments. For those in Northwest Arkansas, BoozmanHof Eye Care Center has performed more cataract surgeries than any other center in the region, while Triad Eye Institute serves Bentonville and Fayetteville with laser-assisted options. Additionally, Arkansas Medicaid members can utilize the Non-Emergency Transportation (NET) Program for free rides to appointments.
For potential savings, consider ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) over hospitals, as they typically offer lower prices. Ozark Eye Center in Mountain Home, co-located with Mountain Home Surgery Center, has performed over 18,000 "no-stitch" cataract surgeries. Verify current pricing directly with providers.
Estimated Cost Breakdown in Arkansas
Cataract Surgery pricing in Arkansas comes in modestly under the US average. This is the typical expense structure.
Facility Fee
OR time and hospital staffing
Most significant cost
Surgeon Fee
Expertise and experience level
Implants & Supplies
Post-Op Care
Recovery and aftercare
Anesthesia
Anesthesiologist or CRNA fee
Total Estimated Cost
Arkansas all-in range
Financing Options
Many Arkansas clinics partner with CareCredit or Alphaeon. A typical 24-month, 0% APR term on $4,560 looks like:
- Soft credit check — no hard pull
- Instant approval decisions
- HSA/FSA eligible for qualifying cases
Prices reflect regional cost-of-living adjustments. How we calculate these numbers →
Ranges adjusted for Arkansas's regional price parity (91.2). See the national percentage breakdown →
Facility Costs in Arkansas
Here are the highest-volume cataract surgery providers in Arkansas. All rates come from CMS Medicare claims data — actual payments, not list prices.
| Facility | City | Negotiated Rate | Medicare | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock | Little Rock | $3,484 | $2,757 | 694 |
| Conway Regional Medical Center, Inc | Conway | $1,918 | $1,525 | 662 |
| Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock | Little Rock | $1,904 | $1,512 | 637 |
| Uams Medical Center | Little Rock | $1,849 | $1,469 | 386 |
| Magnolia Regional Medical Center | Magnolia | $1,969 | $1,563 | 176 |
| Drew Memorial Health System | Monticello | $1,950 | $1,546 | 139 |
| Ouachita County Medical Center | Camden | $1,932 | $1,534 | 135 |
| Chambers Memorial Hospital | Danville | $1,974 | $1,573 | 121 |
| Uams Medical Center | Little Rock | $3,437 | $2,736 | 111 |
| Mena Regional Health System | Mena | $1,968 | $1,565 | 93 |
Cataract Surgery Cost in Nearby States
See how Arkansas's cataract surgery costs compare to neighboring states. Prices can vary significantly even across state lines.
Expert Answers for Arkansas Patients
Local regulations, insurance nuance, and surgical standards specific to Arkansas.
Compare Arkansas with any other state
See national pricing, all 50 state comparisons, and detailed cost factors in the main cataract surgery cost guide.
View full cataract surgery guideHow much does cataract surgery cost in Arkansas?
How can Arkansas offer lower cataract surgery prices?
Can I use insurance for cataract surgery in Arkansas?
What should I look for in a Arkansas cataract surgery provider?
Is it worth traveling to another state for cataract surgery?
What's the downtime after cataract surgery?
Is cataract surgery covered under Arkansas's Medicaid program?
How we calculate cataract surgery costs in Arkansas
Cost estimates combine procedure-specific pricing data with regional cost-of-living and provider-supply adjustments. Primary sources:
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Hospital pricing transparency files — CMS-required machine-readable data published by hospitals under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency rule (effective January 2021). Provides actual negotiated rates between hospitals and insurers.
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HCUP (Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project) — AHRQ's HCUP databases provide nationally-representative procedure cost data by state, payer, and patient demographics.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics — Healthcare Practitioner Occupational Wages — BLS OEWS data on surgeon, anesthesiologist, and surgical staff wages by state, used to model regional labor-cost differences in procedure pricing.
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BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP) — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis state-level price-level indices, used to adjust national procedure averages for Arkansas's cost-of-living relative to the national mean.
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FAIR Health Consumer Cost Lookup — the FAIR Health database aggregates billed and allowed amounts from over 36 billion claim records, providing a check on procedure-cost ranges by ZIP code.
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Medicare Provider Utilization & Payment Data — CMS public-use files on Medicare-allowed amounts and submitted charges by HCPCS/CPT code and state, used as a baseline for procedure-cost ranges.
Estimates are illustrative and reflect typical pricing ranges; actual costs depend on insurance coverage, surgical complexity, anesthesia type, hospital vs. ambulatory setting, and individual patient factors. Always confirm pricing directly with providers and your insurance carrier. See our methodology page for full calculation details.