Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“US GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the Company's accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes to the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The most significant estimates relate to revenue recognition, collectability of accounts receivable and impairment of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets. A description of the significant accounting policies and a discussion of the significant estimates and judgments associated with such policies are described below. Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include all subsidiaries and entities controlled by the Company through direct ownership of majority interest or controlling member ownership of such entities. Third party equity interests in the consolidated joint ventures are reflected as noncontrolling interests in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The following table summarizes the percentage of net service revenue earned by type of ownership or relationship the Company had with the operating entity for the periods presented for the years ending December 31: Ownership type 2017 2016 2015 Wholly owned subsidiaries 51.0 % 57.2 % 55.2 % Equity joint ventures 47.0 41.2 42.9 Other 2.0 1.6 1.9 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % All significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. All business combinations accounted for under the acquisition method have been included in the consolidated financial statements from the respective dates of acquisition. The Company consolidates equity joint venture entities as the Company has controlling interests, has voting control over these entities, or has ability to exercise significant influence in these entities. The members of the Company's equity joint ventures participate in profits and losses in proportion to their equity interests. The Company has various management services agreements under which the Company manages certain operations of agencies. The Company does not consolidate these agencies because the Company does not have an ownership interest in, nor does it have an obligation to absorb losses of, or right to receive benefits from the entities that own the agencies. The Company, through wholly owned subsidiaries, leases home health licenses necessary to operate certain of its home nursing and hospice agencies. As with wholly owned subsidiaries, the Company owns 100% of the equity of these entities and consolidates them based on such ownership. Revenue Recognition The Company reports net service revenue at the estimated net realizable amount due from Medicare, Medicaid, and others for services rendered. The Company assesses the patient's ability to pay for their healthcare services at the time of patient admission based on the Company's verification of the patient's insurance coverage under the Medicare, Medicaid, and other commercial or managed care insurance programs. Medicare contributes to the net service revenue of the Company's home health services, hospice services, and facility-based services. Medicaid and other payors contribute to the net service revenue of all of the Company's services. The following table sets forth the percentage of net service revenue earned by category of payor for the years ending December 31: Payor 2017 2016 2015 Medicare 71.0 % 74.5 % 74.5 % Medicaid 1.8 1.8 1.5 Managed Care, Commercial, and Other 27.2 23.7 24.0 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % Medicare Home Health Services The Company’s home nursing Medicare patients are classified into one of 153 home health resource groups prior to receiving services. Based on this home health resource group, the Company is entitled to receive a standard prospective Medicare payment for delivering care over a 60 -day period referred to as an episode. The Company recognizes revenue based on the number of days elapsed during an episode of care within the reporting period. Final payments from Medicare may reflect base payment adjustments for case-mix and geographic wage differences and 2% sequestration reduction for episodes beginning after March 31, 2013. In addition, final payments may reflect one of four retroactive adjustments to ensure the adequacy and effectiveness of the total reimbursement: (a) an outlier payment if the patient’s care was unusually costly; (b) a low utilization adjustment if the number of visits was fewer than five ; (c) a partial payment if the patient transferred to another provider or transferred from another provider before completing the episode; or (d) a payment adjustment based upon the level of therapy services required. Adjustments outlined above are automatically recognized in net service revenue when changes occur during the period in which the services are provided to the patient. Net service revenue and related patient accounts receivable are recorded at amounts estimated to be realized from Medicare for services rendered. Hospice Services Hospice services provided by the Company are paid by Medicare under a per diem payment system. The Company receives one of four predetermined daily rates based upon the level of care the Company furnishes. The Company records net service revenue from hospice services based on the daily rate and recognizes revenue as hospice services are provided. Hospice payments are subject to an inpatient cap and an overall Medicare payment cap. The inpatient cap relates to individual programs receiving more than 20% of its total Medicare reimbursement from inpatient care services and the overall Medicare payment cap relates to individual programs receiving reimbursements in excess of a “cap amount,” calculated by multiplying the number of beneficiaries during the period by a statutory amount that is indexed for inflation. The determination for each cap is made annually based on the 12 -month period ending on October 31 of each year. The Company monitors its limits on a provider-by-provider basis and records an estimate of its liability for reimbursements received in excess of the cap amount. Beginning with cap year ended October 1, 2014, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") implemented a new process requiring hospice providers to self-report their cap liabilities and remit applicable payment by March 31 of the following year. Facility-Based Services Long-Term Acute Care Services. The Company is reimbursed by Medicare for services provided under the long-term acute care hospital (“LTACH”) prospective payment system. Each patient is assigned a long-term care diagnosis-related group. The Company is paid a predetermined fixed amount intended to reflect the average cost of treating a Medicare patient classified in that particular long-term care diagnosis-related group. For selected patients, the amount may be further adjusted based on length-of-stay and facility-specific costs, as well as in instances where a patient is discharged and subsequently re-admitted, among other factors. The Company calculates the adjustment based on a historical average of these types of adjustments for claims paid. Similar to other Medicare prospective payment systems, the rate is also adjusted for geographic wage differences. Revenue is recognized for the Company’s LTACHs as services are provided. Medicaid, managed care and other payors The Company’s Medicaid reimbursement is based on a predetermined fee schedule applied to each service provided. Therefore, revenue is recognized for Medicaid services as services are provided based on this fee schedule. The Company's managed care and other payors reimburse the Company based upon a predetermined fee schedule or on an episodic basis, depending on the terms of the applicable contract. Accordingly, the Company recognizes revenue from managed care and other payors in the same manner as the Company recognizes revenue from Medicare or Medicaid. Accounts Receivable and Allowances for Uncollectible Accounts The Company reports accounts receivable net of estimated allowances for uncollectible accounts and adjustments. Accounts receivable are uncollateralized and primarily consist of amounts due from Medicare, Medicaid, other third-party payors, and patients. To provide for accounts receivable that could become uncollectible in the future, the Company establishes an allowance for uncollectible accounts to reduce the carrying amount of such receivables to their estimated net realizable value. The credit risk associated with receivables from other payors is limited due to the significance of Medicare as the primary payor. The Company believes the credit risk associated with its Medicare accounts, which have historically exceeded 55.0% of its patient accounts receivable, is limited due to (i) the historical collection rate from Medicare and (ii) the fact that Medicare is a U.S. government payor. The Company does not believe that there are any other significant concentrations of receivables from any particular payor that would subject it to any significant credit risk in the collection of accounts receivable. The amount of the provision for bad debts is based upon the Company’s assessment of historical and expected net collections, business and economic conditions, and trends in government reimbursement. Uncollectible accounts are written off when the Company has determined that the account will not be collected. A portion of the estimated Medicare prospective payment system reimbursement from each submitted home nursing episode is received in the form of a request for anticipated payment (“RAP”). The Company submits a RAP for 60% of the estimated reimbursement for the initial episode at the start of care. The full amount of the episode is billed after the episode has been completed. The RAP received for that particular episode is deducted from the final payment. If a final bill is not submitted within the greater of 120 days from the start of the episode, or 60 days from the date the RAP was paid, any RAP received for that episode will be recouped by Medicare from any other Medicare claims in process for that particular provider. The RAP and final claim must then be resubmitted. For subsequent episodes of care contiguous with the first episode for a particular patient, the Company submits a RAP for 50% instead of 60% of the estimated reimbursement. The Company’s services to the Medicare population are paid at prospectively set amounts that can be determined at the time services are rendered. The Company’s Medicaid reimbursement is based on a predetermined fee schedule applied to each individual service it provides. The Company’s managed care contracts and contracts with other payors provide for payments based upon a predetermined fee schedule or an episodic basis, depending on the terms of the applicable contract. The Company is able to calculate its actual amount due at the patient level and adjust the gross charges down to the actual amount at the time of billing. This negates the need to record an estimated contractual allowance when reporting net service revenue for each reporting period. Business Combination The Company accounts for its acquisitions in accordance with ASC 805, "Business Combinations" ("ASC 805") using the acquisition method of accounting. Assets typically acquired consist primarily of Medicare licenses, trade names, certificates of need, and/or non-compete agreements. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed, if any, are measured at fair value on the acquisition date using the appropriate valuation method. The noncontrolling interest associated with joint venture acquisitions is also measured and recorded at fair value as of the acquisition date. Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of an acquired entity over the net amounts assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The operations of the acquisitions are included in the consolidated financial statements from their respective dates of acquisition. Acquisition transactions that occurred in 2017 are further described in Note 3 and goodwill and intangible assets are discussed in Note 4. Goodwill and Intangible Assets In accordance with ASC 350, "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other" ("ASC 350") goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are reviewed by the Company at least annually for impairment. The Company performs its annual impairment review of goodwill at November 30, and when a triggering event occurs between annual impairment tests. For 2017 , the Company performed a qualitative assessment of goodwill and determined that it is not more likely than not that the fair values of its reporting units are less than the carrying amounts. The Company has not recognized any goodwill impairment charges in 2017 , 2016 or 2015 related to the annual impairment testing. Components of the Company's reporting units are represented by individual subsidiaries or joint ventures with individual licenses to conduct operations within geographic markets as limited by the terms of each license. The Company considers each component as individual businesses, as discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results of those businesses. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized a disposal of $1.5 million related to goodwill associated with the closure of underperforming locations. The impairment was calculated using a market approach. Included in intangible assets are definite-lived assets subject to amortization such as non-compete agreements and defensive assets, which are defined as trade names that are not actively used. Amortization of definite-lived intangible assets is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, ranging from two to ten years. The Company also has indefinite-lived assets that are not subject to amortization expense such as trade names, certificates of need, and Medicare licenses to conduct specific operations within geographic markets. The Company has concluded that trade names, certificates of need, and licenses have indefinite lives, because there are no legal, regulatory, contractual, economic or other factors that would limit the useful lives of these intangible assets and the Company intends to renew and operate the certificates of need and licenses and use the trade names indefinitely. These indefinite-lived intangible assets are reviewed annually for impairment or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. To determine whether an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired, the Company performs a qualitative assessment to support the conclusion that the indefinite-lived intangible asset is not impaired. Based on the results of that qualitative assessment, the Company may perform a quantitative test. The Company utilizes a relief-from-royalty method in its quantitative impairment test of trade names. Under this method, the fair value of the trade name is determined by calculating the present value of the after-tax cost savings associated with owning the trade names and, therefore, not having to pay royalties for use over its estimated useful life. The Company utilizes the replacement cost approach in its quantitative impairment test for certificates of need and licenses. Under this method, assumptions are made about the cost to replace the certificates of need and licenses. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company did not record an impairment charge related to indefinite-lived intangible assets. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 , the Company recorded impairment charges related to indefinite-lived intangible assets of $0.6 million . Due to/from Governmental Entities The Company’s LTACHs are reimbursed for certain activities based on tentative rates. The amounts recorded in due to/from governmental entities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets relate to settled and open cost reports that are subject to the completion of audits and the issuance of final assessments. Final reimbursement is determined based on submission of annual cost reports and audits by the fiscal intermediary. Adjustments are accrued on an estimated basis in the period the related services were rendered and further adjusted as final settlements are determined. These adjustments are accounted for as changes in estimates. Additionally, reimbursements received in excess of hospice cap amounts are recorded in this account. Property, Building and Equipment Property, building and equipment are recorded at cost. Property and equipment acquired in connection with business combinations are recorded at estimated fair value in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with ASC 805. Expenditures that increase capacities or extend useful lives are capitalized to the appropriate property, building and equipment accounts. Costs and related accumulated depreciation associated with assets that are sold or retired are written off and any gain or losses are recorded in operating income. Routine repairs and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the individual assets. The estimated useful life of buildings is 39 years , while the estimated useful lives of transportation equipment and furniture and other equipment range from 3 to 10 years . The useful life for leasehold improvements is the shorter of the lease term or the expected life of the leasehold improvement. In accordance with ASC 360, "Property, Plant, and Equipment", the Company evaluates its long-lived assets for possible impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. There were no impairment charges recognized during the periods ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 and 2015 . The following table describes the Company’s components of property, building and equipment for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (amounts in thousands): 2017 2016 Land $ 2,033 $ 2,033 Building and improvements 14,166 11,363 Transportation equipment 11,363 11,220 Fixed equipment 780 1,090 Office furniture and medical equipment 61,676 52,771 90,018 78,477 Less accumulated depreciation 43,565 35,226 $ 46,453 $ 43,251 Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 and 2015 was $13.4 million , $12.2 million and $12.0 million , respectively, which was recorded in general and administrative expenses. Amortization expense related to definite-lived intangible assets is included in depreciation expense. Noncontrolling Interest The Company classifies noncontrolling interests of its joint venture parties based upon a review of the legal provisions governing the redemption of such interests. In each of the Company’s joint ventures, those provisions are embodied within the joint venture’s operating agreement. For joint ventures with operating agreement provisions that establish an obligation for the Company to purchase the third party partners’ noncontrolling interests other than as a result of events that lead to a liquidation of the joint venture, such noncontrolling interests are classified as redeemable noncontrolling interests in temporary equity. For joint ventures with operating agreement provisions that establish an obligation that the Company purchase the third party partners’ noncontrolling interests, but which obligation is triggered by events that lead to a liquidation of the joint venture, such noncontrolling interests are classified as nonredeemable noncontrolling interests in permanent equity. Additionally, for joint ventures with operating agreement provisions that do not establish an obligation for the Company to purchase the third party partners’ noncontrolling interests (e.g., where the Company has the option, but not the obligation, to purchase the third party partners’ noncontrolling interests), such noncontrolling interests are classified as nonredeemable noncontrolling interests in permanent equity. The Company’s equity joint ventures that are classified as redeemable noncontrolling interests are subject to operating agreement provisions that require the Company to purchase the noncontrolling partner’s interest upon the occurrence of certain triggering events, which are defined as the bankruptcy of the partner or the partner’s exclusion from the Medicare or Medicaid programs. These triggering events and the related repurchase provisions are specific to each redeemable equity joint venture, since the triggering of a repurchase obligation for any one redeemable noncontrolling interest in an equity joint venture does not necessarily impact any of the other redeemable noncontrolling interests in other equity joint ventures. Upon the occurrence of a triggering event requiring the purchase of a redeemable noncontrolling interest, the Company would be required to purchase the noncontrolling partner’s interest based upon a valuation methodology set forth in the applicable joint venture agreement. Redeemable noncontrolling interests and nonredeemable noncontrolling interests are initially recorded at their fair value as of the closing date of the transaction establishing the joint venture. Such fair values are determined using various accepted valuation methods, including the income approach, the market approach, the cost approach, and a combination of one or more of these approaches. A number of facts and circumstances concerning the operation of the joint venture are evaluated for each transaction, including (but not limited to) the ability to choose management, control over acquiring or liquidating assets, and control over the joint venture’s strategy and direction, in order to determine the fair value of the noncontrolling interest. Subsequent to the closing date of the transaction establishing the joint venture, recorded values for both redeemable and nonredeemable noncontrolling interests are adjusted at the end of each reporting period for (a) comprehensive income (loss) that is attributed to the noncontrolling interest, which is calculated by multiplying the noncontrolling interest percentage by the comprehensive income (loss) of the joint venture’s operations during the reporting period, (b) dividends paid to the noncontrolling interest partner during the reporting period, and (c) any other transactions that increase or decrease the Company’s ownership interest in the joint venture, as a result of which the Company retains its controlling interest. If the Company determines based upon its analysis as of the end of each reporting period in accordance with authoritative accounting guidance, that it is not probable that an event would occur to otherwise require the redemption of a redeemable noncontrolling interest (i.e., the date for such event is not set or such event is not certain to occur), then the Company does not adjust the recorded amount of such redeemable noncontrolling interest. The carrying amount of each redeemable equity instrument presented in temporary equity for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 is not less than the initial amount reported for each instrument. The activity of noncontrolling interest-redeemable for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 is summarized in the Company’s Statements of Changes in Equity. Based upon the Company’s evaluation of the redemption provisions concerning redeemable noncontrolling interests as of December 31, 2017, the Company determined in accordance with authoritative accounting guidance that it was not probable that an event otherwise requiring redemption of any redeemable noncontrolling interest would occur (i.e., the date for such event was not set or such event is not certain to occur). Therefore, none of the redeemable noncontrolling interests were identified as mandatorily redeemable interests at such times, and the Company did not record any values in respect of any mandatorily redeemable interests. Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for its stock-based awards in accordance with provisions of ASC 718, "Compensation - Stock Compensation" ("ASC 718"). The Company grants restricted stock or restricted stock units to employees and members of its Board of Directors as a form of compensation. In accordance with ASC 718, the expense for such awards is based on the grant date fair value of the award and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. See Note 7 to these consolidated financial statements. Earnings Per Share The following table sets forth shares used in the computation of basic and diluted per share information for the years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 and 2015 : 2017 2016 2015 Weighted average number of shares outstanding for basic per share calculation 17,715,992 17,559,477 17,405,379 Effect of dilutive potential shares: Options — 863 3,663 Nonvested restricted stock 245,026 122,480 138,489 Adjusted weighted average shares for diluted per share calculation 17,961,018 17,682,820 17,547,531 Antidilutive shares — 219,855 200,525 Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In March 2016, as part of its Simplification Initiative, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation ("ASU 2016-09"), which seeks to reduce complexity in accounting standards. The areas for simplification in ASU 2016-09 involve several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including (1) accounting for income taxes, (2) classification of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flow, (3) forfeitures, (4) minimum statutory tax withholding requirements, (5) classification of employee taxes paid on the statement of cash flows when an employer withholds shares for tax withholding purposes, (6) the practical expedient for estimating the expected term, and (7) intrinsic value. The Company adopted the new standard on its effective date of January 1, 2017 and elected to apply this adoption prospectively. All excess tax benefits and deficiencies in the current and future periods will be recognized as income tax expense in the Company's consolidated financial statements in the reporting period in which they occur. The Company recorded excess tax benefits of $1.0 million in income tax expense for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017. Additionally, the Company elected to continue to apply an estimated rate of forfeiture to its compensation expense for share-based awards. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements On May 28, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers , ("ASU 2014-09") which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU 2014-09 will replace the majority of existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard permits the use of either the full retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. As the Company progresses with evaluating the effect that ASU 2014-09 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, the Company has determined that it will not create a material impact to its consolidated financial statements upon implementation on January 1, 2018. Currently, the Company anticipates adopting the new standard using the full retrospective method for all periods presented. Upon adoption, in applying the retrospective method, the Company expects to present the amounts that are currently included in the provision for bad debts as a reduction to net service revenue related to an implicit price concession. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases , ("ASU 2016-02") which requires lessees to recognize qualifying leases on the statement of financial position. Qualifying leases will be classified as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. The new standard is effective on January 1, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. ASU 2016-02 mandates a modified retrospective transition method for all entities. The Company anticipates that the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will result in a material increase in total assets and total liabilities. The Company continues to evaluate the effect that ASU 2016-02 will have on its related disclosures. |