| Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 1) BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Services provided by our hospitals, all of which are operated by subsidiaries of ours, include general and specialty surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, emergency room care, radiology, oncology, diagnostic care, coronary care, pediatric services, pharmacy services and/or behavioral health services. We, through our subsidiaries, provide capital resources as well as a variety of management services to our facilities, including central purchasing, information services, finance and control systems, facilities planning, physician recruitment services, administrative personnel management, marketing and public relations. Principles of Consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of our majority-owned subsidiaries and partnerships controlled by us or our subsidiaries as the managing general partner. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Revenue Recognition: We report net patient service revenue at the estimated net realizable amounts from patients and third-party payers and others for services rendered. We have agreements with third-party payers that provide for payments to us at amounts different from our established rates. Payment arrangements include rates per discharge, reimbursed costs, discounted charges and per diem payments. Estimates of contractual allowances under managed care plans, which represent explicit price concessions, are based upon the payment terms specified in the related contractual agreements. We closely monitor our historical collection rates, as well as changes in applicable laws, rules and regulations and contract terms, to assure that provisions are made using the most accurate information available. However, due to the complexities involved in these estimations, actual payments from payers may be different from the amounts we estimate and record. See Note 10-Revenue Recognition , for additional disclosure related to our revenues including a disaggregation of our consolidated net revenues by major source for each of the periods presented herein. We estimate our Medicare and Medicaid revenues using the latest available financial information, patient utilization data, government provided data and in accordance with applicable Medicare and Medicaid payment rules and regulations. The laws and regulations governing the Medicare and Medicaid programs are extremely complex and subject to interpretation and as a result, there is at least a reasonable possibility that recorded estimates will change by material amounts in the near term. Certain types of payments by the Medicare program and state Medicaid programs (e.g. Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital, Medicare Allowable Bad Debts and Inpatient Psychiatric Services) are subject to retroactive adjustment in future periods as a result of administrative review and audit and our estimates may vary from the final settlements. Such amounts are included in accounts receivable, net, on our consolidated balance sheets. The funding of both federal Medicare and state Medicaid programs are subject to legislative and regulatory changes. As such, we cannot provide any assurance that future legislation and regulations, if enacted, will not have a material impact on our future Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Adjustments related to the final settlement of these retrospectively determined amounts did not materially impact our results in 2024, 2023 or 2022. If it were to occur, each 1 % adjustment to our estimated net Medicare revenues t hat are subject to retrospective review and settlement as of December 31, 2024, would change our after-tax net income by approximately $ 2 million. Charity Care, Uninsured Discounts and Other Adjustments to Revenue: Collection of receivables from third-party payers and patients is our primary source of cash and is critical to our operating performance. Our primary collection risks relate to uninsured patients and the portion of the bill which is the patient’s responsibility, primarily co-payments and deductibles. We estimate our revenue adjustments for implicit price concessions based on general factors such as payer mix, the aging of the receivables and historical collection experience. We routinely review accounts receivable balances in conjunction with these factors and other economic conditions which might ultimately affect the collectability of the patient accounts and make adjustments to our allowances as warranted. At our acute care hospitals, third party liability accounts are pursued until all payment and adjustments are posted to the patient account. For those accounts with a patient balance after third party liability is finalized or accounts for uninsured patients, the patient receives statements and collection letters. Historically, a significant portion of the patients treated throughout our portfolio of acute care hospitals are uninsured patients which, in part, has resulted from patients who are employed but do not have health insurance or who have policies with relatively high deductibles. Patients treated at our hospitals for non-elective services, who have gross income of various amounts, dependent upon the state, ranging from 200 % to 400 % of the federal poverty guidelines, are deemed eligible for charity care. The federal poverty guidelines are established by the federal government and are based on income and family size. Because we do not pursue collection of amounts that qualify as charity care, the transaction price is fully adjusted and there is no impact in our net revenues or in our accounts receivable, net. A portion of the accounts receivable at our acute care facilities are comprised of Medicaid accounts that are pending approval from third-party payers but we also have smaller amounts due from other miscellaneous payers such as county indigent programs in certain states. Our patient registration process includes an interview of the patient or the patient’s responsible party at the time of registration. At that time, an insurance eligibility determination is made and an insurance plan code is assigned. There are various pre-established insurance profiles in our patient accounting system which determine the expected insurance reimbursement for each patient based on the insurance plan code assigned and the services rendered. Certain patients may be classified as Medicaid pending at registration based upon a screening evaluation if we are unable to definitively determine if they are currently Medicaid eligible. When a patient is registered as Medicaid eligible or Medicaid pending, our patient accounting system records net revenues for services provided to that patient based upon the established Medicaid reimbursement rates, subject to the ultimate disposition of the patient’s Medicaid eligibility. When the patient’s ultimate eligibility is determined, reclassifications may occur which impacts net revenues in future periods. Although the patient’s ultimate eligibility determination may result in adjustments to net revenues, these adjustments do not have a material impact on our results of operations in 2024, 2023 or 2022 since our facilities make estimates at each financial reporting period to adjust revenue based on historical collections. We also provide discounts to uninsured patients (included in “uninsured discounts” amounts below) who do not qualify for Medicaid or charity care. Because we do not pursue collection of amounts classified as uninsured discounts, the transaction price is fully adjusted and there is no impact in our net revenues or in our net accounts receivable. In implementing the discount policy, we first attempt to qualify uninsured patients for governmental programs, charity care or any other discount program. If an uninsured patient does not qualify for these programs, the uninsured discount is applied. Uncompensated care (charity care and uninsured discounts): The following table shows the amounts recorded at our acute care hospitals for charity care and uninsured discounts, based on charges at established rates, for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:
(dollar amounts in thousands)
2024 2023 2022
Amount % Amount % Amount %
Charity care $ 819,681 23 % $ 843,449 32 % $ 786,962 35 %
Uninsured discounts 2,677,026 77 % 1,792,493 68 % 1,474,933 65 %
Total uncompensated care $ 3,496,707 100 % $ 2,635,942 100 % $ 2,261,895 100 % The estimated cost of providing uncompensated care: The estimated cost of providing uncompensated care, as reflected below, were based on a calculation which multiplied the percentage of operating expenses for our acute care hospitals to gross charges for those hospitals by the above-mentioned total uncompensated care amounts. The percentage of cost to gross charges is calculated based on the total operating expenses for our acute care facilities divided by gross patient service revenue for those facilities. An increase in the level of uninsured patients to our facilities and the resulting adverse trends in the adjustments to net revenues and uncompensated care provided could have a material unfavorable impact on our future operating results.
(amounts in thousands)
2024 2023 2022
Estimated cost of providing charity care $ 75,227 $ 83,383 $ 85,434
Estimated cost of providing uninsured discounts 245,687 177,206 160,122
Estimated cost of providing uncompensated care $ 320,914 $ 260,589 $ 245,556 Concentration of Revenues: Our seven acute care hospitals and seven free-standing emergency departments in the Las Vegas, Nevada, market contributed, on a combined basis, 15 % in 2024, 14 % in 2023 and 15 % in 2022 of our consolidated net revenues. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash: We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash as reported in the consolidated statements of cash flows are presented separately on our consolidated balance sheets as follow:
(amounts in thousands)
2024 2023 2022
Cash and cash equivalents $ 125,983 $ 119,439 $ 102,818
Restricted cash (a) 98,769 95,031 98,019
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 224,752 $ 214,470 $ 200,837
(a) Restricted cash is included in other assets on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and consists of statutorily required capital reserves related to our commercial insurance subsidiary. The fair value of our restricted cash was computed based upon quotes received from financial institutions. We consider these to be “level 1” in the fair value hierarchy as outlined in the authoritative guidance for disclosures in connection with financial securities. Property and Equipment: Property and equipment are stated at cost. Expenditures for renewals and improvements are charged to the property accounts. Replacements, maintenance and repairs which do not improve or extend the life of the respective asset are expensed as incurred. We remove the cost and the related accumulated depreciation from the accounts for assets sold or retired and the resulting gains or losses are included in the results of operations. Construction-in-progress includes both construction projects and equipment not yet placed into service. Our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, include a pre-tax provision for asset impairment of approximately $ 58 million, which is included in other operating expenses on the accompanying consolidated statements of income, to write-down the asset value of Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, a 282-bed acute care hospital located in Las Vegas, Nevada. In early 2023, as a result of various competitive pressures and operational challenges experienced in the market, which had a significant unfavorable impact on the hospital's results of operations during the past year, as well as physical plant constraints and limitations resulting from the advanced age of the facility (which opened in 1971), we announced plans to discontinue all inpatient operations by March of 2023. For a period of time, we plan to continue providing emergency department services within a portion of the existing facility while we construct a new free-standing emergency department on the hospital's campus. The provision for asset impairment reduced the asset values of the facility's real estate and equipment to their estimated fair values. We capitalized interest during the construction period of major construction projects and during the development and implementation of information technology applications amountin g to $ 38.9 million during 2024 , $ 24.4 million during 2023 and $ 8.6 million during 2022. Depreciation is provided on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of buildings and improvements ( twenty to forty years ) and equipment ( three to fifteen years ). Depreciation expense was $ 559.6 million during 2024, $ 535.6 million during 2023 and $ 544.0 million during 2022. Long-Lived Assets: We review our long-lived assets, including intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. The assessment of possible impairment is based on our ability to recover the carrying value of our asset based on our estimate of its undiscounted future cash flows. If the analysis indicates that the carrying value is not recoverable from future cash flows, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value and an impairment loss is recognized. Fair values are determined based on estimated future cash flows using appropriate discount rates. Goodwill: Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis or sooner if the indicators of impairment arise. Our judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators are based on market conditions and operational performance of each reporting unit. We have designated October 1 st as our annual impairment assessment date and performed quantitative impairment assessments as of October 1, 2024 which indicated no impairment of goodwill. There were also no goodwill impairments during 2023 or 2022. Future changes in the estimates used to conduct the impairment reviews, including profitability and market value projections, could indicate impairment in future periods potentially resulting in a write-off of a portion or all of our goodwill. Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the two years ended December 31, 2024 were as follows (in thousands):
Acute Care Behavioral Total
Balance, January 1, 2023 $ 516,626 $ 3,392,830 $ 3,909,456
Goodwill acquired during the period 0 4,598 4,598
Goodwill divested during the period 0 ( 6,062 ) ( 6,062 )
Adjustments to goodwill (a) 2 24,413 24,415
Balance, December 31, 2023 516,628 3,415,779 3,932,407
Goodwill acquired during the period 13,252 0 13,252
Goodwill divested during the period 0 ( 5,298 ) ( 5,298 )
Adjustments to goodwill (a) 0 ( 7,482 ) ( 7,482 )
Balance, December 31, 2024 $ 529,880 $ 3,402,999 $ 3,932,879 (a) The changes in the Behavioral Health Services’ goodwill consist of foreign currency translation adjustments. Other Assets and Intangible Assets: Other assets consist primarily of amounts related to: (i) intangible assets acquired in connection with our acquisitions of Cambian Group, PLC’s adult services’ division during 2015, Ascend Health Corporation during 2012 and Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. during 2010; (ii) prepaid fees for various software and other applications used by our hospitals; (iii) costs incurred in connection with the purchase and implementation of an electronic health records application for each of our acute care facilities; (iv) statutorily required capital reserves related to our commercial insurance subsidiary ($ 118 million and $ 113 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively); (v) deposits; (vi) investments in various businesses, including Universal Health Realty Income Trust ($ 6 million and $ 7 million as of as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively) and Premier, Inc. ($ 47 million and $ 50 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively); (vii) the invested assets related to a deferred compensation plan that is held by an independent trustee in a rabbi-trust and that has a related payable included in other noncurrent liabilities, and; (viii) other miscellaneous assets. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis or more often if indicators of impairment arise. Our judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators are based on market conditions and operational performance of each asset. We have designated October 1 st as our annual impairment assessment date and performed impairment assessments as of October 1, 2024 which indicated no impairment. There were also no intangible asset impairments during 2023 or 2022. The following table shows the amounts recorded as net intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
(amounts in thousands)
2024 2023
Medicare licenses (a) $ 57,226 $ 57,226
Certificates of need 7,987 7,501
Contract relationships and other (net of $ 57,236 and $ 56,288 of accumulated amortization for 2024 and 2023, respectively) 11,060 12,291
Net Intangible Assets $ 76,273 $ 77,018 (a) Indefinite lives. Supplies: Supplies, which consist primarily of medical supplies, are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out basis) or market. Self-Insured/Other Insurance Risks: We provide for self-insured risks, primarily general and professional liability claims, workers’ compensation claims and healthcare and dental claims. Our estimated liability for self-insured professional and general liability claims is based on a number of factors including, among other things, the number of asserted claims and reported incidents, estimates of losses for these claims based on recent and historical settlement amounts and jury verdicts, estimates of incurred but not reported claims based on historical experience, and estimates of amounts recoverable under our commercial insurance policies. All relevant information, including our own historical experience, applicable per occurrence and aggregate self-insured retentions, and limitations and exclusions pursuant to our commercial insurance policies, is used in estimating our expected liability for self-insured claims. While we continuously monitor these factors, our ultimate liability for professional and general liability claims could change materially from our current estimates due to inherent uncertainties involved in making this estimate. Our estimated self-insured reserves are reviewed and changed, if necessary, at each reporting date and changes are recognized currently as additional expense or as a reduction of expense. Given our significant exposure to professional and general liability claims, there can be no assurance that a sharp increase in the number and/or severity of claims asserted against us, and/or reductions in the amount of commercial coverage available to us, will not have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations. In addition, we also: (i) own commercial health insurers headquartered in Nevada and Puerto Rico, and; (ii) maintain self-insured employee benefits programs for employee healthcare and dental claims. The ultimate costs related to these programs/operations include expenses for claims incurred and paid in addition to an accrual for the estimated expenses incurred in connection with claims incurred but not yet reported. See Note 8 - Commitments and Contingencies for additional disclosure related to our self-insured general and professional liability and workers’ compensation liability. Income Taxes: Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the amount of taxes payable or deductible in future years as a result of differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements. We believe that future income will enable us to realize our deferred tax assets net of recorded valuation allowances relating to state and foreign net operating loss carry-forwards, tax credits, and interest deduction limitations. Due to recent guidance and enacted laws surrounding the global 15 % minimum tax rate that will be effective after 2024 from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ("OECD"), as well as jurisdictions that we operate in, we anticipate adverse effects to our provision for income taxes as well as cash taxes. Currently, the United States has not enacted legislation that aligns with the OECD global minimum tax rate. We do not expect these effects to be material and will continue to monitor changes in tax policies and laws issued by the OECD and jurisdictions in which we operate. We operate in multiple jurisdictions with varying tax laws. We are subject to audits by any of these taxing authorities. We believe that adequate accruals have been provided for federal, foreign and state taxes. See Note 6-Income Taxes for additional disclosure. Other Noncurrent Liabilities: Other noncurrent liabilities include the long-term portion of our professional and general liability, workers’ compensation reserves, pension and deferred compensation liabilities, and liabilities incurred in connection with split-dollar life insurance agreements on the lives of our executive chairman of the board and his wife. Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests and Noncontrolling Interest: As of December 31, 2024, outside owners held noncontrolling, minority ownership interests of: (i) approximately 7 % in an acute care facility located in Texas; (ii) 49 %, 20 %, 30 %, 20 %, 25 %, and 48 % in six behavioral health care facilities located in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington, Missouri, and Iowa, respectively, (iii) 26 % and 49 % in two behavioral health care facilities located in Michigan (one currently under construction with an expected opening in the second quarter of 2025) and; (iv) approximately 5 % in an acute care facility and 49 % in a surgery center, located in Nevada. The noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest balances of $ 83 million and $ 13 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2024, consist primarily of the third-party ownership interests in these hospitals. In August, 2022, we purchased the 20 % noncontrolling ownership interest in a hospital majority owned by us, located in Washington D.C. for $ 51 million. We now have 100 % ownership interest in the hospital. The noncontrolling interest balance was reclassified to retained earnings and is included in common stockholders’ equity in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and in retained earnings in the accompanying consolidated statements of changes in equity. In connection with the two behavioral health care facilities located in Pennsylvania and Ohio, the minority ownership interests of which are reflected as redeemable noncontrolling interests on our consolidated balance sheets, the outside owners have “put options” to put their entire ownership interest to us at any time. If exercised, the put option requires us to purchase the minority member’s interest at fair market value. Accordingly, the amounts recorded as redeemable noncontrolling interests on our consolidated balance sheets reflect the estimated fair market value of these ownership interests. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income: The accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) component of stockholders’ equity includes: net unrealized gains and losses on effective cash flow hedges, foreign currency translation adjustments and the net minimum pension liability of a non-contributory defined benefit pension plan which covers employees at one of our subsidiaries. See Note 11 - Pension Plan for additional disclosure regarding the defined benefit pension plan. The amounts recognized in AOCI for the three years ended December 31, 2024 were as follows (in thousands):
Net Unrealized on Foreign Minimum Total
Balance, January 1, 2022, net of income tax $ ( 17 ) $ 33,524 $ ( 3,216 ) $ 30,291
2022 activity:
Pretax amount 0 ( 37,310 ) ( 2,869 ) ( 40,179 )
Income tax effect 0 ( 469 ) 689 220
Change, net of income tax 0 ( 37,779 ) ( 2,180 ) ( 39,959 )
Balance, January 1, 2023, net of income tax $ ( 17 ) $ ( 4,255 ) $ ( 5,396 ) $ ( 9,668 )
2023 activity:
Pretax amount 0 15,271 4,166 19,437
Income tax effect 0 520 ( 1,000 ) ( 480 )
Change, net of income tax 0 15,791 3,166 18,957
Balance, January 1, 2024, net of income tax ( 17 ) 11,536 ( 2,230 ) 9,289
2024 activity:
Pretax amount 17 ( 3,237 ) 2,416 ( 804 )
Income tax effect 0 ( 704 ) ( 580 ) ( 1,284 )
Change, net of income tax 17 ( 3,941 ) 1,836 ( 2,088 )
Balance, December 31, 2024, net of income tax $ — $ 7,595 $ ( 394 ) $ 7,201 Accounting for Derivative Financial Investments and Hedging Activities and Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts: We manage our ratio of fixed and floating rate debt with the objective of achieving a mix that management believes is appropriate. To manage this risk in a cost-effective manner, we, from time to time, enter into interest rate swap agreements in which we agree to exchange various combinations of fixed and/or variable interest rates based on agreed upon notional amounts. We account for our derivative and hedging activities using the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s (“FASB”) guidance which requires all derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, to be carried at fair value on the balance sheet. For derivative transactions designated as hedges, we formally document all relationships between the hedging instrument and the related hedged item, as well as its risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking each hedge transaction. Derivative instruments designated in a hedge relationship to mitigate exposure to variability in expected future cash flows, or other types of forecasted transactions, are considered cash flow hedges. Cash flow hedges are accounted for by recording the fair value of the derivative instrument on the balance sheets as either an asset or liability, with a corresponding amount recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) within statements of changes in equity. Amounts are reclassified from AOCI to the income statement in the period or periods the hedged transaction affects earnings. From time to time, we use interest rate derivatives in our cash flow hedge transactions. Such derivatives are designed to be highly effective in offsetting changes in the cash flows related to the hedged liability. For hedge transactions that do not qualify for the short-cut method, at the hedge’s inception and on a regular basis thereafter, a formal assessment is performed to determine whether changes in the fair values or cash flows of the derivative instruments have been highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of the hedged items and whether they are expected to be highly effective in the future. We use forward exchange contracts to hedge our net investment in foreign operations against movements in exchange rates. The effective portion of the unrealized gains or losses on these contracts is recorded in foreign currency translation adjustment within accumulated other comprehensive income and remains there until either the sale or liquidation of the subsidiary. Stock-Based Compensation: We have a number of stock-based employee compensation plans. Pursuant to the FASB’s guidance, we expense the grant-date fair value of stock options and other equity-based compensation pursuant to the straight-line method over the stated vesting period of the award using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The expense associated with share-based compensation arrangements is a non-cash charge. In the consolidated statements of cash flows, share-based compensation expense is an adjustment to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities. Earnings per Share: Basic earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year adjusted to give effect to common stock equivalents. The following table sets forth the computation o f basic and diluted earnings per share, for the periods indicated (in thousands, except per share data):
Twelve Months Ended December 31,
2024 2023 2022
Basic and diluted:
Net Income $ 1,163,109 $ 719,307 $ 656,982
Less: Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling ( 21,012 ) ( 1,512 ) 18,627
Less: Net income attributable to unvested restricted share ( 50 ) ( 308 ) ( 748 )
Net income attributable to UHS—basic and diluted $ 1,142,047 $ 717,487 $ 674,861
Basic earnings per share attributable to UHS:
Weighted average number of common shares—basic 66,554 69,321 73,118
Total basic earnings per share $ 17.16 $ 10.35 $ 9.23
Diluted earnings per share attributable to UHS:
Weighted average number of common shares 66,554 69,321 73,118
Net effect of dilutive stock options and grants based 1,342 804 714
Weighted average number of common shares and 67,896 70,125 73,832
Total diluted earnings per share $ 16.82 $ 10.23 $ 9.14 The “Net effect of dilutive stock options and grants based on the treasury stock method”, for all years presented above, excludes certain outstanding stock options applicable to each year since the effect would have been anti-dilutive. The excluded weighted-average stock options totaled approximately 600,000 during 2024, 5.1 million during 2023 and 6.0 million during 2022. Fair Value of Financial Instruments: The fair values of our debt and investments are based on quoted market prices. The fair values of other long-term debt, including capital lease obligations, are estimated by discounting cash flows using period-end interest rates and market conditions for instruments with similar maturities and credit quality. The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheets for cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and short-term borrowings approximates their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Accordingly, these items have been excluded from the fair value disclosures included elsewhere in these notes to consolidated financial statements. Use of Estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Mergers and Acquisitions: The acquisition method of accounting for business combinations requires that the assets acquired and liabilities assumed be recorded at the date of acquisition at their respective fair values with limited exceptions. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Any excess of the purchase price (consideration transferred) over the estimated fair values of net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Transaction costs and costs to restructure the acquired company are expensed as incurred. The fair value of intangible assets, including Medicare licenses, certificates of need, tradenames and certain contracts, is based on significant judgments made by our management, and accordingly, for significant items we typically obtain assistance from third party valuation specialists. GPO Agreement/Minority Ownership Interest: During 2013, we entered into a new group purchasing organization agreement (“GPO”) with Premier, Inc. (“Premier"), a healthcare performance improvement alliance, and acquired a minority interest in the GPO for a nominal amount. During the fourth quarter of 2013, in connection with the completion of an initial public offering of the stock of Premier, we received cash proceeds for the sale of a portion of our ownership interest in the GPO, which were recorded as deferred income, on a pro rata basis, as a reduction to our supplies expense over the initial expected life of the GPO agreement. Also in connection with this GPO agreement, we received shares of restricted stock in Premier which vest ratably over a seven-year period ( 2014 through 2020 ), contingent upon our continued participation and minority ownership interest in the GPO. We recognized the fair value |
