SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

The interim unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments which in the opinion of management are necessary for a fair statement of results of operations, comprehensive income, financial condition, cash flows and stockholders' equity for the periods presented. Except as otherwise disclosed, all such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. Operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. These interim unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The year-end balance sheet data was derived from the audited financial statements as of December 31, 2016, but does not include all the disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”).

Use Of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management 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.

Earnings Per Share

The Company's unvested restricted stock units that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends are participating securities and, therefore, are included in the earnings allocation in computing earnings per share using the two-class method. Basic earnings per common share is calculated by dividing net income, adjusted for earnings allocated to participating securities, by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per common share is calculated by dividing net income, adjusted for earnings allocated to participating securities, by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding after giving effect to all potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive common shares include the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options and performance share units granted under the Company's Amended and Restated Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan and its Amended and Restated Non-Employee Director Long-Term Incentive Plan. Earnings allocable to participating securities include the portion of dividends declared as well as the portion of undistributed earnings during the period allocable to participating securities.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

On January 1, 2017, the Company adopted a new accounting standard issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") that simplifies the transition to the equity method of accounting by requiring adoption as of the date the investment becomes qualified for equity method accounting. Therefore, upon qualifying for the equity method of accounting as a result of an increase in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence, no retroactive adjustment of the investment is required. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

New Accounting Standards To Be Adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued an accounting standard update ("ASU") on revenue recognition. This ASU outlines a single comprehensive model to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. This standard supersedes existing revenue recognition requirements and eliminates most industry-specific guidance from GAAP. The core principle of the revenue recognition standard is to require an entity to recognize as revenue the amount that reflects the consideration to which it expects to be entitled in exchange for goods or services as it transfers control to its customers. In August 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of this ASU to the first quarter of 2018, with early adoption permitted beginning in the first quarter of 2017. The ASU can be applied using a full retrospective method or a modified retrospective method of adoption. The Company expects to adopt the ASU in the first quarter of 2018 using the full retrospective method and continues to assess the impact of this ASU on its results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Based on its preliminary assessment, the Company expects the adoption of this ASU will result in:


•	the majority of the amounts that have historically been classified as bad debt expense, primarily related to patient responsibility, will be reflected as a reduction of the transaction price and therefore as a reduction in revenue; and


•	increased disclosure, including qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers.

However, the adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial position and cash flows.

In January 2016, the FASB issued an ASU on the recognition and measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities. This ASU requires that all equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. However, companies may elect to measure equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. In addition, the ASU eliminates the requirement to disclose the method and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet. The ASU is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on its results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

In February 2016, the FASB issued an ASU that amends accounting for leases. Under the new guidance, a lessee will recognize assets and liabilities for most leases on its balance sheet but will recognize expense on its statement of operations similar to current lease accounting. The ASU is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2019 with early adoption permitted. The new guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition approach, and provides for certain practical expedients. The adoption of this ASU will result in a significant increase to the Company’s balance sheet for lease liabilities and right-of-use assets, which has not yet been quantified. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the adoption of this ASU on the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

In June 2016, the FASB issued an ASU that changes the impairment model for most financial instruments, including trade receivables, from an incurred loss method to a new forward-looking approach, based on expected losses. The estimate of expected credit losses will require entities to incorporate considerations of historical information, current information and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This ASU is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2020 and must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition approach. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the adoption of this ASU on the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

In August 2016, the FASB issued an ASU that clarifies how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018 with early adoption permitted and must be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. Upon adoption cash payments for debt retirement costs would be reclassified from operating cash outflows to financing cash outflows in the consolidated statements of cash flows.

In November 2016, the FASB issued an ASU that clarifies the presentation and classification of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The ASU requires that amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents be presented with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The ASU is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018 with early adoption permitted and must be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on its cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued an ASU that provides guidance on evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities (set) is a business. If an entity determines that substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, then the asset is not a business. If this threshold is not met, then the entity needs to evaluate whether the asset includes, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs. The ASU is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018 with early adoption permitted and must be applied prospectively. The future impact of the adoption of this ASU on the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows will be dependent upon the nature of any future acquisitions or dispositions made by the Company.

In January 2017, the FASB issued an ASU that simplifies the quantitative test for goodwill impairment. The guidance eliminates step two in the current two-step process so that any goodwill impairment is measured as the amount by which the reporting unit’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value. The ASU is effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2020 with early adoption permitted and must be applied prospectively. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on its results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company uses derivative financial instruments to manage its exposure to market risks for changes in interest rates and, from time to time, foreign currencies. This strategy includes the use of interest rate swap agreements, forward starting interest rate swap agreements, treasury lock agreements and foreign currency forward contracts to manage its exposure to movements in interest and currency rates. The Company has established policies and procedures for risk assessment and the approval, reporting and monitoring of derivative financial instrument activities. These policies prohibit holding or issuing derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. The Company does not enter into derivative financial instruments that contain credit-risk-related contingent features or requirements to post collateral.

Interest Rate Risk

The Company is exposed to interest rate risk on its cash and cash equivalents and its debt obligations. Interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents may fluctuate as interest rates change; however, due to their relatively short maturities, the Company does not hedge these assets or their investment cash flows and the impact of interest rate risk is not material. The Company's debt obligations consist of fixed-rate and variable-rate debt instruments. The Company's primary objective is to achieve the lowest overall cost of funding while managing the variability in cash outflows within an acceptable range. In order to achieve this objective, the Company has entered into interest rate swaps. Interest rate swaps involve the periodic exchange of payments without the exchange of underlying principal or notional amounts. Net settlements between the counterparties are recognized as an adjustment to interest expense, net.