NOTE 13 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

NOTE 13 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS – On July 1, 2011, the Company entered into software and services agreements with McKesson Technologies Inc. (“McKesson”) to upgrade the Company’s information technology systems (Note 12).

Under the agreements, McKesson will provide the Company with a variety of services, including new software implementation and education/training services for the Company’s personnel, software maintenance services and professional services related to movement and migration of data from legacy systems.  McKesson will also furnish to the Company and maintain new hardware to accommodate the upgraded software and systems.  The new hardware will include computers and servers, among other things, and will include installation, testing, and ongoing maintenance.  The Company has entered into the arrangement to enhance its clinical information systems and upgrade its billing and revenue management information systems.

The agreements will initially run for a period of five years, and the recurring services may be renewed by the Company for successive periods.  The agreements do not provide that they may be terminated by the Company prior to the initial expiration date.  The agreements provide for one-time fees and recurring fees which aggregate a total of $22.0 million.  Approximately 60% of the fees are for one-time charges, while the balance is for recurring services.

GUARANTEE – At December 31, 2011, the Company had accrued $1.8 million for a guarantee extended to UC Irvine Healthcare, a state supported teaching institution, to accept the transfer of an uninsured patient for a necessary higher level of care.  The agreement and the institution’s practice are being reviewed.

LONG TERM LEASE COMMITMENT WITH VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITY – On April 13, 2010, the Company and PCHI entered into a Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Triple Net Hospital Building Lease (the “2010 Lease Amendment”).  Under the 2010 Lease Amendment, the annual base rent to be paid by the Company to PCHI was increased from $5.4 million to $7.3 million, but if PCHI refinances the $45.0 million Loan, the annual base rent will increase to $8.3 million. This lease commitment with PCHI is eliminated in consolidation.

CAPITAL LEASES - In connection with the Acquisition, the Company also assumed the leases for the Chapman facility, which include buildings and land with terms that were extended concurrently with the assignment of the leases to December 31, 2023. The Company leases equipment under capital leases expiring at various dates through December 2015. Assets under capital leases with a net book value of $6.5 million and $7.5 million are included in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31and March 31, 2011, respectively. Interest rates used in computing the net present value of the lease payments are based on the interest rates implicit in the leases.

INSURANCE - The Company accrues for estimated general and professional liability claims, to the extent not covered by insurance, when they are probable and reasonably estimable. The Company has purchased as primary coverage a claims-made form insurance policy for general and professional liability risks. Estimated losses within general and professional liability retentions from claims incurred and reported, along with incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims, are accrued based upon projections and are discounted to their net present value using a weighted average risk-free discount rate of 5%. To the extent that subsequent claims information varies from estimates, the liability is adjusted in the period such information becomes available. As of December 31 and March 31, 2011, the Company had accrued $13.0 million and $14.0 million, respectively, which is comprised of $5.2 million and $6.6 million, respectively, in incurred and reported claims, along with $7.8 million and $7.4 million, respectively, in estimated IBNR.  Estimated insurance recoveries of $3.0 million and $2.7 million are included in other prepaid expenses and current assets in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31 and March 31, 2011, respectively.

The Company has also purchased occurrence coverage insurance to fund its obligations under its workers compensation program. The Company has a "guaranteed cost" policy, under which the carrier pays all workers compensation claims, with no deductible or reimbursement required of the Company. The Company accrues for estimated workers compensation claims, to the extent not covered by insurance, when they are probable and reasonably estimable. The ultimate costs related to this program include expenses for deductible amounts associated with claims incurred and reported in addition to an accrual for the estimated expenses incurred in connection with IBNR claims. Claims are accrued based upon projections and are discounted to their net present value using a weighted average risk-free discount rate of 5%. To the extent that subsequent claims information varies from estimates, the liability is adjusted in the period such information becomes available. As of December 31 and March 31, 2011, the Company had accrued $800 and $836, respectively, comprised of $442 and $434, respectively, in incurred and reported claims, along with $358 and $402, respectively, in estimated IBNR.

In addition, the Company has a self-insured health benefits plan for its employees. As a result, the Company has established and maintains an accrual for IBNR claims arising from self-insured health benefits provided to employees. The Company's IBNR accruals at December 31 and March 31, 2011 were based upon projections. The Company determines the adequacy of this accrual by evaluating its limited historical experience and trends related to both health insurance claims and payments, information provided by its insurance broker and third party administrator and industry experience and trends. The accrual is an estimate and is subject to change. Such change could be material to the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. As of December 31 and March 31, 2011, the Company had accrued $2.2 million and $1.8 million, respectively, in estimated IBNR. The Company believes this is the best estimate of the amount of IBNR relating to self-insured health benefit claims at December 31 and March 31, 2011.

The Company has also purchased umbrella liability policies with aggregate limits of $25 million. The umbrella policies provide coverage in excess of the primary layer and applicable retentions for insured liability risks such as general and professional liability, auto liability, and workers compensation (employers liability).

As of December 31, 2011, the Company finances various insurance policies at an interest rate of 4.03% per annum. The Company incurred finance charges relating to such policies of $7 and $4 for the three months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, and $32 and $31 for the nine months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. As of December 31 and March 31, 2011, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets include the following balances relating to the financed insurance policies.

	December 31, 2011		March 31, 2011
Prepaid insurance	$	1,249	$	3,108
Accrued insurance premiums	$	220	$	1,951
(Included in other current liabilities)

CLAIMS AND LAWSUITS – The Company and the Hospitals are subject to various legal proceedings, most of which relate to routine matters incidental to operations. The results of these claims cannot be predicted, and it is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters, individually or in the aggregate, may have a material adverse effect on the Company's business (both in the near and long term), financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Although the Company defends itself vigorously against claims and lawsuits and cooperates with investigations, these matters (1) could require payment of substantial damages or amounts in judgments or settlements, which individually or in the aggregate could exceed amounts, if any, that may be recovered under insurance policies where coverage applies and is available, (2) cause substantial expenses to be incurred, (3) require significant time and attention from the Company's management, and (4) could cause the Company to close or sell the Hospitals or otherwise modify the way its business is conducted. The Company accrues for claims and lawsuits when an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount is reasonably estimable.

On January 6, 2012, the Regents of the University of California, acting on behalf of UC Irvine Healthcare, filed suit in the County of Orange Superior Court against Western Medical Center – Anaheim (WMC-A) for breach of contract based upon an allegation that WMC-A guaranteed payment for health care services provided to a patient WMC-A transferred to UCI Medical Center because that patient needed a higher level of care than WMC-A could provide.  The Company has not yet filed its response to the complaint.  At this early stage in the proceedings, the Company is unable to determine what effect, if any, this lawsuit will have on the Company’s results of operations.

There have been no material developments in the other matters identified in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on June 24, 2011 or in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended June 30 and September 30, 2011.