5. ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES

Acquisitions

The Company accounts for all transactions that represent business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, where the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interest in the acquired entity are recognized and measured at their fair values on the date the Company obtains control in the acquiree. Such fair values that are not finalized for reporting periods following the acquisition date are estimated and recorded as provisional amounts. Adjustments to these provisional amounts during the measurement period (defined as the date through which all information required to identify and measure the consideration transferred, the assets acquired, the liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interests has been obtained, limited to one year from the acquisition date) are recorded as of the date of acquisition. Any material impact to comparative information for periods after acquisition, but before the period in which adjustments are identified, is reflected in those prior periods as if the adjustments were considered as of the acquisition date. Goodwill is determined as the excess of the fair value of the consideration conveyed in the acquisition over the fair value of the net assets acquired.

Approximately $3 million and $57 million of acquisition and related integration costs related to prospective and closed acquisitions were expensed during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and are included in other operating expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of income.

Effective November 1, 2014, the Company entered into and closed on a restructuring agreement related to the joint venture between an affiliate of the Company and an affiliate of Novant Health, Inc. (“Novant”), the non-profit joint venture partner. Through this joint venture, Novant owned an indirect noncontrolling interest in Lake Norman Regional Medical Center (“Lake Norman”), one of the former HMA hospitals. The HMA merger triggered a change in control provision in the operating agreement of this joint venture, requiring the Company to purchase the 30% noncontrolling interest in Lake Norman held by Novant for the higher of fair value or $150 million. As part of the restructuring agreement, on November 3, 2014, the Company paid Novant (1) $150 million for its 30% noncontrolling interest in Lake Norman, (2) approximately $4 million to acquire Upstate Carolina Medical Center (125 licensed beds) in Gaffney, South Carolina, and (3) approximately $5 million to settle prior claims with Novant. The amounts paid to Novant to acquire the noncontrolling interest in Lake Norman and to settle prior claims were recognized as part of the opening balance sheet in the purchase accounting for HMA. Based upon our preliminary purchase price allocation relating to this acquisition as of March 31, 2015, no goodwill has been recorded related to the acquisition of Upstate Carolina Medical Center. The preliminary allocation of the purchase price has been determined by us based on available information and is subject to settling amounts related to purchased working capital and final appraisals of tangible and intangible assets. Adjustments to the purchase price allocation are not expected to be material.

On October 1, 2014, one or more subsidiaries of the Company completed the acquisition of Natchez Regional Medical Center (179 licensed beds) in Natchez, Mississippi. The total cash consideration paid at closing for long-lived assets was $10 million. As part of the closing, the Company also paid $8 million as a prepayment for future property taxes that will be applied to the tax liability for the next 17 years. Based upon our preliminary purchase price allocation relating to this acquisition as of March 31, 2015, no goodwill has been recorded. The preliminary allocation of the purchase price has been determined by us based on available information and is subject to settling amounts related to purchased working capital and final appraisals of tangible and intangible assets. Adjustments to the purchase price allocation are not expected to be material.

Effective April 1, 2014, one or more subsidiaries of the Company completed the acquisition of Sharon Regional Health System in Sharon, Pennsylvania. This healthcare system includes Sharon Regional (258 licensed beds) and other outpatient and ancillary services. The total cash consideration paid for long-lived assets and working capital was approximately $67 million and $1 million, respectively, with additional consideration of $9 million assumed in liabilities, for a total consideration of $77 million. Based upon the Company’s purchase price allocation relating to this acquisition as of March 31, 2015, approximately $8 million of goodwill has been recorded.

Effective April 1, 2014, one or more subsidiaries of the Company completed the acquisition of a 95% interest in Munroe Regional Medical Center (421 licensed beds) in Ocala, Florida and its other outpatient and ancillary services through a joint venture arrangement with an affiliate of a regional not-for-profit healthcare system, which acquired the remaining 5% interest. The total cash consideration paid for long-lived assets plus prepaid rent on the leased property and working capital was approximately $192 million and $4 million, respectively, with additional consideration of $11 million assumed in liabilities, for a total consideration of $207 million. The value of the noncontrolling interest at acquisition was $10 million. Based upon the Company’s purchase price allocation relating to this acquisition as of March 31, 2015, approximately $11 million of goodwill has been recorded.

HMA Merger

On January 27, 2014, the Company completed the HMA merger by acquiring all the outstanding shares of HMA’s common stock for approximately $7.3 billion, including the assumption of approximately $3.8 billion of existing indebtedness, for consideration for each share of HMA’s common stock consisting of $10.50 in cash, 0.06942 of a share of the Company’s common stock, and one contingent value right (“CVR”). The CVR entitles the holder to receive a cash payment of up to $1.00 per CVR (subject to downward adjustment but not below zero), subject to the final resolution of certain legal matters pertaining to HMA, as defined in the CVR agreement. At the time of the completion of the HMA merger, HMA owned and operated 71 hospitals in 15 states in non-urban communities located primarily in the southeastern United States.

In connection with the HMA merger, the Company and CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc. (“CHS”) entered into a third amendment and restatement of its credit facility, providing for additional financing and recapitalization of certain of the Company’s term loans. In addition, the Company and CHS also issued in connection with the HMA merger: (i) $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2021 and (ii) $3.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 6.875% Senior Notes due 2022.

The total consideration of the HMA merger has been allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their respective fair values, resulting in $4.5 billion of goodwill resulting from the final purchase price allocation at December 31, 2014. The purchase price represented a premium over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired for reasons such as:

· the expansion of the number of markets in which the Company operates in existing states;

· the extension and strengthening of the Company’s hospital and physician networks;

· the centralization of many support functions; and

· the elimination of duplicate corporate functions.

Other Acquisitions

During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company paid approximately $12 million to acquire the operating assets and related businesses of certain physician practices, clinics and other ancillary businesses that operate within the communities served by the Company’s affiliated hospitals. In connection with these acquisitions, during 2015, the Company allocated approximately $8 million of the consideration paid to property and equipment and net working capital and the remainder, approximately $4 million consisting of intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition, to goodwill.

Discontinued Operations

Effective January 1, 2015, one or more subsidiaries of the Company sold Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center (116 licensed beds) in Hartsville, South Carolina and related outpatient services to Capella Healthcare for approximately $74 million in cash, which was received at the closing on December 31, 2014. This hospital was required to be divested by the Federal Trade Commission as a condition of its approval of the HMA merger.

Effective February 1, 2015, one or more subsidiaries of the Company sold Harris Hospital (133 licensed beds) in Newport, Arkansas and related healthcare services to White County Medical Center in Searcy, Arkansas for approximately $5 million in cash.

Effective March 1, 2015, one or more subsidiaries of the Company sold Riverview Regional Medical Center (281 licensed beds) in Gadsden, Alabama to Prime Healthcare Services, LLC. (“Prime”) for approximately $25 million in cash. This hospital was required to be divested by the Federal Trade Commission as a condition of its approval of the HMA merger.

Effective March 1, 2015, one or more subsidiaries of the Company sold Dallas Regional Medical Center (202 licensed beds) in Mesquite, Texas to Prime for approximately $25 million in cash.

During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company made the decision to sell and began actively marketing several smaller hospitals, which are classified as held for sale at March 31, 2015. In addition, HMA entered into a definitive agreement to sell Williamson Memorial Hospital (76 licensed beds) located in Williamson, West Virginia prior to the HMA merger. In connection with management’s decision to sell these facilities and the sale of the four hospitals noted above during 2015, the Company has classified the results of operations of the above mentioned hospitals as discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income, and classified these hospitals as held for sale in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Net operating revenues and loss from discontinued operations for the respective periods are as follows (in millions):



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2015		2014

Net operating revenues	$	56	$	89
Loss from operations of entities sold or held for sale
before income taxes		(17)		(7)
Impairment of hospitals sold or held for sale		(1)		(22)
Loss on sale, net		(1)		-
Loss from discontinued operations, before taxes		(19)		(29)
Income tax benefit		(6)		(7)
Loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes	$	(13)	$	(22)

Interest expense was allocated to discontinued operations based on sale proceeds available for debt repayment.

In April 2014, FASB issued ASU 2014-08, which changes the requirements for reporting discontinued operations. A discontinued operation continues to include a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity, or a business activity. However, in a shift reflecting stakeholder concerns that too many disposals of small groups of assets that are recurring in nature qualified for reporting as discontinued operations, a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity will be required to be reported in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. A business or nonprofit activity that, on acquisition, meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale will still be a discontinued operation. Additional disclosures will be required for significant components of the entity that are disposed of or are held for sale but do not qualify as discontinued operations. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2014 and is to be applied on a prospective basis for disposals or components initially classified as held for sale after that date. The Company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2015 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015.