Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

A) 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 significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Revenue Recognition

B) Revenue Recognition: We record revenues and related receivables for health care services at the time the services are provided. Medicare and Medicaid revenues represented 32% of our net patient revenues during 2016, 34% during 2015 and 38% during 2014. Revenues from managed care entities, including health maintenance organizations and managed Medicare and Medicaid programs accounted for 56% of our net patient revenues during 2016, 54% during 2015 and 52% during 2014.

We report net patient service revenue at the estimated net realizable amounts from patients and third-party payors and others for services rendered. We have agreements with third-party payors that provide for payments to us at amounts different from our established rates. Payment arrangements include prospectively determined rates per discharge, reimbursed costs, discounted charges and per diem payments. Estimates of contractual allowances under managed care plans 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 payors may be different from the amounts we estimate and record.

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 vast majority of the net revenues generated at our behavioral health facilities located in the United Kingdom are derived from government based payors. The funding of both federal Medicare and state Medicaid programs, and the government based payor programs in the United Kingdom, 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 government based reimbursements. Adjustments related to the final settlement of these retrospectively determined amounts did not materially impact our results in 2016, 2015 and 2014. We provide care to patients who meet certain financial or economic criteria without charge or at amounts substantially less than our established rates. Because we do not pursue collection of amounts determined to qualify as charity care, they are not reported in net revenues or in accounts receivable, net. See additional disclosure below in Charity Care, Uninsured Discounts and Provision for Doubtful Accounts for our estimated uncompensated care provided and estimated cost of providing uncompensated care.

Charity Care, Uninsured Discounts and Provision for Doubtful Accounts

C) Charity Care, Uninsured Discounts and Provision for Doubtful Accounts: 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 provisions for doubtful accounts based on general factors such as payer mix, the agings 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. Our hospitals establish a partial reserve for self-pay accounts in the allowance for doubtful accounts for both unbilled balances and those that have been billed and are under 90 days old. All self-pay accounts are fully reserved at 90 days from the date of discharge. Third party liability accounts are fully reserved in the allowance for doubtful accounts when the balance ages past 180 days from the date of discharge. Patients that express an inability to pay are reviewed for potential sources of financial assistance including our charity care policy. If the patient is deemed unwilling to pay, the account is written-off as bad debt and transferred to an outside collection agency for additional collection effort.

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 less than 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, they are not reported 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 the reported amounts in future periods for the provision for doubtful accounts and other accounts such as Medicaid pending. Although the patient’s ultimate eligibility determination may result in amounts being reclassified among these accounts from period to period, these reclassifications did not have a material impact on our results of operations in 2016, 2015 or 2014 since our facilities make estimates at each financial reporting period to reserve for amounts that are deemed to be uncollectible.

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, they are not reported 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.

On a consolidated basis, we monitor our total self-pay receivables to ensure that the total allowance for doubtful accounts provides adequate coverage based on historical collection experience. Our accounts receivable are recorded net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $410 million and $399 million at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

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, 2016, 2015 and 2014:

	(dollar amounts in thousands)
	2016					2015					2014
	Amount		%			Amount		%			Amount		%
Charity care	$	733,585		50	%	$	506,571		42	%	$	515,435		45	%
Uninsured discounts		720,205		50	%		696,463		58	%		620,587		55	%
Total uncompensated care	$	1,453,790		100	%	$	1,203,034		100	%	$	1,136,022		100	%

The provision for doubtful accounts at our acute care hospitals was approximately $628 million during 2016, $631 million during 2015 and $590 million during 2014.

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 provision for doubtful accounts and uncompensated care provided could have a material unfavorable impact on our future operating results.

	(amounts in thousands)
	2016		2015		2014
Estimated cost of providing charity care	$	107,887	$	77,557	$	78,475
Estimated cost of providing uninsured discounts related care		105,920		106,630		94,484
Estimated cost of providing uncompensated care	$	213,807	$	184,187	$	172,959

Our accounts receivable as of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 include amounts due from Illinois of approximately $38 million and $28 million, respectively. Collection of the outstanding receivables continues to be delayed due to state budgetary and funding pressures. Approximately $25 million as of December 31, 2016 and $12 million as of December 31, 2015, of the receivables due from Illinois were outstanding in excess of 60 days, as of each respective date. Although the accounts receivable due from Illinois could remain outstanding for the foreseeable future, since we expect to eventually collect all amounts due to us, no related reserves have been established in our consolidated financial statements. However, we can provide no assurance that we will eventually collect all amounts due to us from Illinois. Failure to ultimately collect all outstanding amounts due to us from Illinois would have an adverse impact on our future consolidated results of operations and cash flows.

Concentration of Revenues

D) Concentration of Revenues: Our six acute care hospitals in the Las Vegas, Nevada market contributed, on a combined basis, 14% in 2016, 13% in 2015 and 14% in 2014 of our consolidated net revenues.

Accounting for Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records Incentive Payments

E) Accounting for Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records Incentive Payments: In July 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services published final regulations implementing the health information technology provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The regulation defines the “meaningful use” of Electronic Health Records (“EHR”) and established the requirements for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR payment incentive programs. The implementation period for these new Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments started in federal fiscal year 2011 and ended as late as 2016 for Medicare and can end as late as 2021 for the state Medicaid programs. We recognize income related to Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments using a gain contingency model that is based upon when our eligible hospitals have demonstrated “meaningful use” of certified EHR technology for the applicable period and the cost report information for the full cost report year that will determine the final calculation of the incentive payment is available.

Medicare EHR incentive payments: Federal regulations require that Medicare EHR incentive payments be computed based on the Medicare cost report that begins in the federal fiscal period in which a hospital meets the applicable “meaningful use” requirements. Since the annual Medicare cost report periods for each of our acute care hospitals ends on December 31st, we have recognized Medicare EHR incentive income for each hospital during the fourth quarter of the year in which the facility meets the “meaningful use” criteria.

Medicaid EHR incentive payments: Medicaid EHR incentive payments are determined based upon prior period cost report information available at the time our hospitals met the “meaningful use” criteria. Therefore, the majority of the Medicaid EHR incentive income recognition occurred in the period in which the applicable hospitals were deemed to have met initial “meaningful use” criteria.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

F) Cash and Cash Equivalents: We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Property and Equipment

G) 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.

While in progress, we capitalized interest on major construction projects and the development and implementation of information technology applications amounting to $1.9 million during 2016 and $304,000 during 2015. There was no interest capitalized during 2014.

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 $350.8 million during 2016, $337.5 million during 2015 and $314.5 million during 2014.

Long-Lived Assets

H) 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 flow. 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

I) Goodwill: Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are 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 impairment assessments as of October 1, 2016 which indicated no impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets. There were also no impairments during 2015 or 2014. 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 or indefinite-lived intangible assets.

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the two years ended December 31, 2016 were as follows (in thousands):

	Acute Care Services			Behavioral Health Services			Total Consolidated
Balance, January 1, 2015	$	387,099		$	2,904,114		$	3,291,213
Goodwill acquired during the period		2,480			316,427			318,907
Goodwill divested during the period		0			(1,497	)		(1,497	)
Adjustments to goodwill (a)		(72	)		(12,437	)		(12,509	)
Balance, December 31, 2015		389,507			3,206,607			3,596,114
Goodwill acquired during the period		50,897			183,761			234,658
Adjustments to goodwill (a)		(110	)		(46,556	)		(46,666	)
Balance, December 31, 2016	$	440,294		$	3,343,812		$	3,784,106

(a)	The decrease in the Behavioral Health Services’ goodwill consists primarily of foreign currency translation adjustments.

Other Assets

J) Other 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, Foundations Recovery Network, LLC 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 ($100 million as of December 31, 2016); (v) deposits; (vi) investments in various businesses, including Universal Health Realty Income Trust ($8 million as of December 31, 2016) and Premier, Inc. ($23 million as of December 31, 2016); (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; (viii) the estimated future payments related to physician-related contractual commitments, as discussed below, and; (ix) other miscellaneous assets. As of December 31, 2016, net intangible assets were $228 million and consisted of the following: tradename ($124 million), Medicare licenses ($57 million), certificates of need ($12 million), and contract relationships and other ($35 million, which is net of $34 million of accumulated amortization). As of December 31, 2015, net intangible assets were $219 million and consisted of the following: tradename ($124 million), Medicare licenses ($57 million), certificates of need ($12 million), and contract relationships and other ($25 million, which is net of $25 million of accumulated amortization).

Physician Guarantees and Commitments

K) Physician Guarantees and Commitments: As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, our accrued liabilities-other, and our other assets included $2 million and $1 million, respectively, of estimated future payments related to physician-related contractual commitments. The $2 million of potential future financial obligations outstanding as of December 31, 2016 are potential 2017 obligations.

Self-Insured Risks

L) Self-Insured/Other Insurance Risks: We provide for self-insured risks, primarily general and professional liability claims and workers’ compensation 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, estimate 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 is used in estimating the expected amount of 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. See Note 8 - Commitments and Contingencies for discussion of adjustments to our prior year reserves for claims related to our self-insured general and professional liability and workers’ compensation liability.

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. Given our significant insurance-related exposure, there can be no assurance that a sharp increase in the number and/or severity of claims asserted against us will not have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations.

Income Taxes

M) 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 net operating loss carry-forwards.

We operate in multiple jurisdictions with varying tax laws. We are subject to audits by any of these taxing authorities. Our tax returns have been examined by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) through the year ended December 31, 2006. 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

N) 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 chief executive officer and his wife.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests and Noncontrolling Interest

O) Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests and Noncontrolling Interest: As of December 31, 2016, outside owners held noncontrolling, minority ownership interests of: (i) 20% in an acute care facility located in Washington, D.C.; (ii) approximately 11% in an acute care facility located in Texas; (iii) 20% and 30% in two behavioral health care facilities located in Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively, and; (iv) approximately 5% in an acute care facility located in Nevada. The noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest balances of $64 million and $9 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2016, consist primarily of the third-party ownership interests in these hospitals.

In May, 2016, we purchased the minority ownership interests held by a third-party in our six acute care hospitals located in Las Vegas, Nevada, for an aggregate cash payment of $445 million which included both the purchase price ($418 million) and the return of reserve capital ($27 million). The ownership interests purchased, which ranged from 26.1% to 27.5%, were previously reflected as redeemable noncontrolling interests on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2015. In connection with this transaction, the aggregate excess purchase price over the book value of the minority ownership interests acquired, net of income taxes, amounted to approximately $133 million which was recorded as a reduction to retained earnings on our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

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 Sheet, 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.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

P) 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 10 - Pension Plan for additional disclosure regarding the defined benefit pension plan.

The amounts recognized in AOCI for the two years ended December 31, 2016 were as follows (in thousands):

	Net Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Effective Cash Flow Hedges			Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment			Unrealized loss on marketable security			Minimum Pension Liability			Total AOCI
Balance, January 1, 2015, net of income tax	$	(3,247	)	$	(2,431	)	$	—		$	(19,554	)	$	(25,232	)
2015 activity:
Pretax amount		4,634			(1,728	)		—			2,177			5,083
Income tax effect		(2,163	)		—			—			(817	)		(2,980	)
Change, net of income tax		2,471			(1,728	)		—			1,360			2,103
Balance, January 1, 2016, net of income tax		(776	)		(4,159	)		—			(18,194	)		(23,129	)
2016 activity:
Pretax amount		1,271			(10,038	)		(2,229	)		13,356			2,360
Income tax effect		(476	)		—			831			(5,003	)		(4,648	)
Change, net of income tax		795			(10,038	)		(1,398	)		8,353			(2,288	)
Balance, December 31, 2016, net of income tax	$	19		$	(14,197	)	$	(1,398	)	$	(9,841	)	$	(25,417	)

Accounting for Derivative Financial Investments and Hedging Activities

Q) Accounting for Derivative Financial Investments and Hedging Activities and Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts: We manage our ratio of fixed to 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 sheet as either an asset or liability, with a corresponding amount recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) within stockholders’ equity. Amounts are reclassified from AOCI to the income statement in the period or periods the hedged transaction affects earnings.

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 derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges, the ineffective portion of the change in expected cash flows of the hedged item are recognized currently in the income statement.

Derivative instruments designated in a hedge relationship to mitigate exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset, liability, or firm commitment attributable to a particular risk, such as interest rate risk, are considered fair value hedges. Fair value hedges are accounted for by recording the changes in the fair value of both the derivative instrument and the hedged item in the income statement.

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. The cash flows from these contracts are reported as operating activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Stock-Based Compensation

R) Stock-Based Compensation: At December 31, 2016, 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. The applicable FASB guidance for 2016 permits that cash flows resulting from tax deductions in excess of compensation cost recognized be classified as financing cash flows.

Earnings Per Share

S) 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 of basic and diluted earnings per share, for the periods indicated:

	Twelve Months Ended December 31,
	2016			2015			2014
Basic and diluted:
Net Income	$	747,171		$	750,698		$	604,996
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest		(44,762	)		(70,170	)		(59,653	)
Less: Net income attributable to unvested restricted share grants		(314	)		(281	)		(236	)
Net income attributable to UHS—basic and diluted	$	702,095		$	680,247		$	545,107
Basic earnings per share attributable to UHS:
Weighted average number of common shares—basic		97,208			98,797			98,826
Total basic earnings per share	$	7.22		$	6.89		$	5.52
Diluted earnings per share attributable to UHS:
Weighted average number of common shares		97,208			98,797			98,826
Net effect of dilutive stock options and grants based on the treasury stock method		1,172			1,897			1,718
Weighted average number of common shares and equivalents—diluted		98,380			100,694			100,544
Total diluted earnings per share	$	7.14		$	6.76		$	5.42

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 2.2 million during 2016, 765,000 during 2015 and 2,250 during 2014.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

T) Fair Value of Financial Instruments: The fair values of our registered 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 sheet 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

U) 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

V) 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

W) 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 are recognizing the fair value of this restricted stock, as a reduction to our supplies expense, in our consolidated statements of income, on a pro rata basis, over the vesting period. We have elected to retain of portion of the previously vested shares of Premier, the value of which is included in other assets on our consolidated balance sheet. Premier shares held by us after the restrictions have lapsed are adjusted, through accumulated other comprehensive income/loss, to the then current market value as of each respective balance sheet date ($23 million and $13 million as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively).

Provider Taxes

X) Provider Taxes: We incur health-care related taxes (“Provider Taxes”) imposed by states in the form of a licensing fee, assessment or other mandatory payment which are related to: (i) healthcare items or services; (ii) the provision of, or the authority to provide, the health care items or services, or; (iii) the payment for the health care items or services. Such Provider Taxes are subject to various federal regulations that limit the scope and amount of the taxes that can be levied by states in order to secure federal matching funds as part of their respective state Medicaid programs. We derive a related Medicaid reimbursement benefit from assessed Provider Taxes in the form of Medicaid claims based payment increases and/or lump sum Medicaid supplemental payments.

Under these programs, including the impact of the Texas Uncompensated Care and Upper Payment Limit program, the Texas Delivery System Reform Incentive program, and various other state programs, we earned revenues (before Provider Taxes) of approximately $327 million during 2016, $307 million during 2015 and $295 million during 2014. These revenues were offset by Provider Taxes of approximately $166 million during 2016, $137 million during 2015, $140 million during 2014, which are recorded in other operating expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Income as included herein. The aggregate net benefit from these programs was $161 million during 2016, $170 million during 2015 and $155 million during 2014. The aggregate net benefit pursuant to these programs is earned from multiple states and therefore no particular state’s portion is individually material to our consolidated financial statements. In addition, under various disproportionate share hospital payment programs and the Nevada state plan amendment program, we earned revenues of $53 million in 2016, $46 million in 2015 and $61 million in 2014.

Recent Accounting Standards

Y) Recent Accounting Standards: In November, 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2015-17, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes”, which eliminates the guidance in Topic 740, Income Taxes, that required an entity to separate deferred tax liabilities and assets between current and noncurrent amounts in a classified balance sheet. The amendments require that all deferred tax liabilities and assets of the same tax jurisdiction or a tax filing group, as well as any related valuation allowance, be offset and presented as a single noncurrent amount in a classified balance sheet. The amendments are effective for public business entities for annual fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We early adopted this standard effective January 1, 2016, on a prospective basis and did not adjust prior periods presented. The adoption of this standard had no impact on our Consolidated Statements of Income or Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

In August, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which adds or clarifies guidance of the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows with the intent to alleviate diversity in practice for classifying various types of cash flows. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on our statement of cash flows.

In April and August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03 and ASU No. 2015-15, “Interest- Imputation of Interest,” respectively, to simplify the presentation of debt issuance costs. The standard requires debt issuance costs be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the debt liability. The FASB clarified that debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements can be presented as an asset and amortized over the term of the arrangement. The guidance is effective for annual fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2015. We adopted this standard on January 1, 2016, on a retrospective basis and adjusted prior periods presented. In connection with the adoption of this ASU, debt issuance costs of $26 million as of December 31, 2016 and $19 million as of December 31, 2015 were recorded as deductions from the carrying value of our long-term debt liabilities. The adoption of this standard had no impact on our financial position or overall results of operations.

In March, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”, which amends the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions to require recognition of the tax effects resulting from the settlement of stock-based awards as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement in the reporting period in which they occur. In addition, the ASU requires that all tax-related cash flows resulting from share-based payments, including the excess tax benefits related to the settlement of stock-based awards, be classified as cash flows from operating activities in the statement of cash flows. The ASU also requires that cash paid by directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes be classified as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows. In addition, the ASU also allows companies to make an accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest, consistent with current U.S. GAAP, or account for forfeitures when they occur. We have adopted this new standard, which is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, as of January 1, 2017. Since the impact of ASU 2016-09 on our future Consolidated Statements of Income and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows is dependent upon the timing of stock option exercises, and the market price of our stock at the time of exercise, we are unable to estimate the impact this adoption will have on our future financial statements.

In May 2014 and March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 and ASU 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” and “Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)”, respectively, which provides guidance for revenue recognition. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This ASU also requires additional disclosures. The FASB updated the new revenue standard by clarifying the principal versus agent implementation guidance, but does not change the core principle of the new standard. ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016; however, in July 2015, the FASB approved a one-year deferral of this standard, with a new effective date for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. We anticipate the most significant change will be how the estimate for the allowance for doubtful accounts will be recognized under the new standards. Under the current standards, our estimate for amounts not expected to be collected based upon our historical experience have been included within net revenue. Under the new standards, our estimate for amounts not expected to be collected based on historical experience will continue to be recognized as a reduction to net revenue. However, subsequent changes in estimate of collectability due to a change in the financial status of a payor, for example a bankruptcy, will be recognized as bad debt expense in operating charges. We will continue to evaluate the impact that the adoption of this ASU may have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842): Amendments to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Update 2016-02”), which requires an entity to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and to disclose key qualitative and quantitative information about the entity’s leasing arrangements. This update is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. A modified retrospective approach is required. Upon adoption of this new standard, we will recognize significant right of use assets and lease obligation liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet as a result of our operating lease obligations. Operating lease expense will still be recognized on a straight-line basis over the remaining life of the lease within lease and rental expense in the consolidated statements of income. We are currently evaluating the effect that ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January, 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Accounting for Goodwill Impairment” (“ASU 2017-04”), which removes the requirement to perform a hypothetical purchase price allocation to measure goodwill impairment. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. ASU 2017-04 is effective for us for the annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2020 with early adoption permitted, and applied prospectively. We do not expect ASU 2017-04 to have a material impact on our financial statements.

In January, 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805) - Clarifying the Definition of a Business” to clarify the definition of a business in order to allow for the evaluation of whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions or disposals of assets or businesses. ASU 2017-01 will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The future impact of ASU 2017-01 will be dependent upon the nature of future acquisitions or dispositions made by us, if any.

From time to time, new accounting guidance is issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies that is adopted by the Company as of the effective date or, in some cases where early adoption is permitted, in advance of the effective date. The Company has assessed the recently issued guidance that is not yet effective and, unless otherwise indicated above, believes the new guidance will not have a material impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Foreign Currency Translation

Z) Foreign Currency Translation: Assets and liabilities of our U.K. subsidiaries are denominated in pound sterling and translated into U.S. dollars at: (i) the rates of exchange at the balance sheet date, and; (ii) average rates of exchange prevailing during the year for revenues and expenses. The currency translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. See Note 3 - Financial Instruments, Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts for additional disclosure.