Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Operations	Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (the “Company”) provides management, administrative and operating expertise and services to the housekeeping, laundry, linen, facility maintenance and dietary service departments of healthcare facilities, including nursing homes, retirement complexes, rehabilitation centers and hospitals located throughout the United States. Although the Company does not directly participate in any government reimbursement programs, the Company’s clients receive government reimbursements related to Medicare and Medicaid. Therefore, they are directly affected by any legislation relating to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs. The Company provides services primarily pursuant to full service agreements with its clients. In such agreements, the Company is responsible for the day-to-day management of employees located at the clients’ facilities. The Company also provides services on the basis of management-only agreements for a limited number of clients. The Company’s agreements with its clients typically provide for a one year service term, cancelable by either party upon 30 to 90 days’ notice, after the initial 60 to 120 day period. The Company is organized into two reportable segments; housekeeping, laundry, linen and other services (“Housekeeping”), and dietary department services (“Dietary”). Housekeeping consists of managing the clients’ housekeeping departments, which are principally responsible for the cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of resident rooms and common areas of a client’s facility, as well as the laundering and processing of the bed linens, uniforms, resident personal clothing and other assorted linen items utilized at a client facility. Dietary consists of managing the clients’ dietary departments which are principally responsible for food purchasing, meal preparation and dietitian professional services, which includes the development of menus that meet residents’ dietary needs.
Use of Estimates in Financial Statements	In preparing financial statements in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), estimates and assumptions are made that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates are used in determining, but are not limited to, the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts, accrued insurance claims, valuations, deferred taxes and reviews for potential impairment. The estimates are based upon various factors including current and historical trends, as well as other pertinent industry and regulatory authority information. Management regularly evaluates this information to determine if it is necessary to update the basis for its estimates and to adjust for known changes.
Principles of Consolidation	The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Healthcare Services Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	The Company determines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs (Levels 1 and 2) and minimize the use of unobservable inputs (Level 3) within the fair value hierarchy. Assets and liabilities are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level (least observable) input that is significant to the measurement in its entirety. The Company’s financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis consist of marketable securities and the deferred compensation fund investments. Other financial instruments such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable (including income taxes payable and accrued expenses) and borrowings under the Company’s line of credit are short-term in nature, and therefore the carrying value of these instruments are deemed to approximate their fair value.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and cash equivalents are held in U.S. financial institutions or in custodial accounts with U.S. financial institutions. Cash and cash equivalents are defined as short-term, highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at time of purchase that are readily convertible into cash and have insignificant interest rate risk.
Investments in Marketable Securities	Marketable securities are defined as fixed income investments which are highly liquid and can be readily purchased or sold through established markets. At December 31, 2017, the Company had marketable securities of $73.2 million which were comprised primarily of tax exempt municipal bonds. These investments are accounted for as available-for-sale securities and are reported at fair value on the balance sheet. For the year ended December 31, 2017, $1.1 million of unrealized gains related to these investments were recorded in other comprehensive income. Unrealized gains and losses are recorded net of income taxes. These assets are available for future needs under the Company’s self-insurance programs. The Company’s investment policy is intended to manage the assets to achieve the goals of preserving principal, maintaining adequate liquidity at all times, and maximizing returns subject to investment guidelines. The investment policy limits investment to certain types of instruments issued by institutions primarily with investment grade credit ratings and places restrictions on concentration by type and issuer. The Company periodically reviews the investments in marketable securities for other than temporary declines in fair value below the cost basis and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.
Inventories and Supplies	Inventories and supplies include housekeeping, linen and laundry supplies, as well as food provisions and supplies. Inventories and supplies are stated at cost to approximate a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. Linen supplies are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life of 24 months.
Property and Equipment	Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Additions, renewals and improvements are capitalized, while maintenance and repair costs are expensed when incurred. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in income. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives: Housekeeping and Dietary equipment — 5 to 7 years; computer hardware and software — 3 to 7 years; and other, consisting of furniture and fixtures, leasehold improvements and vehicles — 5 to 10 years.
Revenue Recognition	Revenues from the Company’s service agreements with clients are recognized as services are performed. Revenues are reported net of sales taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to taxing authorities.
Income Taxes	The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, income tax expense is recognized for the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year. The Company accrues for probable tax obligations as required by facts and circumstances in various regulatory environments. In addition, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities. When appropriate, valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts for which realization is more likely than not. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are more fully described in Note 12. Uncertain income tax positions taken or expected to be taken in tax returns are reflected within the Company’s financial statements based on a recognition and measurement process.
Earnings per Common Share	Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per common share is calculated using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and dilutive common shares, such as those issuable upon exercise of stock options and upon the vesting of restricted stock and restricted stock units.
Share-Based Compensation	The Company estimates the fair value of share-based awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model for stock options and using the share price on the date of grant for restricted stock and restricted stock units. The value of the award is recognized ratably as an expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income over the requisite service periods, with adjustments made for forfeitures as they occur.
Advertising Costs	Advertising costs are expensed when incurred.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	The carrying amounts of long-lived assets are periodically reviewed to determine whether current events or circumstances warrant adjustment to such carrying amounts. Any impairment would be measured as the amount that the carrying value of such assets exceeds their fair value, primarily based on estimated undiscounted cash flows. Considerable management judgment is necessary to estimate the fair value of assets. Assets to be disposed of are carried at the lower of their financial statement carrying amount or fair value, less cost to sell.
Identifiable Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Identifiable intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective lives. Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of net assets of acquired businesses. Management reviews the carrying value of goodwill at least annually during the fourth quarter of each year to assess for impairment, or more often if events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may exceed its estimated fair value.
Treasury Stock	Treasury stock purchases are accounted for under the cost method whereby the entire cost of the acquired stock is recorded as treasury stock. Gains or losses on the subsequent reissuance of shares are credited or charged to additional paid in capital.
Reclassification	Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.
Concentrations of Credit Risk	The Company’s financial instruments that are subject to concentrations of credit risk are cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, deferred compensation funding and accounts and notes receivable. The Company’s marketable securities are fixed income investments which are highly liquid and can be readily purchased or sold using established markets. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, substantially all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were held in one large financial institution located in the United States. The Company’s clients are concentrated in the healthcare industry, and are primarily providers of long-term care. The revenues of many of the Company’s clients are highly reliant on Medicare, Medicaid and third-party payors’ reimbursement funding rates. New legislation or changes in existing regulations could be made which could directly impact the governmental reimbursement programs in which the clients participate. As a result, the Company may not know the full effects of such programs until these laws are fully implemented and governmental agencies issue applicable regulations or guidance.
Significant Clients	For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company had several clients who individually contributed over 3%, with one client, a multi-state operator, contributing as high as 17.6%, of the Company’s total consolidated revenues. Although the Company expects to continue its relationships with these clients, there can be no assurance thereof. The loss, individually or in the aggregate, of such clients, or a significant reduction in the revenues the Company receives from such clients, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations. In addition, if any of these clients change or alter current payments terms, it could increase the Company’s accounts receivables balance and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s cash flows.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-09, Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. ASU 2016-09 was intended to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payments. The Company adopted the standard beginning January 1, 2017. The impact of adopting the standard included the recognition of excess tax benefits related to share-based payments as a component of income tax expense, as opposed to additional paid-in capital; an amendment to the calculation of diluted earnings per share to exclude windfall tax benefits from assumed proceeds when calculating diluted shares outstanding; as well as accounting for forfeitures of share-based awards as they occur, as opposed to reserving for estimated forfeitures. The most material impact of the adoption was a reduction to income tax expense in 2017 of $5.7 million. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations: Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The guidance changes the definition of a business to assist entities in evaluating whether a set of transferred assets and activities constitutes a business under Topic 805. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the standard effective January 1, 2018. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which was subsequently amended and updated throughout 2015 and 2016. The standard provides guidance on revenue recognition, among other topics such as the accounting for compensation and costs to obtain a contract. The standard requires that an entity recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Adoption is required for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption prohibited. The Company adopted the standard beginning on January 1, 2018 utilizing the modified retrospective method. The Company has evaluated the impact of the adoption of the standard by reviewing the nature and terms of existing contracts under the provisions of the new guidance and designing operational and process updates required for ongoing compliance. Management does not expect this guidance to result in a material impact to the Company's accounting for the revenue earned related to its Housekeeping and Dietary department services and accordingly, does not expect to record an adjustment to its consolidated financial statements upon adoption of the standard. Management anticipates that the most significant impact of the new standard will relate to additional disclosure obligations. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities on their balance sheet related to the rights and obligations created by most leases, while continuing to recognize expenses on their income statements over the lease term. It will also require disclosures designed to give financial statement users information regarding the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities. The Company will adopt the new guidance as of January 1, 2019. Management is continuing to evaluate the expected impact of the requirements, however it is expected that the primary impact will relate to the capitalization of operating leases of office space, vehicles and equipment.

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. (the “Company”) provides management, administrative and operating expertise and services to the housekeeping, laundry, linen, facility maintenance and dietary service departments of healthcare facilities, including nursing homes, retirement complexes, rehabilitation centers and hospitals located throughout the United States. Although the Company does not directly participate in any government reimbursement programs, the Company’s clients receive government reimbursements related to Medicare and Medicaid. Therefore, they are directly affected by any legislation relating to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs.

The Company provides services primarily pursuant to full service agreements with its clients. In such agreements, the Company is responsible for the day-to-day management of employees located at the clients’ facilities. The Company also provides services on the basis of management-only agreements for a limited number of clients. The Company’s agreements with its clients typically provide for a one year service term, cancelable by either party upon 30 to 90 days’ notice, after the initial 60 to 120 day period.

The Company is organized into two reportable segments; housekeeping, laundry, linen and other services (“Housekeeping”), and dietary department services (“Dietary”).

Housekeeping consists of managing the clients’ housekeeping departments, which are principally responsible for the cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of resident rooms and common areas of a client’s facility, as well as the laundering and processing of the bed linens, uniforms, resident personal clothing and other assorted linen items utilized at a client facility.

Dietary consists of managing the clients’ dietary departments which are principally responsible for food purchasing, meal preparation and dietitian professional services, which includes the development of menus that meet residents’ dietary needs.

Use of Estimates in Financial Statements

In preparing financial statements in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), estimates and assumptions are made that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates are used in determining, but are not limited to, the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts, accrued insurance claims, valuations, deferred taxes and reviews for potential impairment. The estimates are based upon various factors including current and historical trends, as well as other pertinent industry and regulatory authority information. Management regularly evaluates this information to determine if it is necessary to update the basis for its estimates and to adjust for known changes.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Healthcare Services Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company determines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs (Levels 1 and 2) and minimize the use of unobservable inputs (Level 3) within the fair value hierarchy. Assets and liabilities are classified within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level (least observable) input that is significant to the measurement in its entirety.

The Company’s financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis consist of marketable securities and the deferred compensation fund investments. Other financial instruments such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable (including income taxes payable and accrued expenses) and borrowings under the Company’s line of credit are short-term in nature, and therefore the carrying value of these instruments are deemed to approximate their fair value.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents are held in U.S. financial institutions or in custodial accounts with U.S. financial institutions. Cash and cash equivalents are defined as short-term, highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at time of purchase that are readily convertible into cash and have insignificant interest rate risk.

Investments in Marketable Securities

Marketable securities are defined as fixed income investments which are highly liquid and can be readily purchased or sold through established markets. At December 31, 2017, the Company had marketable securities of $73.2 million which were comprised primarily of tax exempt municipal bonds. These investments are accounted for as available-for-sale securities and are reported at fair value on the balance sheet. For the year ended December 31, 2017, $1.1 million of unrealized gains related to these investments were recorded in other comprehensive income. Unrealized gains and losses are recorded net of income taxes.

These assets are available for future needs under the Company’s self-insurance programs. The Company’s investment policy is intended to manage the assets to achieve the goals of preserving principal, maintaining adequate liquidity at all times, and maximizing returns subject to investment guidelines. The investment policy limits investment to certain types of instruments issued by institutions primarily with investment grade credit ratings and places restrictions on concentration by type and issuer.

The Company periodically reviews the investments in marketable securities for other than temporary declines in fair value below the cost basis and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

Inventories and Supplies

Inventories and supplies include housekeeping, linen and laundry supplies, as well as food provisions and supplies. Inventories and supplies are stated at cost to approximate a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. Linen supplies are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life of 24 months.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Additions, renewals and improvements are capitalized, while maintenance and repair costs are expensed when incurred. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in income. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives: Housekeeping and Dietary equipment — 5 to 7 years; computer hardware and software — 3 to 7 years; and other, consisting of furniture and fixtures, leasehold improvements and vehicles — 5 to 10 years.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues from the Company’s service agreements with clients are recognized as services are performed. Revenues are reported net of sales taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to taxing authorities.

Income Taxes

The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, income tax expense is recognized for the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year. The Company accrues for probable tax obligations as required by facts and circumstances in various regulatory environments. In addition, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities. When appropriate, valuation allowances are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts for which realization is more likely than not. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are more fully described in Note 12.

Uncertain income tax positions taken or expected to be taken in tax returns are reflected within the Company’s financial statements based on a recognition and measurement process.

Earnings per Common Share

Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per common share is calculated using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and dilutive common shares, such as those issuable upon exercise of stock options and upon the vesting of restricted stock and restricted stock units.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company estimates the fair value of share-based awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model for stock options and using the share price on the date of grant for restricted stock and restricted stock units. The value of the award is recognized ratably as an expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income over the requisite service periods, with adjustments made for forfeitures as they occur.

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed when incurred.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The carrying amounts of long-lived assets are periodically reviewed to determine whether current events or circumstances warrant adjustment to such carrying amounts. Any impairment would be measured as the amount that the carrying value of such assets exceeds their fair value, primarily based on estimated undiscounted cash flows. Considerable management judgment is necessary to estimate the fair value of assets. Assets to be disposed of are carried at the lower of their financial statement carrying amount or fair value, less cost to sell.

Identifiable Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Identifiable intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective lives. Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair value of net assets of acquired businesses. Management reviews the carrying value of goodwill at least annually during the fourth quarter of each year to assess for impairment, or more often if events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may exceed its estimated fair value.

Treasury Stock

Treasury stock purchases are accounted for under the cost method whereby the entire cost of the acquired stock is recorded as treasury stock. Gains or losses on the subsequent reissuance of shares are credited or charged to additional paid in capital.

Reclassification

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Company’s financial instruments that are subject to concentrations of credit risk are cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, deferred compensation funding and accounts and notes receivable. The Company’s marketable securities are fixed income investments which are highly liquid and can be readily purchased or sold using established markets. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, substantially all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were held in one large financial institution located in the United States.

The Company’s clients are concentrated in the healthcare industry, and are primarily providers of long-term care. The revenues of many of the Company’s clients are highly reliant on Medicare, Medicaid and third-party payors’ reimbursement funding rates. New legislation or changes in existing regulations could be made which could directly impact the governmental reimbursement programs in which the clients participate. As a result, the Company may not know the full effects of such programs until these laws are fully implemented and governmental agencies issue applicable regulations or guidance.

Significant Clients

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company had several clients who individually contributed over 3%, with one client, a multi-state operator, contributing as high as 17.6%, of the Company’s total consolidated revenues. Although the Company expects to continue its relationships with these clients, there can be no assurance thereof. The loss, individually or in the aggregate, of such clients, or a significant reduction in the revenues the Company receives from such clients, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations. In addition, if any of these clients change or alter current payments terms, it could increase the Company’s accounts receivables balance and have a material adverse effect on the Company’s cash flows.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-09, Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. ASU 2016-09 was intended to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payments. The Company adopted the standard beginning January 1, 2017. The impact of adopting the standard included the recognition of excess tax benefits related to share-based payments as a component of income tax expense, as opposed to additional paid-in capital; an amendment to the calculation of diluted earnings per share to exclude windfall tax benefits from assumed proceeds when calculating diluted shares outstanding; as well as accounting for forfeitures of share-based awards as they occur, as opposed to reserving for estimated forfeitures. The most material impact of the adoption was a reduction to income tax expense in 2017 of $5.7 million.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations: Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The guidance changes the definition of a business to assist entities in evaluating whether a set of transferred assets and activities constitutes a business under Topic 805. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the standard effective January 1, 2018.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which was subsequently amended and updated throughout 2015 and 2016. The standard provides guidance on revenue recognition, among other topics such as the accounting for compensation and costs to obtain a contract. The standard requires that an entity recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Adoption is required for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption prohibited. The Company adopted the standard beginning on January 1, 2018 utilizing the modified retrospective method. The Company has evaluated the impact of the adoption of the standard by reviewing the nature and terms of existing contracts under the provisions of the new guidance and designing operational and process updates required for ongoing compliance. Management does not expect this guidance to result in a material impact to the Company's accounting for the revenue earned related to its Housekeeping and Dietary department services and accordingly, does not expect to record an adjustment to its consolidated financial statements upon adoption of the standard. Management anticipates that the most significant impact of the new standard will relate to additional disclosure obligations.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities on their balance sheet related to the rights and obligations created by most leases, while continuing to recognize expenses on their income statements over the lease term. It will also require disclosures designed to give financial statement users information regarding the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities. The Company will adopt the new guidance as of January 1, 2019. Management is continuing to evaluate the expected impact of the requirements, however it is expected that the primary impact will relate to the capitalization of operating leases of office space, vehicles and equipment.