Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
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 the healthcare industry, 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 customers 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 customers. In such agreements, the Company is responsible for the day-to-day management of employees located at the customers’ facilities, as well as for the provision of certain supplies. The Company also provides services on the basis of management-only agreements for a limited number of customers. In a management-only agreement, the Company provides management and supervisory services while the customer facility retains payroll responsibility for the non-supervisory staff. The agreements with customers typically provide for a renewable one year service term, cancellable by either party upon 30 to 90 days’ notice after an initial period of 60 to 120 days. 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 customers’ housekeeping departments, which are principally responsible for the cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of resident rooms and common areas of a customer’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 customer facility. Dietary consists of managing the customers’ 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.
Unaudited Interim Financial Data	The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and the requirements of Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, these consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes necessary for a complete presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows. However, in the Company’s opinion, all adjustments which are of a normal recurring nature and are necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected in these consolidated financial statements. The balance sheet shown in this report as of December 31, 2020 has been derived from the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period.
Use of Estimates in Financial Statements	In preparing financial statements in conformity with 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, including the potential future effects of COVID-19. 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.
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 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.
Accounts and Notes Receivable	Accounts and notes receivable consist of Housekeeping and Dietary segment trade receivables from contracts with customers. The Company’s payment terms with customers for services provided are defined within each customer’s service agreement. All accounts receivables are considered short term assets as the Company does not grant payment terms greater than one year. Accounts receivable initially are recorded at the transaction amount, and are recorded after the Company has an unconditional right to payment where only the passage of time is required before payment is received. Each reporting period, the Company evaluates the collectability of outstanding receivable balances and records an allowance for doubtful accounts representing an estimate of future expected credit loss. Additions to the allowance for doubtful accounts are made by recording a charge to bad debt expense reported in costs of services provided. Notes receivable are initially recorded when accounts receivable are transferred into a promissory note and are recorded as an alternative to accounts receivable to memorialize an unqualified promise to pay a specific sum, typically with interest, in accordance with a defined payment schedule. The Company’s payment terms with customers on promissory notes can vary based on several factors and the circumstances of each promissory note, however typically promissory notes mature over a 1 to 3 year period. Similar to accounts receivable, each reporting period the Company evaluates the collectability of outstanding notes receivable balances and records an allowance for doubtful accounts representing an estimate of future expected credit loss.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts	The guidance under the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 326 Credit Losses - Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("ASC 326") became effective and was adopted by the Company prospectively as of January 1, 2020. In adopting ASC 326, the Company replaced its previous incurred loss impairment model for estimating credit losses on accounts and notes receivables for its reporting of quarterly and annual financial results with an expected loss model prepared in accordance with ASC 326. While the incurred loss impairment model had the Company recognize credit losses when it was probable that a loss had been incurred, ASC 326 requires the Company to estimate the lifetime expected credit losses on such instruments and to record an allowance to offset the receivables. ASC 326 requires the recognition of credit losses that are expected based on existing accounts and notes receivable as compared to the incurred loss approach. Accordingly, credit losses under ASC 326 generally are recognized earlier in the life cycle of a receivable than under the Company’s previous incurred loss model. Modeling must be prepared after considering historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable economic forecasts to estimate lifetime expected credit losses. Under the previous incurred loss impairment model, credit losses were recognized when Management determined that it was more likely than not that a loss had been incurred and such loss was estimable.
Inventories and Supplies	Inventories and supplies include housekeeping, linen and laundry supplies, as well as food provisions and supplies. Non-linen inventories and supplies are stated on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis, and reduced as deemed necessary to approximate the lower of cost or net realizable value. Linen supplies are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life of 24 months.
Revenue Recognition	The Company recognizes revenue from contracts with customers when or as the promised goods and services are provided to customers. Revenues are reported net of sales taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to taxing authorities. The amount of revenue recognized by the Company is based on the consideration to which the Company is entitled in exchange for providing the contracted goods and services.
Leases	The Company records assets and liabilities on the balance sheet to recognize the rights and obligations arising from leasing arrangements with contractual terms greater than 12 months, in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification subtopic ASC 842 Leases (“ASC 842”). A leasing arrangement includes any contract which entitles the Company to the right of use of an identified tangible asset where there are no restrictions as to the direct of use of the asset, and the Company obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the right of use. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company was only the lessee of operating lease arrangements.
Income Taxes	The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, income tax expense or benefits are recognized for the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current period. The Company accrues for probable tax obligations as required, based on facts and circumstances in various regulatory environments. In addition, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases 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. 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 computed 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, using a Monte Carlo simulation for performance restricted stock units, 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.
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 annually during the fourth quarter to assess for impairment, or more often if events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may exceed its estimated fair value.
Concentrations of Credit Risk	The Company’s financial instruments that are subject to credit risk are cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, deferred compensation funding and accounts and notes receivable. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, 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 marketable securities are fixed income investments which are highly liquid and can be readily purchased or sold through established markets. The Company’s customers are concentrated in the healthcare industry and are primarily providers of long-term care. The revenues of many of the Company’s customers are highly reliant on Medicare, Medicaid and third party payors’ reimbursement funding rates. New legislation or changes in existing regulations could directly impact the governmental reimbursement programs in which the customers participate. As a result, the Company may not realize the full effects of such programs until these laws are fully implemented and governmental agencies issue applicable regulations or guidance.
Segments	The Company’s accounting policies for the segments are generally the same as described in the Company’s significant accounting policies. Differences between the reportable segments’ operating results and other disclosed data and the information in the consolidated financial statements relate primarily to corporate level transactions and recording of transactions at the reportable segment level using other than generally accepted accounting principles. There are certain inventories and supplies that are primarily expensed when incurred within the operating segments, while they are capitalized in the consolidated financial statements. In addition, most corporate expenses such as corporate salary and benefit costs, certain legal costs, debt expense, information technology costs, depreciation, amortization of finite-lived intangible assets, share based compensation costs and other corporate-specific costs, are not fully allocated to the operating segments. There are also allocations for workers’ compensation and general liability expense within the operating segments that differ from the actual expense recorded by the Company under U.S. GAAP. Segment amounts disclosed are prior to elimination entries made in consolidation.

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

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 the healthcare industry, 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 customers 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 customers. In such agreements, the Company is responsible for the day-to-day management of employees located at the customers’ facilities, as well as for the provision of certain supplies. The Company also provides services on the basis of management-only agreements for a limited number of customers. In a management-only agreement, the Company provides management and supervisory services while the customer facility retains payroll responsibility for the non-supervisory staff. The agreements with customers typically provide for a renewable one year service term, cancellable by either party upon 30 to 90 days’ notice after an initial period of 60 to 120 days.

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 customers’ housekeeping departments, which are principally responsible for the cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing of resident rooms and common areas of a customer’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 customer facility.

Dietary consists of managing the customers’ 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.

Unaudited Interim Financial Data

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and the requirements of Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, these consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes necessary for a complete presentation of financial position, results of operations and cash flows. However, in the Company’s opinion, all adjustments which are of a normal recurring nature and are necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected in these consolidated financial statements. The balance sheet shown in this report as of December 31, 2020 has been derived from the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period.

Use of Estimates in Financial Statements

In preparing financial statements in conformity with 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, including the potential future effects of COVID-19. 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.

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 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.

Accounts and Notes Receivable

Accounts and notes receivable consist of Housekeeping and Dietary segment trade receivables from contracts with customers. The Company’s payment terms with customers for services provided are defined within each customer’s service agreement. All accounts receivables are considered short term assets as the Company does not grant payment terms greater than one year. Accounts receivable initially are recorded at the transaction amount, and are recorded after the Company has an unconditional right to payment where only the passage of time is required before payment is received. Each reporting period, the Company evaluates the collectability of outstanding receivable balances and records an allowance for doubtful accounts representing an estimate of future expected credit loss. Additions to the allowance for doubtful accounts are made by recording a charge to bad debt expense reported in costs of services provided.

Notes receivable are initially recorded when accounts receivable are transferred into a promissory note and are recorded as an alternative to accounts receivable to memorialize an unqualified promise to pay a specific sum, typically with interest, in accordance with a defined payment schedule. The Company’s payment terms with customers on promissory notes can vary based on several factors and the circumstances of each promissory note, however typically promissory notes mature over a 1 to 3 year period. Similar to accounts receivable, each reporting period the Company evaluates the collectability of outstanding notes receivable balances and records an allowance for doubtful accounts representing an estimate of future expected credit loss.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The guidance under the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification subtopic 326 Credit Losses - Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("ASC 326") became effective and was adopted by the Company prospectively as of January 1, 2020. In adopting ASC 326, the Company replaced its previous incurred loss impairment model for estimating credit losses on accounts and notes receivables for its reporting of quarterly and annual financial results with an expected loss model prepared in accordance with ASC 326. While the incurred loss impairment model had the Company recognize credit losses when it was probable that a loss had been incurred, ASC 326 requires the Company to estimate the lifetime expected credit losses on such instruments and to record an allowance to offset the receivables. ASC 326 requires the recognition of credit losses that are expected based on existing accounts and notes receivable as compared to the incurred loss approach. Accordingly, credit losses under ASC 326 generally are recognized earlier in the life cycle of a receivable than under the Company’s previous incurred loss model. Modeling must be prepared after considering historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable economic forecasts to estimate lifetime expected credit losses. Under the previous incurred loss impairment model, credit losses were recognized when Management determined that it was more likely than not that a loss had been incurred and such loss was estimable.

Inventories and Supplies

Inventories and supplies include housekeeping, linen and laundry supplies, as well as food provisions and supplies. Non-linen inventories and supplies are stated on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis, and reduced as deemed necessary to approximate the lower of cost or net realizable value. Linen supplies are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life of 24 months.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue from contracts with customers when or as the promised goods and services are provided to customers. Revenues are reported net of sales taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to taxing authorities. The amount of revenue recognized by the Company is based on the consideration to which the Company is entitled in exchange for providing the contracted goods and services.

Leases

The Company records assets and liabilities on the balance sheet to recognize the rights and obligations arising from leasing arrangements with contractual terms greater than 12 months, in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification subtopic ASC 842 Leases (“ASC 842”). A leasing arrangement includes any contract which entitles the Company to the right of use of an identified tangible asset where there are no restrictions as to the direct of use of the asset, and the Company obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the right of use. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company was only the lessee of operating lease arrangements.

Income Taxes

The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, income tax expense or benefits are recognized for the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current period. The Company accrues for probable tax obligations as required, based on facts and circumstances in various regulatory environments. In addition, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases 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. 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 computed 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, using a Monte Carlo simulation for performance restricted stock units, 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.

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 annually during the fourth quarter to assess for impairment, or more often if events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may exceed its estimated fair value.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Company’s financial instruments that are subject to credit risk are cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, deferred compensation funding and accounts and notes receivable. At March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, 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 marketable securities are fixed income investments which are highly liquid and can be readily purchased or sold through established markets.

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

Segments

The Company’s accounting policies for the segments are generally the same as described in the Company’s significant accounting policies. Differences between the reportable segments’ operating results and other disclosed data and the information in the consolidated financial statements relate primarily to corporate level transactions and recording of transactions at the reportable segment level using other than generally accepted accounting principles. There are certain inventories and supplies that are primarily expensed when incurred within the operating segments, while they are capitalized in the consolidated financial statements. In addition, most corporate expenses such as corporate salary and benefit costs, certain legal costs, debt expense, information technology costs, depreciation, amortization of finite-lived intangible assets, share based compensation costs and other corporate-specific costs, are not fully allocated to the operating segments. There are also allocations for workers’ compensation and general liability expense within the operating segments that differ from the actual expense recorded by the Company under U.S. GAAP. Segment amounts disclosed are prior to elimination entries made in consolidation.