Receivables

Receivables consist of the following (in thousands):



	March 31, 2019			December 31, 2018
Accounts receivable, gross	$	138,577		$	146,482
Customer rebate reserve	(9,799		)	(15,452		)
Allowance for doubtful accounts	(4,969		)	(5,268		)
Cash discount reserves	(5,305		)	(4,777		)
Other, principally returns and allowances reserves	(1,316		)	(1,242		)
Accounts receivable, net	$	117,188		$	119,743

Reserves for customer bonus and cash discounts are recorded as a reduction in revenue and netted against gross accounts receivable. Customer rebates in excess of a given customer's accounts receivable balance are classified in Accrued Expenses. Customer rebates and cash discounts are estimated based on the most likely amount principle as well as historical experience and anticipated performance. In addition, customers have the right to return product within the company’s normal terms policy, and as such the company estimates the expected returns based on an analysis of historical experience and adjusts revenue accordingly. The decrease in customer rebates reserve from December 31, 2018 to March 31, 2019 was the result of rebate payments, the majority of which are paid in the first quarter of each year.

Accounts receivable are reduced by an allowance for amounts that may become uncollectible in the future. Substantially all the company’s receivables are due from health care, medical equipment providers and long-term care facilities located throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, China and Europe. A significant portion of products sold to providers, both foreign and domestic, are ultimately funded through government reimbursement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid in the U.S. As a consequence, changes in these programs can have an adverse impact on dealer liquidity and profitability.

The estimated allowance for uncollectible amounts is based primarily on management’s evaluation of the financial condition of specific customers. In addition, as a result of the company's financing arrangement with DLL, a third-party financing company which the company has worked with since 2000, management monitors the collection status of these contracts in accordance with the company’s limited recourse obligations and provides amounts necessary for estimated losses in the allowance for doubtful accounts and establishes reserves for specific customers as needed. The company writes off uncollectible trade accounts receivable after such receivables are moved to collection status and legal remedies are exhausted. See Concentration of Credit Risk in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of the financing arrangement. Long-term installment receivables are included in “Other Assets” on the consolidated balance sheet.

The company’s U.S. customers electing to finance their purchases can do so using DLL. In addition, the company often provides financing directly for its Canadian customers for which DLL is not an option, as DLL typically provides financing to Canadian customers only on a limited basis. The installment receivables recorded on the books of the company represent a single portfolio segment of finance receivables to the independent provider channel and long-term care customers. The portfolio segment is comprised of two classes of receivables distinguished by geography and credit quality. The U.S. installment receivables are the first class and represent installment receivables re-purchased from DLL because the customers were in default. Default with DLL is defined as a customer being delinquent by three payments. The Canadian installment receivables represent the second class of installment receivables which were originally financed by the company because third party financing was not available to the HME providers. The Canadian installment receivables are typically financed for twelve months and historically have had a very low risk of default.

The estimated allowance for uncollectible amounts and evaluation for impairment for both classes of installment receivables is based on the company’s quarterly review of the financial condition of each individual customer with the allowance for doubtful accounts adjusted accordingly. Installments are individually and not collectively reviewed for impairment. The company assesses the bad debt reserve levels based upon the status of the customer’s adherence to a legally negotiated payment schedule and the company’s ability to enforce judgments, liens, etc.

For purposes of granting or extending credit, the company utilizes a scoring model to generate a composite score that considers each customer’s consumer credit score and/or D&B credit rating, payment history, security collateral and time in business. Additional analysis is performed for most customers desiring credit greater than $250,000, which generally includes a detailed review of the customer’s financial statements as well as consideration of other factors such as exposure to changing reimbursement laws.

Interest income is recognized on installment receivables based on the terms of the installment agreements. Installment accounts are monitored and if a customer defaults on payments and is moved to collection, interest income is no longer recognized. Subsequent payments received once an account is put on non-accrual status are generally first applied to the principal balance and then to the interest. Accruing of interest on collection accounts would only be restarted if the account became current again.

All installment accounts are accounted for using the same methodology regardless of the duration of the installment agreements. When an account is placed in collection status, the company goes through a legal process for pursuing collection of outstanding amounts, the length of which typically approximates eighteen months. Any write-offs are made after the legal process has been completed. The company has not made any changes to either its accounting policies or methodology to estimate allowances for doubtful accounts in the last twelve months.

Installment receivables consist of the following (in thousands):



	March 31, 2019									December 31, 2018
	Current			Long- Term			Total			Current			Long- Term			Total
Installment receivables	$	1,958		$	1,104		$	3,062		$	1,986		$	1,374		$	3,360
Less: Unearned interest	(25		)	—			(25		)	(22		)	—			(22		)
	1,933			1,104			3,037			1,964			1,374			3,338
Allowance for doubtful accounts	(431		)	(1,051		)	(1,482		)	(390		)	(1,152		)	(1,542		)
Installment receivables, net	$	1,502		$	53		$	1,555		$	1,574		$	222		$	1,796

Installment receivables purchased from DLL during the three months ended March 31, 2019 increased the gross installment receivables balance by $89,000. No sales of installment receivables were made by the company during the quarter.

The movement in the installment receivables allowance for doubtful accounts was as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019			Year Ended December 31, 2018
Balance as of beginning of period	$	1,542		$	2,644
Current period provision (benefit)	241			550
Direct write-offs charged against the allowance	(301		)	(1,652		)
Balance as of end of period	$	1,482		$	1,542

Installment receivables by class as of March 31, 2019 consist of the following (in thousands):



	Total Installment Receivables		Unpaid Principal Balance		Related Allowance for Doubtful Accounts		Interest Income Recognized
U.S.
Impaired installment receivables with a related allowance recorded	$	2,350	$	2,350	$	1,482	$	—
Canada
Non-Impaired installment receivables with no related allowance recorded	712		687		—		38
Impaired installment receivables with a related allowance recorded	—		—		—		—
Total Canadian installment receivables	712		687		—		38
Total
Non-Impaired installment receivables with no related allowance recorded	712		687		—		38
Impaired installment receivables with a related allowance recorded	2,350		2,350		1,482		—
Total installment receivables	$	3,062	$	3,037	$	1,482	$	38

Installment receivables by class as of December 31, 2018 consist of the following (in thousands):



	Total Installment Receivables		Unpaid Principal Balance		Related Allowance for Doubtful Accounts		Interest Income Recognized
U.S.
Impaired installment receivables with a related allowance recorded	$	2,669	$	2,669	$	1,540	$	—
Canada
Non-Impaired installment receivables with no related allowance recorded	689		667		—		127
Impaired installment receivables with a related allowance recorded	2		2		2		—
Total Canadian installment receivables	691		669		2		127
Total
Non-Impaired installment receivables with no related allowance recorded	689		667		—		127
Impaired installment receivables with a related allowance recorded	2,671		2,671		1,542		—
Total installment receivables	$	3,360	$	3,338	$	1,542	$	127

Installment receivables with a related allowance recorded as noted in the table above represent those installment receivables on a non-accrual basis in accordance with ASU 2010-20. As of March 31, 2019, the company had no U.S. installment receivables past due of 90 days or more for which the company is still accruing interest. Individually, all U.S. installment receivables are assigned a specific allowance for doubtful accounts based on management’s review when the company does not expect to receive both the contractual principal and interest payments as specified in the loan agreement. In Canada, the company had an immaterial amount of Canadian installment receivables which were past due of 90 days or more as of December 31, 2018 for which the company was still accruing interest.

The aging of the company’s installment receivables was as follows (in thousands):



	March 31, 2019						December 31, 2018
	Total		U.S.		Canada		Total		U.S.		Canada
Current	$	709	$	—	$	709	$	663	$	—	$	663
0-30 Days Past Due	3		—		3		11		—		11
31-60 Days Past Due	—		—		—		10		—		10
61-90 Days Past Due	—		—		—		6		—		6
90+ Days Past Due	2,350		2,350		—		2,670		2,669		1
	$	3,062	$	2,350	$	712	$	3,360	$	2,669	$	691