Insurance Matters	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Insurance [Abstract]
INSURANCE MATTERS	INSURANCE MATTERS Professional Liability and Other Liability Insurance- The Company has professional liability insurance coverage for its nursing centers that, based on historical claims experience, is likely to be substantially less than the claims that are expected to be incurred. The Company has essentially exhausted all general and professional liability insurance available for claims asserted prior to July 1, 2011. Effective June 1, 2010, the Company’s nursing centers are covered by one of two types of professional liability insurance policies. The Company’s nursing centers in Arkansas and Tennessee, two centers in West Virginia and all but two facilities in Kentucky are currently covered by an insurance policy with coverage limits of $250,000 per medical incident and total annual aggregate policy limits of $750,000. This policy provides the only commercially affordable insurance coverage available for claims made during this period against these nursing centers. The Company’s nursing centers in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Texas and one center in West Virginia and two in Kentucky are currently covered by insurance policies with coverage limits of $1,000,000 per medical incident, subject to a deductible of $495,000 per claim, with a total annual aggregate policy limit of $15,000,000 and a sublimit per center of $3,000,000. Reserve for Estimated Self-Insured Professional Liability Claims- Because the Company’s actual liability for existing and anticipated professional liability and general liability claims will exceed the Company’s limited insurance coverage, the Company has recorded total liabilities for reported and estimated future claims of $21,155,000 as of September 30, 2012. This accrual includes estimates of liability for incurred but not reported claims, estimates of liability for reported but unresolved claims, actual liabilities related to settlements, including settlements to be paid over time, and estimates of legal costs related to these claims. All losses are projected on an undiscounted basis and are presented without regard to any potential insurance recoveries. Amounts are added to the accrual for estimates of anticipated liability for claims incurred during each period, and amounts are deducted from the accrual for settlements paid on existing claims during each period. The Company evaluates the adequacy of this liability on a quarterly basis. Semi-annually, the Company retains a third-party actuarial firm to assist in the evaluation of this reserve. Merlinos & Associates, Inc. (“Merlinos”) assisted management in the preparation of the most recent estimate of the appropriate accrual for the current claims period and for incurred but not reported general and professional liability claims based on data furnished as of May 31. Merlinos primarily utilizes historical data regarding the frequency and cost of the Company’s past claims over a multi-year period, industry data and information regarding the number of occupied beds to develop its estimates of the Company’s ultimate professional liability cost for current periods. The Actuarial Division of Willis of Tennessee, Inc. performed all prior estimates. On a quarterly basis, the Company obtains reports of asserted claims and lawsuits incurred. These reports, which are provided by the Company’s insurers and a third party claims administrator, contain information relevant to the actual expense already incurred with each claim as well as the third-party administrator’s estimate of the anticipated total cost of the claim. This information is reviewed by the Company quarterly and provided to the actuary semi-annually. Based on the Company’s evaluation of the actual claim information obtained, the semi-annual estimates received from the third-party actuary, the amounts paid and committed for settlements of claims and on estimates regarding the number and cost of additional claims anticipated in the future, the reserve estimate for a particular period may be revised upward or downward on a quarterly basis. Any increase in the accrual decreases results of operations in the period and any reduction in the accrual increases results of operations during the period. As of September 30, 2012, the Company is engaged in 41 professional liability lawsuits. Six lawsuits are currently scheduled for trial or arbitration during the next twelve months, and it is expected that additional cases will be set for trial or hearing. The Company’s cash expenditures for self-insured professional liability costs from continuing operations were $4,595,000 and $6,560,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company follows the FASB Accounting Standards Update, “Presentation of Insurance Claims and Related Insurance Recoveries,” that clarifies that a health care entity should not net insurance recoveries against a related professional liability claim and that the amount of the claim liability should be determined without consideration of insurance recoveries. Accordingly, the Company has assets and equal liabilities of $1,238,000 at September 30, 2012 and $750,000 at December 31, 2011, respectively. Although the Company adjusts its accrual for professional and general liability claims on a quarterly basis and retains a third-party actuarial firm semi-annually to assist management in estimating the appropriate accrual, professional and general liability claims are inherently uncertain, and the liability associated with anticipated claims is very difficult to estimate. Professional liability cases have a long cycle from the date of an incident to the date a case is resolved, and final determination of the Company’s actual liability for claims incurred in any given period is a process that takes years. As a result, the Company’s actual liabilities may vary significantly from the accrual, and the amount of the accrual has and may continue to fluctuate by a material amount in any given period. Each change in the amount of this accrual will directly affect the Company’s reported earnings and financial position for the period in which the change in accrual is made. Other Insurance- With respect to workers’ compensation insurance, substantially all of the Company’s employees became covered under either an indemnity insurance plan or state-sponsored programs in May 1997. The Company is completely self-insured for workers’ compensation exposures prior to May 1997. The Company has been and remains a non-subscriber to the Texas workers’ compensation system and is, therefore, completely self-insured for employee injuries with respect to its Texas operations. From June 30, 2003 until June 30, 2007, the Company’s workers’ compensation insurance programs provided coverage for claims incurred with premium adjustments depending on incurred losses. For the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2013, the Company is covered by a prefunded deductible policy. Under this policy, the Company is self-insured for the first $500,000 per claim, subject to an aggregate maximum of $3,000,000. The Company funds a loss fund account with the insurer to pay for claims below the deductible. The Company accounts for premium expense under this policy based on its estimate of the level of claims subject to the policy deductibles expected to be incurred. The liability for workers’ compensation claims is $454,000 at September 30, 2012. The Company has a non-current receivable for workers’ compensation policy’s covering previous years of $718,000 as of September 30, 2012. The non-current receivable is a function of payments paid to the Company’s insurance carrier in excess of the estimated level of claims expected to be incurred. As of September 30, 2012, the Company is self-insured for health insurance benefits for certain employees and dependents for amounts up to $175,000 per individual annually. The Company provides reserves for the settlement of outstanding self-insured health claims at amounts believed to be adequate. The liability for reported claims and estimates for incurred but unreported claims is $725,000 at September 30, 2012. The differences between actual settlements and reserves are included in expense in the period finalized.

INSURANCE MATTERS

Professional Liability and Other Liability Insurance-

The Company has professional liability insurance coverage for its nursing centers that, based on historical claims experience, is likely to be substantially less than the claims that are expected to be incurred. The Company has essentially exhausted all general and professional liability insurance available for claims asserted prior to July 1, 2011.

Effective June 1, 2010, the Company’s nursing centers are covered by one of two types of professional liability insurance policies. The Company’s nursing centers in Arkansas and Tennessee, two centers in West Virginia and all but two facilities in Kentucky are currently covered by an insurance policy with coverage limits of $250,000 per medical incident and total annual aggregate policy limits of $750,000. This policy provides the only commercially affordable insurance coverage available for claims made during this period against these nursing centers. The Company’s nursing centers in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Texas and one center in West Virginia and two in Kentucky are currently covered by insurance policies with coverage limits of $1,000,000 per medical incident, subject to a deductible of $495,000 per claim, with a total annual aggregate policy limit of $15,000,000 and a sublimit per center of $3,000,000.

Reserve for Estimated Self-Insured Professional Liability Claims-

Because the Company’s actual liability for existing and anticipated professional liability and general liability claims will exceed the Company’s limited insurance coverage, the Company has recorded total liabilities for reported and estimated future claims of $21,155,000 as of September 30, 2012. This accrual includes estimates of liability for incurred but not reported claims, estimates of liability for reported but unresolved claims, actual liabilities related to settlements, including settlements to be paid over time, and estimates of legal costs related to these claims. All losses are projected on an undiscounted basis and are presented without regard to any potential insurance recoveries. Amounts are added to the accrual for estimates of anticipated liability for claims incurred during each period, and amounts are deducted from the accrual for settlements paid on existing claims during each period.

The Company evaluates the adequacy of this liability on a quarterly basis. Semi-annually, the Company retains a third-party actuarial firm to assist in the evaluation of this reserve. Merlinos & Associates, Inc. (“Merlinos”) assisted management in the preparation of the most recent estimate of the appropriate accrual for the current claims period and for incurred but not reported general and professional liability claims based on data furnished as of May 31. Merlinos primarily utilizes historical data regarding the frequency and cost of the Company’s past claims over a multi-year period, industry data and information regarding the number of occupied beds to develop its estimates of the Company’s ultimate professional liability cost for current periods. The Actuarial Division of Willis of Tennessee, Inc. performed all prior estimates.

On a quarterly basis, the Company obtains reports of asserted claims and lawsuits incurred. These reports, which are provided by the Company’s insurers and a third party claims administrator, contain information relevant to the actual expense already incurred with each claim as well as the third-party administrator’s estimate of the anticipated total cost of the claim. This information is reviewed by the Company quarterly and provided to the actuary semi-annually. Based on the Company’s evaluation of the actual claim information obtained, the semi-annual estimates received from the third-party actuary, the amounts paid and committed for settlements of claims and on estimates regarding the number and cost of additional claims anticipated in the future, the reserve estimate for a particular period may be revised upward or downward on a quarterly basis. Any increase in the accrual decreases results of operations in the period and any reduction in the accrual increases results of operations during the period.

As of September 30, 2012, the Company is engaged in 41 professional liability lawsuits. Six lawsuits are currently scheduled for trial or arbitration during the next twelve months, and it is expected that additional cases will be set for trial or hearing. The Company’s cash expenditures for self-insured professional liability costs from continuing operations were $4,595,000 and $6,560,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

The Company follows the FASB Accounting Standards Update, “Presentation of Insurance Claims and Related Insurance Recoveries,” that clarifies that a health care entity should not net insurance recoveries against a related professional liability claim and that the amount of the claim liability should be determined without consideration of insurance recoveries. Accordingly, the Company has assets and equal liabilities of $1,238,000 at September 30, 2012 and $750,000 at December 31, 2011, respectively.

Although the Company adjusts its accrual for professional and general liability claims on a quarterly basis and retains a third-party actuarial firm semi-annually to assist management in estimating the appropriate accrual, professional and general liability claims are inherently uncertain, and the liability associated with anticipated claims is very difficult to estimate. Professional liability cases have a long cycle from the date of an incident to the date a case is resolved, and final determination of the Company’s actual liability for claims incurred in any given period is a process that takes years. As a result, the Company’s actual liabilities may vary significantly from the accrual, and the amount of the accrual has and may continue to fluctuate by a material amount in any given period. Each change in the amount of this accrual will directly affect the Company’s reported earnings and financial position for the period in which the change in accrual is made.

Other Insurance-

With respect to workers’ compensation insurance, substantially all of the Company’s employees became covered under either an indemnity insurance plan or state-sponsored programs in May 1997. The Company is completely self-insured for workers’ compensation exposures prior to May 1997. The Company has been and remains a non-subscriber to the Texas workers’ compensation system and is, therefore, completely self-insured for employee injuries with respect to its Texas operations. From June 30, 2003 until June 30, 2007, the Company’s workers’ compensation insurance programs provided coverage for claims incurred with premium adjustments depending on incurred losses. For the period from July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2013, the Company is covered by a prefunded deductible policy. Under this policy, the Company is self-insured for the first $500,000 per claim, subject to an aggregate maximum of $3,000,000. The Company funds a loss fund account with the insurer to pay for claims below the deductible. The Company accounts for premium expense under this policy based on its estimate of the level of claims subject to the policy deductibles expected to be incurred. The liability for workers’ compensation claims is $454,000 at September 30, 2012. The Company has a non-current receivable for workers’ compensation policy’s covering previous years of $718,000 as of September 30, 2012. The non-current receivable is a function of payments paid to the Company’s insurance carrier in excess of the estimated level of claims expected to be incurred.

As of September 30, 2012, the Company is self-insured for health insurance benefits for certain employees and dependents for amounts up to $175,000 per individual annually. The Company provides reserves for the settlement of outstanding self-insured health claims at amounts believed to be adequate. The liability for reported claims and estimates for incurred but unreported claims is $725,000 at September 30, 2012. The differences between actual settlements and reserves are included in expense in the period finalized.