Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

The company recognizes revenue for the transfer of 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.

Consumables revenues consist of single-use products and are recognized at a point in time following the transfer of control of such products to the customer, which generally occurs upon shipment. Instruments revenues typically consist of longer-lived assets that, for the substantial majority of sales, are recognized at a point in time in a manner similar to consumables. Service revenues (clinical trial logistics, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing services, asset management, diagnostic testing, training, service contracts, and field services including related time and materials) are recognized over time as customers receive and consume the benefits of such services. For revenues recognized over time, the company generally uses costs accumulated as inputs to measure progress. For contracts that contain multiple performance obligations, the company allocates the consideration to which it expects to be entitled to each performance obligation based on relative standalone selling prices and recognizes the related revenue when or as control of each individual performance obligation is transferred to customers. The company exercises judgment in determining the timing of revenue by analyzing the point in time or the period over which the customer has the ability to direct the use of and obtain substantially all of the remaining benefits of the asset. The company expenses contract costs that would otherwise be capitalized and amortized over a period of less than one year.

Payments from customers for most instruments, consumables and services are typically due in a fixed number of days after shipment or delivery of the product. Service arrangements commonly call for payments in advance of performing the work (e.g. extended service contracts), upon completion of the service (e.g. pharmaceutical development and manufacturing) or a mix of both.

Use of Estimates [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, 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. In addition, significant estimates were made in estimating future cash flows to assess potential impairment of assets and in determining the fair value of acquired intangible assets (Note 2) and the ultimate loss from abandoning leases at facilities being exited (Note 13). Actual results could differ from those estimates.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2018, the FASB issued new guidance to allow reclassifications from accumulated other comprehensive items (AOCI) to retained earnings for certain tax effects on items within AOCI resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the Tax Act). The company adopted this guidance in January 2018 and recorded the reclassifications in the period of adoption. The balance sheet impact of adopting this guidance is included in the table below. This guidance only relates to the effects of the Tax Act. For all other tax law changes that have occurred or may occur in the future, the company reclassifies the tax effects to the consolidated statement of income on an item-by-item basis when the pre-tax item in AOCI is reclassified to income.

In December 2017, the SEC staff issued guidance to address the application of accounting guidance in situations when a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed (including computations) in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act enacted on December 22, 2017. The company reported provisional amounts in its 2017 financial statements for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act for which a reasonable estimate could be determined but for which the accounting impact may change. For example, these estimates may be impacted by the need for further analysis and future clarification and guidance regarding available tax accounting methods and elections, earnings and profits computations and state tax conformity to federal changes. Adjustments to provisional amounts identified during the measurement period, which may be up to December 22, 2018, will be included as adjustments to Benefit from (Provision for) Income Taxes in the period the amounts are determined.

In August 2017, the FASB issued new guidance to simplify the application of hedge accounting guidance. Among other things, the new guidance will permit more hedging strategies to qualify for hedge accounting, allow for additional time to perform an initial assessment of a hedge’s effectiveness, and permit a qualitative effectiveness test for certain hedges after initial qualification. The company adopted this guidance in January 2018. The balance sheet impact of adopting this guidance is included in the table below.

In March 2017, the FASB issued new guidance intended to improve the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost. The new guidance requires the service cost component of net periodic cost be reported in the same line item(s) as other employee compensation costs and all other components of the net periodic cost be reported in the income statement below operating income. The company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018 and applied the changes to the statement of income retrospectively. As a result of adoption of this guidance, the accompanying 2017 statement of income reflects the following changes from previously reported amounts:

	Three Months Ended
	April 1,
(In millions)	2017
Increase in Total Costs and Operating Expenses (principally Selling, General and Administrative Expenses)	$	2
Decrease in Operating Income	2
Increase in Other Income (Expense)	2

In January 2017, the FASB issued new guidance clarifying the definition of a business and providing criteria to determine when an integrated set of assets and activities is not defined as a business. The new guidance requires such integrated sets to be defined as an asset (and not a business) if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired or disposed is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. The adoption of this guidance as of January 1, 2018 did not have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.

In October 2016, the FASB issued new guidance eliminating the deferral of the tax effects of intra-entity asset transfers. The impact of this guidance in future periods will be dependent on the extent of future asset transfers which usually occur in connection with planning around acquisitions and other business structuring activities. The balance sheet impact of adopting this guidance as of January 1, 2018 is included in the table below.

In February 2016, the FASB issued new guidance which requires lessees to record most leases on their balance sheets as lease liabilities, initially measured at the present value of the future lease payments, with corresponding right-of-use assets. The new guidance also sets forth new disclosure requirements related to leases. The company plans to adopt the guidance in 2019 using a modified retrospective method. The company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements, however, assets and liabilities will increase upon adoption for right-of-use assets and lease liabilities. The company’s future commitments under lease obligations are summarized in Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements for 2017 included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC.

In January 2016, the FASB issued new guidance which affects the accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option, and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. This guidance requires equity investments to be measured at fair value with subsequent changes recognized in net income, except for those accounted for under the equity method or requiring consolidation. The guidance also changes the accounting for investments without a readily determinable fair value and that do not qualify for the practical expedient permitted by the guidance to estimate fair value. The balance sheet impact of adopting this guidance as of January 1, 2018 is included in the table below.

In May 2014, the FASB issued new revenue recognition guidance which provides a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most previous revenue recognition guidance. The new standard also requires significantly expanded disclosures regarding the qualitative and quantitative information of an entity's nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. During 2016 and 2017, the FASB issued additional guidance and clarification, including the elimination of certain SEC Staff Guidance. The guidance is effective for the company in 2018. The company has elected to adopt this guidance through application of the modified retrospective method by applying it to contracts that were not completed as of December 31, 2017 (in addition to new contracts in 2018).

Adoption of new guidance that became effective on January 1, 2018, impacted the company's Consolidated Balance Sheet as follows:

(In millions)	December 31, 2017 as Reported			Impact of Adopting New Revenue Guidance			Impact of Adopting New Equity Investment Guidance			Impact of Adopting New Intra-entity Tax Guidance			Impact of Adopting New Hedge Accounting Guidance			Impact of Adopting New Tax Effects on Items in AOCI Guidance			January 1, 2018 as Adopted
Accounts Receivable, Less Allowances	$	3,879		$	(8	)	$	—		$	—		$	—		$	—		$	3,871
Inventories	2,971			(252		)	—			—			—			—			2,719
Other Current Assets	804			296			—			—			—			—			1,100
Other Assets	1,227			—			—			(77		)	—			—			1,150
Contract Liabilities	—			805			—			—			—			—			805
Deferred Revenue	719			(719		)	—			—			—			—			—
Other Accrued Expenses	1,848			(153		)	—			—			—			—			1,695
Deferred Income Taxes	2,766			—			—			(57		)	—			2			2,711
Other Long-term Liabilities	2,569			54			—			—			—			—			2,623
Long-term Obligations	18,873			—			—			—			(3		)	—			18,870
Retained Earnings	15,914			49			(1		)	(20		)	3			87			16,032
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Items	(2,003		)	—			1			—			—			(89		)	(2,091		)

Had the company continued to use the revenue recognition guidance in effect prior to 2018, no material changes would have resulted to the consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, or cash flows for the three months endedMarch 31, 2018, from amounts reported therein. However, inventories would have been $280 million higher and other current assets would have been $344 million lower as of March 31, 2018, primarily as a result of differences in the accounting for pharmaceutical development and manufacturing services under the new revenue guidance. Under the prior guidance, costs of these services were recorded in inventory while under the new guidance, costs are expensed as the manufacturing service is performed and the company's rights to consideration are recorded as contract assets and included in other current assets.

Business Combinations Policy [Policy Text Block]

The company’s acquisitions have historically been made at prices above the determined fair value of the acquired identifiable net assets, resulting in goodwill, due to expectations of the synergies that will be realized by combining the businesses. These synergies include the elimination of redundant facilities, functions and staffing; use of the company’s existing commercial infrastructure to expand sales of the acquired businesses’ products; and use of the commercial infrastructure of the acquired businesses to cost-effectively expand sales of company products.

Acquisitions have been accounted for using the purchase method of accounting, and the acquired companies’ results have been included in the accompanying financial statements from their respective dates of acquisition. Acquisition transaction costs are recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses as incurred.