SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“financial statements”) of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have been prepared on a consistent basis with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, and include all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the information set forth herein. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and, therefore, omit certain information and footnote disclosure necessary to present the financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S.”) (“U.S. GAAP”). These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed on February 3, 2014. The results of operations for the first nine months of fiscal 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire fiscal year or any future periods. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In June 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") determined that an unrecognized tax benefit should be presented as a reduction of a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward or other tax credit carryforward when settlement in this manner is available under applicable tax law. This guidance is effective for the Company’s interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2014. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Updates No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, requiring an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled to for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The updated standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective and permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. Early adoption is not permitted. The updated standard becomes effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The Company has not yet selected a transition method and is currently evaluating the effect that the updated standard will have on the Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures. Significant Accounting Policies With the exception of the information provided below relating to the Company's revenue recognition, leases, and allowance for sales returns and doubtful accounts policies, there has been no change in the description of the Company's significant accounting policies included in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. Revenue Recognition The Company’s revenue consists of product revenue resulting from the sales of systems, instruments and accessories, and service revenue. The Company recognizes revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or service has been rendered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company generally recognizes revenue at the following points in time: •System sales. For systems sold directly to end customers, revenue is recognized when acceptance occurs, which is deemed to have occurred upon customer acknowledgment of delivery or installation, depending on the terms of the arrangement. For systems sold through distributors, revenue is recognized when title and risk of loss has transferred, which generally occurs at the time of shipment. Distributors do not have price protection rights and the Company’s system arrangements generally do not provide a right of return. The da Vinci Surgical Systems are delivered with a software component. However, because the software and non-software elements function together to deliver the system’s essential functionality, the Company's arrangements are excluded from being accounted for under software revenue recognition guidance. •Instruments and accessories. Revenue from sales of instruments and accessories is generally recognized at the time of shipment. The Company allows its customers in the normal course of business to return unused products for a limited period of time subsequent to initial purchase and records an allowance against revenue recognized based on historical experience. •Service. Service revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the service period. Revenue related to services performed on a time-and-materials basis is recognized when it is earned and billable. The Company offers its customers the opportunity to trade in their older systems for credit towards the purchase of a newer generation system. The Company generally does not provide specified price trade-in rights or upgrade rights at the time of system purchase. Such trade-in or upgrade transactions are separately negotiated based on the circumstances at the time of the trade-in or upgrade, based on the then fair value of the system, and are generally not based on any pre-existing rights granted by the Company. Accordingly, such trade-ins and upgrades are not considered as separate deliverables in the arrangement for a system sale. As part of a trade-in transaction, the customer receives a new generation system in exchange for its pre-owned system. The trade-in credit is negotiated at the time of the trade-in and is applied towards the purchase price of the new generation unit. Traded-in systems can be reconditioned and resold. The Company accounts for trade-ins consistent with the guidance in AICPA Technical Practice Aid 5100.01, Equipment Sales Net of Trade-Ins (“TPA 5100.01”). The Company applies the accounting guidance by crediting system revenue for the negotiated price of the new generation system, while the difference between (a) the trade-in allowance and (b) the net realizable value of the traded-in system less a normal profit margin is treated as a sales allowance. The value of the traded-in system is determined as the amount, after reconditioning costs are added, that will allow a normal profit margin on the sale of the reconditioned unit to be generated. When there is no market for the traded-in units, no value is assigned. Traded-in units are reported as a component of inventory until reconditioned and resold, or otherwise disposed. In addition, customers may also have the opportunity to upgrade their systems, for example, by adding a fourth arm to a three-arm system, adding a second surgeon console for use with the da Vinci Si^TM and Xi^TM Surgical System or adding new vision systems to the standard da Vinci and da Vinci S^TM Surgical Systems. Such upgrades are performed by completing component level upgrades at the customer’s site. Upgrade revenue is recognized when the component level upgrades are complete and all revenue recognition criteria are met. The Company's system sale arrangements contain multiple elements including a system(s), system accessories, instruments, accessories and system service. The Company generally delivers all of the elements, other than service, within days of entering into the system sale arrangement. Each of these elements is a separate unit of accounting. System accessories, instruments, accessories and service are also sold on a stand-alone basis. For multiple-element arrangements, revenue is allocated to each unit of accounting based on their relative selling prices. Relative selling prices are based first on vendor specific objective evidence of fair value (“VSOE”), then on third-party evidence of selling price (“TPE”) when VSOE does not exist, and then on management's best estimate of the selling price (“ESP”) when VSOE and TPE do not exist. The Company’s system sale arrangements generally include a one-year period of free service, and the right for the customer to purchase service annually after that for up to four years at a stated service price. The revenue allocated to the free service period is deferred and recognized ratably over the free service period. Because the Company has neither VSOE nor TPE for its systems, the allocation of revenue is based on ESP for the systems sold. The objective of ESP is to determine the price at which the Company would transact a sale, had the product been sold on a stand-alone basis. The Company determines ESP for its systems by considering multiple factors, including, but not limited to, features and functionality of the system, geographies, type of customer, and market conditions. The Company regularly reviews ESP and maintains internal controls over the establishment and updates of these estimates. Leases The Company enters into sales-type lease and operating lease arrangements with certain qualified customers to purchase or rent its systems. Sales-type leases have on average a 5-year term and are usually collateralized by a security interest in the underlying assets. Revenue related to multiple-element arrangements are allocated to lease and non-lease elements based on their relative selling prices as prescribed by our revenue recognition policy. Lease elements generally include a da Vinci Surgical System, while non-lease elements generally include service, instruments and accessories. In determining whether a transaction should be classified as a sales-type or operating lease, the Company primarily considers the following terms: (1) whether title of the system transfers automatically or for a nominal fee at the end of the term of the lease and (2) whether the present value of the minimum lease payments are equal to or greater than 90% of the fair market value of the system at the inception of the lease. The Company generally recognizes revenue from sales-type lease arrangements at the time the system is accepted by the customer, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Revenue from sales-type leases is presented as product revenue. Revenue from operating lease arrangements is recognized as earned over the lease term, which is generally on a straight-line basis and is presented as product revenue. Revenue from operating lease arrangements was not material in any of the periods presented. Allowance for Sales Returns and Doubtful Accounts The allowance for sales returns is based on the Company’s estimates of potential future product returns and other allowances related to current period product revenue. The Company analyzes historical returns, current economic trends, and changes in customer demand and acceptance of the Company's products. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company’s assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay. In connection with the launch of the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, the Company offered certain customers who purchased a 4-arm da Vinci Si Surgical System the opportunity to trade out their systems for a da Vinci Xi Surgical System. As part of this offer, these customers are able to return their da Vinci Si Surgical System and receive a credit towards the purchase of a da Vinci Xi Surgical System. In accordance with the guidance for accounting for arrangements in which return rights exist, system revenue and associated costs in an amount equal to the Company's estimate of the number of systems that will be returned have been deferred. As of September 30, 2014, a total of $7.0 million of revenue was included in short-term deferred revenue in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets related to trade-in rights accounted for as a right of return. Subject to meeting all other criteria of the Company's revenue recognition policy, the revenue deferred is recognized at the date the da Vinci Xi Surgical Systems and related instruments and accessories are shipped and accepted by the customers.

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“financial statements”) of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have been prepared on a consistent basis with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, and include all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to fairly state the information set forth herein. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and, therefore, omit certain information and footnote disclosure necessary to present the financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S.”) (“U.S. GAAP”). These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed on February 3, 2014. The results of operations for the first nine months of fiscal 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire fiscal year or any future periods.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") determined that an unrecognized tax benefit should be presented as a reduction of a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward or other tax credit carryforward when settlement in this manner is available under applicable tax law. This guidance is effective for the Company’s interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2014. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Updates No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, requiring an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled to for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The updated standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective and permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. Early adoption is not permitted. The updated standard becomes effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2017. The Company has not yet selected a transition method and is currently evaluating the effect that the updated standard will have on the Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures.

Significant Accounting Policies

With the exception of the information provided below relating to the Company's revenue recognition, leases, and allowance for sales returns and doubtful accounts policies, there has been no change in the description of the Company's significant accounting policies included in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s revenue consists of product revenue resulting from the sales of systems, instruments and accessories, and service revenue. The Company recognizes revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or service has been rendered, the price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company generally recognizes revenue at the following points in time:

•System sales. For systems sold directly to end customers, revenue is recognized when acceptance occurs, which is deemed to have occurred upon customer acknowledgment of delivery or installation, depending on the terms of the arrangement. For systems sold through distributors, revenue is recognized when title and risk of loss has transferred, which generally occurs at the time of shipment. Distributors do not have price protection rights and the Company’s system arrangements generally do not provide a right of return. The da Vinci Surgical Systems are delivered with a software component. However, because the software and non-software elements function together to deliver the system’s essential functionality, the Company's arrangements are excluded from being accounted for under software revenue recognition guidance.

•Instruments and accessories. Revenue from sales of instruments and accessories is generally recognized at the time of shipment. The Company allows its customers in the normal course of business to return unused products for a limited period of time subsequent to initial purchase and records an allowance against revenue recognized based on historical experience.

•Service. Service revenue is recognized ratably over the term of the service period. Revenue related to services performed on a time-and-materials basis is recognized when it is earned and billable.

The Company offers its customers the opportunity to trade in their older systems for credit towards the purchase of a newer generation system. The Company generally does not provide specified price trade-in rights or upgrade rights at the time of system purchase. Such trade-in or upgrade transactions are separately negotiated based on the circumstances at the time of the trade-in or upgrade, based on the then fair value of the system, and are generally not based on any pre-existing rights granted by the Company. Accordingly, such trade-ins and upgrades are not considered as separate deliverables in the arrangement for a system sale.

As part of a trade-in transaction, the customer receives a new generation system in exchange for its pre-owned system. The trade-in credit is negotiated at the time of the trade-in and is applied towards the purchase price of the new generation unit. Traded-in systems can be reconditioned and resold. The Company accounts for trade-ins consistent with the guidance in AICPA Technical Practice Aid 5100.01, Equipment Sales Net of Trade-Ins (“TPA 5100.01”). The Company applies the accounting guidance by crediting system revenue for the negotiated price of the new generation system, while the difference between (a) the trade-in allowance and (b) the net realizable value of the traded-in system less a normal profit margin is treated as a sales allowance. The value of the traded-in system is determined as the amount, after reconditioning costs are added, that will allow a normal profit margin on the sale of the reconditioned unit to be generated. When there is no market for the traded-in units, no value is assigned. Traded-in units are reported as a component of inventory until reconditioned and resold, or otherwise disposed.

In addition, customers may also have the opportunity to upgrade their systems, for example, by adding a fourth arm to a three-arm system, adding a second surgeon console for use with the da Vinci Si^TM and Xi^TM Surgical System or adding new vision systems to the standard da Vinci and da Vinci S^TM Surgical Systems. Such upgrades are performed by completing component level upgrades at the customer’s site. Upgrade revenue is recognized when the component level upgrades are complete and all revenue recognition criteria are met.

The Company's system sale arrangements contain multiple elements including a system(s), system accessories, instruments, accessories and system service. The Company generally delivers all of the elements, other than service, within days of entering into the system sale arrangement. Each of these elements is a separate unit of accounting. System accessories, instruments, accessories and service are also sold on a stand-alone basis.

For multiple-element arrangements, revenue is allocated to each unit of accounting based on their relative selling prices. Relative selling prices are based first on vendor specific objective evidence of fair value (“VSOE”), then on third-party evidence of selling price (“TPE”) when VSOE does not exist, and then on management's best estimate of the selling price (“ESP”) when VSOE and TPE do not exist.

The Company’s system sale arrangements generally include a one-year period of free service, and the right for the customer to purchase service annually after that for up to four years at a stated service price. The revenue allocated to the free service period is deferred and recognized ratably over the free service period.

Because the Company has neither VSOE nor TPE for its systems, the allocation of revenue is based on ESP for the systems sold. The objective of ESP is to determine the price at which the Company would transact a sale, had the product been sold on a stand-alone basis. The Company determines ESP for its systems by considering multiple factors, including, but not limited to, features and functionality of the system, geographies, type of customer, and market conditions. The Company regularly reviews ESP and maintains internal controls over the establishment and updates of these estimates.

Leases

The Company enters into sales-type lease and operating lease arrangements with certain qualified customers to purchase or rent its systems. Sales-type leases have on average a 5-year term and are usually collateralized by a security interest in the underlying assets. Revenue related to multiple-element arrangements are allocated to lease and non-lease elements based on their relative selling prices as prescribed by our revenue recognition policy. Lease elements generally include a da Vinci Surgical System, while non-lease elements generally include service, instruments and accessories. In determining whether a transaction should be classified as a sales-type or operating lease, the Company primarily considers the following terms: (1) whether title of the system transfers automatically or for a nominal fee at the end of the term of the lease and (2) whether the present value of the minimum lease payments are equal to or greater than 90% of the fair market value of the system at the inception of the lease.

The Company generally recognizes revenue from sales-type lease arrangements at the time the system is accepted by the customer, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Revenue from sales-type leases is presented as product revenue. Revenue from operating lease arrangements is recognized as earned over the lease term, which is generally on a straight-line basis and is presented as product revenue. Revenue from operating lease arrangements was not material in any of the periods presented.

Allowance for Sales Returns and Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for sales returns is based on the Company’s estimates of potential future product returns and other allowances related to current period product revenue. The Company analyzes historical returns, current economic trends, and changes in customer demand and acceptance of the Company's products. The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on the Company’s assessment of the collectability of customer accounts. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering factors such as historical experience, credit quality, the age of the accounts receivable balances, and current economic conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay.

In connection with the launch of the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, the Company offered certain customers who purchased a 4-arm da Vinci Si Surgical System the opportunity to trade out their systems for a da Vinci Xi Surgical System. As part of this offer, these customers are able to return their da Vinci Si Surgical System and receive a credit towards the purchase of a da Vinci Xi Surgical System. In accordance with the guidance for accounting for arrangements in which return rights exist, system revenue and associated costs in an amount equal to the Company's estimate of the number of systems that will be returned have been deferred. As of September 30, 2014, a total of $7.0 million of revenue was included in short-term deferred revenue in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets related to trade-in rights accounted for as a right of return. Subject to meeting all other criteria of the Company's revenue recognition policy, the revenue deferred is recognized at the date the da Vinci Xi Surgical Systems and related instruments and accessories are shipped and accepted by the customers.