Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]

The following table summarizes the activity in the allowance for uncollectible accounts for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 (amounts in thousands):



Balance as of December 31, 2016	$	29,036
Additions	8,238
Deductions	(11,185		)
Balance as of September 30, 2017	$	26,089

The allowance for uncollectible accounts declined to 15.2% from 18.9% of patient accounts receivable over the nine months ended September 30, 2017. This was due to a reduction in provision of bad debts due to more timely cash collections and an increase in amounts collected. Patient accounts receivable over 180 days decreased 17% during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 due to the Company's continued process improvements. The maturity of the Company's back office and field operations, the use of the point-of-care platform, and the use of other technology advancements in reporting and analytics were the drivers of improved collections.