Related Party Transactions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Transactions Disclosure

12. Related Party Transactions

Certain surgery centers lease space from entities affiliated with their physician partners at negotiated rates that management believes were equal to fair market value at the inception of the leases based on relevant market data. Certain surgery centers reimburse their physician partners for salaries and benefits and billing fees related to time spent by employees of their practices on activities of the centers at current market rates. In addition, certain centers compensate at market rates their physician partners for physician advisory services provided to the surgery centers, including medical director and performance improvement services.

Related party payments for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 were as follows (in thousands):

	2011		2010		2009
Operating leases	$	29,137	$	26,373	$	18,176
Salaries and benefits		64,830		61,524		60,298
Billing fees		11,240		11,387		9,589
Medical advisory services		2,575		2,245		1,989

The Company also reimburses their physician partners for operating expenses paid by the physician partners to third party providers on the behalf of the surgery center. For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, reimbursed expenses were approximately 5% of other operating expenses as reported in the accompanying consolidated statement of earnings. The Company believes that the foregoing transactions are in its best interests.

It is the Company's policy that all transactions by the Company with officers, directors, five percent shareholders and their affiliates be entered into only if such transactions are on terms no less favorable to the Company than could be obtained from unaffiliated third parties, are reasonably expected to benefit the Company and are approved by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Company's Board of Directors.