Noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions and other commitments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions and other commitments

Noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions and other commitments

The Company has potential obligations to purchase the noncontrolling interests held by third parties in several of its majority-owned and other nonconsolidated entities. These obligations are in the form of put provisions and are exercisable at the third-party owners’ discretion within specified periods as outlined in each specific put provision. If these put provisions were exercised, the Company would be required to purchase the third-party owners’ equity interests at either the appraised fair market value or a predetermined multiple of earnings or cash flow attributable to the equity interests put to the Company, which is intended to approximate fair value. The methodology the Company uses to estimate the fair values of noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions assumes the higher of either a liquidation value of net assets or an average multiple of earnings, based on historical earnings, patient mix and other performance indicators that can affect future results, as well as other factors. The estimated fair values of the noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions is a critical accounting estimate that involves significant judgments and assumptions and may not be indicative of the actual values at which the noncontrolling interests may ultimately be settled, which could vary significantly from the Company’s current estimates. The estimated fair values of noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions can fluctuate and the implicit multiple of earnings at which these noncontrolling interest obligations may be settled could vary significantly depending upon market conditions including potential purchasers’ access to the capital markets, which can impact the level of competition for dialysis and non-dialysis related businesses, the economic performance of these businesses and the restricted marketability of the third-party owners’ equity interests. The amount of noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions that employ a contractually predetermined multiple of earnings rather than fair value are immaterial.

The Company has certain other potential commitments to provide operating capital to several dialysis centers that are wholly-owned by third parties or businesses in which the Company maintains a noncontrolling equity interest as well as to physician-owned vascular access clinics or medical practices that the Company operates under management and administrative services agreements of approximately $3,441.

Certain consolidated joint ventures are originally contractually scheduled to dissolve after terms ranging from 10 to 50 years. Accordingly, the noncontrolling interests in these partnerships are considered mandatorily redeemable instruments, for which the classification and measurement requirements have been indefinitely deferred. Future distributions upon dissolution of these entities would be valued below the related noncontrolling interest carrying balances in the consolidated balance sheet.