Chemed - 10-Q quarterly report FY2012 Q1

 As used herein, the terms "We," "Company" and "Chemed" refer to Chemed Corporation or Chemed Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

We have prepared the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Chemed in accordance with Rule 10-01 of SEC Regulation S-X.  Consequently, we have omitted certain disclosures required under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements.  The December 31, 2011 balance sheet data were derived from audited financial statements but do not include all disclosures required by GAAP.  However, in our opinion, the financial statements presented herein contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.  These financial statements are prepared on the same basis as and should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Both the VITAS segment and the Roto-Rooter segment recognize service revenues and sales when the earnings process has been completed.  Generally, this occurs when services are provided or products are delivered.  VITAS recognizes revenue at the estimated realizable amount due from third-party payers.  Medicare payments are subject to certain limitations, as described below.

As of March 31, 2012, VITAS has approximately $838,000 in unbilled revenue included in accounts receivable (December 31, 2011 - $720,000).  The unbilled revenue at VITAS relates to hospice programs currently undergoing focused medical reviews (“FMR”).  During FMR, surveyors working on behalf of the U.S. Federal government review certain patient files for compliance with Medicare regulations.  During the time the patient file is under review, we are unable to bill for care provided to those patients.  We make appropriate provisions to reduce our accounts receivable balance for potential denials of patient service revenue due to FMR activity.

We actively monitor each of our hospice programs, by provider number, as to their specific admission, discharge rate and median length of stay data in an attempt to determine whether they are likely to exceed the annual per-beneficiary Medicare cap (“Medicare cap”).  Should we determine that revenues for a program are likely to exceed the Medicare cap based on projected trends, we attempt to institute corrective action to influence the patient mix or to increase patient admissions.  However, should we project our corrective action will not prevent that program from exceeding its Medicare cap, we estimate the amount of revenue recognized during the period that will require repayment to the Federal government under the Medicare cap and record the amount as a reduction to patient revenue.  The Medicare cap measurement period is from September 29 through September 28 of the following year for admissions and from November 1 through October 31 of the following year for revenue.

Vitas provides charity care, in certain circumstances, to patients without charge when management of the hospice program determines, at the time services are performed, that the patient does not have the financial wherewithal to make payment.  There is no revenue or associated accounts receivable in the accompanying consolidated financial statements related to charity care.  The cost of charity care is calculated by taking the ratio of charity care days to total days of care and multiplying by total cost of care.  The cost of charity care is as follows (in thousands):

Service revenues and sales and after-tax earnings by business segment are as follows (in thousands):

We report corporate administrative expenses and unallocated investing and financing income and expense not directly related to either segment as “Corporate”.

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2012, 1.4 million stock options were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share as their exercise prices were greater than the average market price for most of the period. For the three month period ended March 31, 2011, 979,000 stock options were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share.

Diluted earnings per share may be impacted in the future as the result of the issuance of our 1.875% Senior Convertible Notes (the “Notes”) and related purchased call options and sold warrants.  Per FASB’s authoritative guidance on the effect of contingently convertible instruments on diluted earnings per share and convertible bonds with an issuer option to settle for cash upon conversion, we will not include any shares related to the Notes in our calculation of diluted earnings per share until our average stock price for a quarter exceeds the current conversion price.  We would then include in our diluted earnings per share calculation those shares issuable using the treasury stock method.  The amount of shares issuable is based upon the amount by which the average stock price for the quarter exceeds the conversion price.  The purchased call option does not impact the calculation of diluted earnings per share as it is always anti-dilutive. The sold warrants become dilutive when our average stock price for a quarter exceeds the strike price of the warrant.

The following table provides examples of how changes in our stock price impact the number of shares that would be included in our diluted earnings per share calculation at March 31, 2012.  It also shows the impact on the number of shares issuable upon conversion of the Notes and settlement of the purchased call options and sold warrants:

On March 1, 2011, we replaced our existing credit agreement with our Revolving Credit Facility (“2011 Credit Agreement”).  Terms of the 2011 Credit Agreement consist of a five-year, $350 million revolving credit facility.  This 2011 Credit Agreement has a floating interest rate that is currently LIBOR plus 175 basis points.  The 2011 Credit Agreement also includes a $150 million expansion feature.  The 2011 Credit Agreement contains the following quarterly financial covenants:

We are in compliance with all debt covenants as of March 31, 2012.  We have issued $29.4 million in standby letters of credit as of March 31, 2012 for insurance purposes.  Issued letters of credit reduce our available credit under the 2011 Credit Agreement.  As of March 31, 2012, we have approximately $320.6 million of unused lines of credit available and eligible to be drawn down under our revolving credit facility, excluding the $150 million expansion feature.

On February 17, 2012, the Compensation/Incentive Committee of the Board of Directors (“CIC”) approved a grant of 35,969 shares of restricted stock to certain key employees.  The restricted shares cliff vest four years from the date of issuance.  The cumulative compensation expense related to the restricted stock award is $2.3 million and will be recognized ratably over the 4 year vesting period.  We assumed no forfeitures in determining the cumulative compensation expense of the grant.

On February 17, 2012, the CIC approved a grant of 442,350 stock options to certain employees.  The stock options vest ratably over three years from the date of issuance.  The cumulative compensation expense related to the stock option grant is $7.1 million and will be recognized over the 3 year vesting period.  We used the Black-Scholes option valuation method to determine the cumulative compensation expense of the grant.

The Roto-Rooter segment sublicenses with 64 independent contractors to operate certain plumbing repair and drain cleaning businesses in lesser-populated areas of the United States and Canada.  We had notes receivable from our independent contractors as of March 31, 2012 totaling $1.1 million (December 31, 2011 - $1.1 million).  In most cases these loans are fully or partially secured by equipment owned by the contractor.  The interest rates on the loans range from 0% to 8% per annum and the remaining terms of the loans range from 2 months to 5 years at March 31, 2012.  We recorded the following from our independent contractors (in thousands):

All of the Company’s plans that provide retirement and similar benefits are defined contribution plans.  These expenses include the impact of market gains and losses on assets held in deferred compensation plans.  Expenses for the Company’s pension and profit-sharing plans, excess benefit plans and other similar plans are as follows (in thousands):

On March 1, 2010 Anthony Morangelli and Frank Ercole filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court for the Eastern District of New York seeking unpaid minimum wages and overtime service technician compensation from Roto-Rooter and Chemed.  They also seek payment of penalties, interest and plaintiffs’ attorney fees.  We contest these allegations.  In September 2010, the Court conditionally certified a nationwide class of service technicians, excluding those who signed dispute resolution agreements in which they agreed to arbitrate claims arising out of their employment.  We are unable to estimate our potential liability, if any, with respect to this case.

VITAS is party to a class action lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, in September 2006 by Bernadette Santos, Keith Knoche and Joyce White.  This case alleges failure to pay overtime and failure to provide meal and rest periods to a purported class of California admissions nurses, chaplains and sales representatives.  The case seeks payment of penalties, interest and Plaintiffs’ attorney fees.  We contest these allegations.  In December 2009, the trial court denied Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification.  In July 2011, the Court of Appeals affirmed denial of class certification on the travel time, meal and rest period claims, and reversed the trial court’s denial on the off-the-clock and sales representation exemption claims.  Plaintiffs have filed an appeal of this decision.  We are unable to estimate our potential liability or potential range of loss, if any, with respect to this case.

On November 14, 2011 Luann and Michael Cosgrove and Dawn Mills filed a class action lawsuit against Roto-Rooter in Minnesota state district court for the 4th Judicial District alleging unnecessary excavation work in Minnesota.  We removed the case to federal court.  Plaintiffs seek damages, injunctive relief, attorney fees and interest.  We contest these allegations.  This lawsuit is in its early stage and we are unable to estimate our potential liability, if any, with respect to these allegations.

On January 12, 2012, the Greater Pennsylvania Carpenters Pension Fund filed a putative class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against the Company, Kevin McNamara, David Williams, and Tim O’Toole.  It alleges violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 against all defendants, and violation of Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the individual defendants. The suit, Greater Pennsylvania Carpenters Pension Fund v. Chemed Corp., et al., Civil Action No. 1:12-cv-28 (S.D. Ohio), concerns the VITAS hospice segment of the Company's business.   Plaintiff seeks, on behalf of a putative class of purchasers of Chemed Capital Stock between February 15, 2010 and November 16, 2011, compensatory damages in an unspecified amount and attorneys' fees and expenses, arising from defendants' failure to disclose an alleged fraudulent scheme to enroll ineligible hospice patients and to fraudulently obtain payments from the federal government.   Defendants believe the allegations are without merit, and intend to defend vigorously against them.

Regardless of outcome, defense of litigation adversely affects us through defense costs, diversion of our time and related publicity.

In May 2009, VITAS received an administrative subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice requesting VITAS deliver to the OIG documents, patient records, and policy and procedure manuals for headquarters and its Texas programs concerning hospice services provided for the period January 1, 2003 to the date of the letter.  In August 2009, the OIG selected medical records for 59 past and current patients from a Texas program for review.   In February 2010, VITAS received a companion civil investigative demand (“CID”) from the State of Texas Attorney General’s Office, seeking related documents. In September 2010, it received a second CID and a second administrative subpoena seeking related documents.  In April 2011, the U.S. Attorney provided the Company with a copy of qui tam complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.  The Court unsealed this complaint in November 2011.  The U.S. Attorney and the Attorney General for the State of Texas filed a notice in November 2011 that they had decided not to intervene at that time in the case.  They continue to investigate its allegations.  It was brought by Michael Rehfelt, a former Vitas San Antonio program general manager, against Vitas, the program’s former Regional Vice President Keith Becker, its former Medical Director Justos Cisneros, and their current employers:  Wellmed Medical Management, Care Level Management LLC, and Inspiris Inc.  Plaintiff dismissed his case against their current employers in March of 2012.  The case alleges admission and recertification of inappropriate patients, backdating revocations, and conspiring to admit inappropriate patients to hospice.  In June 2011, the U.S. Attorney provided the Company with a partially unsealed second qui tam complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District court for the Western District of Texas.  In June 2011, the U.S. Attorney also provided the Company with a partially unsealed third qui tam complaint filed under seal in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.  We are conferring with the U.S. Attorney regarding the Company’s defenses to each complaint’s allegations.  We can neither predict the outcome of this investigation nor estimate our potential liability, if any.  We believe that we are in compliance with Medicare and Medicaid rules and regulations applicable to hospice providers.

In April 2005, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) for the Department of Health and Human Services served VITAS with civil subpoenas relating to VITAS’ alleged failure to appropriately bill Medicare and Medicaid for hospice services.  As part of this investigation, the OIG selected medical records for 320 past and current patients from VITAS’ three largest programs for review.  It also sought policies and procedures dating back to 1998 covering admissions, certifications, recertifications and discharges.  During the third quarter of 2005 and again in May 2006, the OIG requested additional information from us.  The Court dismissed a related qui tam complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida with prejudice in July 2007.  The plaintiffs appealed this dismissal, which the Court of Appeals affirmed.  The government continues to investigate the complaint’s allegations.  In March 2009, we received a letter from the government reiterating the basis of their investigation.  We are unable to estimate our potential liability, if any, with respect to this matter.

VITAS has pharmacy services agreements ("Agreements") with Omnicare, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“OCR”) whereby OCR provides specified pharmacy services for VITAS and its hospice patients in geographical areas served by both VITAS and OCR.  The Agreements renew automatically for one-year terms.  Either party may cancel the Agreements at the end of any term by giving 90 days prior written notice.  VITAS made purchases from OCR of $10.0 million and $9.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.  For March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, purchases from this vendor represent over 90% of all pharmacy services used by VITAS.

Included in accounts payable at March 31, 2012 is cash overdrafts payable of $10.5 million (December 31, 2011 - $10.3 million).

From time to time throughout the year, we invest excess cash in money market funds or repurchase agreements directly with major commercial banks.  We do not physically hold the collateral for repurchase agreements, but the term is less than 10 days.  We closely monitor the creditworthiness of the institutions with which we invest our overnight funds and the quality of the collateral underlying those investments.  We had $26.3 million in cash equivalents as of   March 31, 2012.  There was $32.5 million in cash equivalents as of December 31, 2011.  The weighted average rate of return for our cash equivalents was 0.2% for March 31, 2012 and 0.1% for December 31, 2011.

FASB’s authoritative guidance on fair value measurements defines a hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs in fair value measurements.  Level 1 measurements are measurements using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.  Level 2 measurements use significant other observable inputs.  Level 3 measurements are measurements using significant unobservable inputs which require a company to develop its own assumptions.  In recording the fair value of assets and liabilities, companies must use the most reliable measurement available.

We repurchased the following capital stock for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011:

The operating results of this business combination have been included in our results of operations since the acquisition date and are not material for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012.