Goodwill and Intangible Assets

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the fair value of the consideration provided in an acquisition over the fair value of net assets acquired and is not amortized.

The Company tests its goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently if certain indicators arise. The Company tests for goodwill impairment at the reporting unit level, which is defined as one level below an operating segment. During 2023, the Company identified two reporting units, which include the following: 1) Surgical Facilities and 2) Ancillary Services.

The Company compares the carrying value of the net assets of the reporting unit to the estimated fair value of the reporting unit. To determine the fair value of the reporting units, the Company obtained valuations at the reporting unit level prepared by third-party valuation specialists which typically utilizes a combination of the income and market approaches.

As of October 1, 2023, prior to its annual impairment testing, all of the Company's goodwill was allocated to the Surgical Facilities reporting unit. As of the October 1, 2023 valuation, the fair value for the Surgical Facilities reporting unit was substantially in excess of its carrying value. A detailed evaluation of potential impairment indicators was performed, which specifically considered changes in interest rates, inflation risk and market volatility. While the Company believes that all assumptions utilized in the testing were appropriate, they may not reflect actual outcomes that could occur. Future estimates of fair value could be adversely affected if the actual outcome of one or more of the Company's assumptions changes materially in the future, including a material decline in the Company’s stock price and the fair value of its long-term debt, lower than expected surgical case volumes, higher market interest rates or increased operating costs. Such changes impacting the calculation of fair value could result in a material impairment charge in the future.

In 2023, 2022 and 2021, there were no non-cash impairment charges.

A summary of the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill follows (in millions):


	December 31,
	2023		2022

Balance at beginning of period	$	4,137.1	$	3,911.8
Acquisitions, including post acquisition adjustments	225.9		269.7
Disposals and deconsolidations	(37.0)		(44.4)
Balance at end of period	$	4,326.0	$	4,137.1

A summary of the Company's acquisitions, disposals and deconsolidations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 is included in Note 2. "Acquisitions and Dispositions."

Intangible Assets

The Company has indefinite-lived intangible assets related to the certificates of need held in jurisdictions where certain of its surgical facilities are located, Medicare licenses and certain management rights agreements. The Company tests these intangible assets for impairment in the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently if certain indicators arise. The Company also has finite-lived intangible assets related to physician guarantee agreements, non-compete agreements and management rights agreements. Physician guarantees are amortized into salaries and benefits costs in the consolidated statements of operations over the commitment period of the contract, generally two to four years. Non-compete agreements and management rights agreements are amortized into depreciation and amortization expense in the consolidated statements of operations over the service lives of the agreements, typically ranging from two to five years for non-compete agreements and 15 years for the management rights agreements.

A summary of the components of intangible assets follows (in millions):


	December 31, 2023						December 31, 2022
	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net

Finite-lived intangible assets:
Management rights agreements	$	42.8	$	(12.0)	$	30.8	$	23.9	$	(10.2)	$	13.7
Other	30.0		(20.6)		9.4		28.5		(14.9)		13.6
Total finite-lived intangible assets	72.8		(32.6)		40.2		52.4		(25.1)		27.3
Indefinite-lived intangible assets	14.6		—		14.6		15.0		—		15.0
Total intangible assets	$	87.4	$	(32.6)	$	54.8	$	67.4	$	(25.1)	$	42.3

Amortization expense for intangible assets was $7.6 million, $6.4 million and $6.9 million for of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Total estimated amortization expense for the next five years and thereafter related to intangible assets follows (in millions):


2024	$	5.8
2025	5.3
2026	5.0
2027	3.8
2028	3.3
Thereafter	17.0
Total	$	40.2