Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

6.	Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses:

Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following (in thousands):


	September 30, 2016		December 31, 2015
Accounts payable	$	23,346	$	21,969
Accrued salaries and bonuses		184,450		233,499
Accrued payroll taxes and benefits		64,938		58,979
Accrued professional liabilities		26,988		25,995
Accrued contingent consideration		7,086		13,565
Accrued uncertain tax positions		—		7,000
Accrued interest		14,884		2,655
Other accrued expenses		41,599		32,145

	$	363,291	$	395,807

The net decrease in accrued salaries and bonuses of $49.0 million, from December 31, 2015 to September 30, 2016, is primarily due to the payment of performance-based incentive compensation, principally to the Company’s physicians, partially offset by performance-based incentive compensation accrued during the nine months ended September 30, 2016. A majority of the Company’s payments for performance-based incentive compensation is paid annually during the first quarter.