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Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
Document And Entity Information	Jun. 30, 2017 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Entity Registrant Name	CHEMED CORP
Trading Symbol	CHE
Entity Central Index Key	0000019584
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	15,991,878

Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheet - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 13,753	$ 15,310
Accounts receivable less allowances of $16,193 (2016 - $14,236)	117,906	132,021
Inventories	5,618	5,755
Prepaid income taxes	4,537	3,709
Prepaid expenses	14,678	13,105
Total current assets	156,492	169,900
Investments of deferred compensation plans	58,579	54,389
Properties and equipment, at cost, less accumulated depreciation of $222,332 (2016 - $211,290)	140,209	121,302
Identifiable intangible assets less accumulated amortization of $32,827 (2016 - $33,225)	54,737	55,065
Goodwill	472,897	472,366
Deferred income taxes	20,593	8
Other assets	6,767	7,029
Total Assets	910,274	880,059
Current liabilities
Accounts payable	49,154	39,586
Current portion of long-term debt	10,000	8,750
Income taxes	3,815
Accrued insurance	44,905	47,960
Accrued compensation	48,082	53,979
Accrued legal	92,502	1,805
Other current liabilities	20,142	19,752
Total current liabilities	268,600	171,832
Deferred income taxes		14,291
Long-term debt	115,000	100,000
Deferred compensation liabilities	57,811	54,288
Other liabilities	15,780	15,549
Total Liabilities	457,191	355,960
Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)
Stockholders' Equity
Capital stock - authorized 80,000,000 shares $1 par; issued 34,470,426 shares (2016 - 34,270,104 shares)	34,470	34,270
Paid-in capital	661,553	639,703
Retained earnings	957,941	958,149
Treasury stock - 18,563,720 shares (2016 - 18,083,527)	(1,203,077)	(1,110,536)
Deferred compensation payable in Company stock	2,196	2,513
Total Stockholders' Equity	453,083	524,099
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity	$ 910,274	$ 880,059

Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheet [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowances	$ 16,193	$ 14,236
Properties and equipment, accumulated depreciation	222,332	211,290
Identifiable intangible assets, accumulated amortization	$ 32,827	$ 33,225
Capital stock - authorized	80,000,000	80,000,000
Capital stock - par value	$ 1	$ 1
Capital stock - issued	34,470,426	34,270,104
Treasury stock	18,563,720	18,083,527

Unaudited Consolidated Statement Of Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Unaudited Consolidated Statement Of Income [Abstract]
Service revenues and sales	$ 415,059	$ 390,409	$ 820,923	$ 780,798
Cost of services provided and goods sold (excluding depreciation)	285,852	276,255	570,992	554,690
Selling, general and administrative expenses	68,654	62,628	138,112	121,673
Depreciation	8,833	8,581	17,726	17,005
Amortization	32	91	78	183
Other operating expenses	90,636	4,491	91,509	4,491
Total costs and expenses	454,007	352,046	818,417	698,042
Income/(loss) from operations	(38,948)	38,363	2,506	82,756
Interest expense	(1,121)	(971)	(2,116)	(1,813)
Other income/(expense) - net	1,653	3,217	4,116	293
Income/(loss) before income taxes	(38,416)	40,609	4,506	81,236
Income taxes	16,760	(15,724)	3,682	(31,511)
Net income/(loss)	$ (21,656)	$ 24,885	$ 8,188	$ 49,725
Earnings/(Loss) Per Share
Net income/(loss)	$ (1.35)	$ 1.51	$ 0.51	$ 3.00
Average number of shares outstanding	16,010	16,443	16,114	16,583
Diluted Earnings/(Loss) Per Share
Net income/(loss)	$ (1.35)	$ 1.48	$ 0.49	$ 2.93
Average number of shares outstanding	16,010	16,831	16,758	16,999
Cash Dividends Per Share	$ 0.26	$ 0.24	$ 0.52	$ 0.48

Unaudited Consolidated Statement Of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net income	$ 8,188	$ 49,725
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	17,804	17,188
Provision for uncollectible accounts receivable	8,250	8,124
Stock option expense	6,055	4,840
Benefit for deferred income taxes	(34,876)	(4,244)
Potential litigation settlement	90,000
Noncash early retirement expense		1,747
Amortization of restricted stock awards	638	974
Noncash directors' compensation	766	541
Noncash long-term incentive compensation	1,783	196
Amortization of debt issuance costs	258	260
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Decrease/(increase) in accounts receivable	5,804	(839)
Decrease in inventories	137	194
Increase in prepaid expenses	(1,573)	(2,605)
Decrease in accounts payable and other current liabilities	(6,931)	(4,879)
Increase in income taxes	2,982	3,109
Increase in other assets	(4,152)	(3,636)
Increase in other liabilities	3,754	4,145
Excess tax benefit on share-based compensation		(1,383)
Other sources/(uses)	1,437	(9)
Net cash provided by operating activities	100,324	73,448
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Capital expenditures	(28,133)	(19,983)
Business combinations	(525)
Other sources	87	214
Net cash used by investing activities	(28,571)	(19,769)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Proceeds from long-term debt	135,800	92,400
Payments on revolving line of credit	(115,800)	(32,400)
Purchases of treasury stock	(85,063)	(94,337)
Change in cash overdrafts payable	(1,090)	(5,440)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	10,398	3,533
Capital stock surrendered to pay taxes on stock-based compensation	(5,716)	(5,163)
Dividends paid	(8,396)	(8,039)
Payments on other long-term debt	(3,750)	(3,750)
Excess tax benefit on share-based compensation		1,383
Other sources	307	881
Net cash used by financing activities	(73,310)	(50,932)
Increase/(Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents	(1,557)	2,747
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year	15,310	14,727
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 13,753	$ 17,474

Basis Of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Basis Of Presentation	Jun. 30, 2017
Basis Of Presentation [Abstract]
Basis Of Presentation	1. Basis of Presentation 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, 2016 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 state 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 audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. EARNINGS PER SHARE In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update “ASU No. 2016-09 - Compensation – Stock Compensation” which is part of the FASB’s Simplification Initiative. The object of this initiative is to identify, evaluate, and improve areas of GAAP. The areas of simplification in this initiative involve several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The guidance was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We adopted the applicable provisions of ASU 2016-09 on a prospective basis. The impact of this ASU on our financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 was to decrease our income tax expense by $2.6 million as the result of excess tax benefits on stock based compensation being recorded on the statements of income. This, combined with the required change in diluted share count, resulted in an increase to basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.17. The impact of this ASU on our financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2017 was to decrease our income tax expense by $6.3 million as the result of excess tax benefits on stock based compensation being recorded on the statements of income. This, combined with the required change in diluted share count, resulted in an increase to basic earnings per share by $0.39 and an increase to diluted earnings per share by $0.38. INCOME TAXES The effective tax rate for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2017 was 43.6% (income tax benefit on pre-tax loss) and 81.7% (income tax benefit on pre-tax income), respectively. These rates differ from the US statutory tax rates primarily as the result of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 described above. The remaining difference relates to our normal, small permanent differences between book and tax income having a larger than normal impact on our effective rate due to a lower absolute dollar value of pretax income (loss). These permanent differences generally do not significantly impact our effective rate. However, as described fully in footnote 11, we recorded a charge during the quarter for potential litigation settlement of $90 million causing a decrease in pretax income (increase in pretax loss).

Revenue Recognition

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Revenue Recognition [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

2. Revenue Recognition

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 shipped. VITAS recognizes revenue at the estimated realizable amount due from third-party payers. Medicare payments are subject to certain limitations, as described below.

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.

In 2013, the U.S. government implemented automatic budget reductions of 2.0% for all government payees, including hospice benefits paid under the Medicare program. In 2015, CMS determined that the Medicare cap should be calculated “as if” sequestration did not occur. As a result of this decision, VITAS has received notification from our third party intermediary that an additional $2.2 million is owed for Medicare cap in three programs arising during the 2013, 2014 and 2015 measurement periods. The amounts were automatically deducted from our semi-monthly PIP payments. We do not believe that CMS is authorized under the sequestration authority or the statutory methodology for establishing the Medicare cap to demand the $2.2 million under their “as if” methodology. We have not recorded a reserve as of June 30, 2017 for $1.9 million of the potential exposure. We have appealed CMS’s methodology change with the appropriate regulatory appeal board.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively, no Medicare cap was recorded.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively, we recorded $247,000 for two programs cap liability for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 measurement periods of the amount recorded, $105,000 relates to the sequestration issue described above.

Shown below is the Medicare cap liability activity for the fiscal periods ended (in thousands):



	June 30,
	2017		2016
Beginning balance January 1,	$	235	$	1,165
Prior measurement periods		247		-
Payments		-		(618)
Ending balance June 30,	$	482	$	547

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 cannot afford 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):



Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
2017			2016	2017		2016
$	1,761	$	1,715	$	3,698	$	3,521

Segments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Segments [Abstract]

Segments

3. Segments

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



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Service Revenues and Sales
VITAS	$	284,710	$	278,739	$	567,026	$	556,266
Roto-Rooter		130,349		111,670		253,897		224,532
Total	$	415,059	$	390,409	$	820,923	$	780,798

After-tax Income/(Loss)
VITAS	$	(32,254)	$	18,550	$	(11,657)	$	37,637
Roto-Rooter		17,058		13,341		31,682		26,359
Total		(15,196)		31,891		20,025		63,996
Corporate		(6,460)		(7,006)		(11,837)		(14,271)
Net income	$	(21,656)	$	24,885	$	8,188	$	49,725

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

Earnings/(Loss) Per Share

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Earnings/(Loss) Per Share[Abstract]

Earnings/(Loss) Per Share

4. Earnings/(Loss) per Share

Earnings/(loss) per share (“EPS”/”LPS”) are computed using the weighted average number of shares of capital stock outstanding. Earnings and diluted earnings per share are computed as follows (in thousands, except per share data):


			Net Income/(Loss)
For the Three Months Ended June 30,		Income/(Loss)		Shares	Earnings/(Loss) per Share
2017
	Loss	$	(21,656)	16,010	$	(1.35)
	Dilutive stock options		-	-
	Nonvested stock awards		-	-
	Diluted loss	$	(21,656)	16,010	$	(1.35)

2016
	Earnings	$	24,885	16,443	$	1.51
	Dilutive stock options		-	289
	Nonvested stock awards		-	99
	Diluted earnings	$	24,885	16,831	$	1.48


			Net Income
For the Six Months Ended June 30,		Income		Shares	Earnings per Share
2017
	Earnings	$	8,188	16,114	$	0.51
	Dilutive stock options		-	557
	Nonvested stock awards		-	87
	Diluted earnings	$	8,188	16,758	$	0.49

2016
	Earnings	$	49,725	16,583	$	3.00
	Dilutive stock options		-	297
	Nonvested stock awards		-	119
	Diluted earnings	$	49,725	16,999	$	2.93

For the three months ended June 30, 2017, all stock options and nonvested stock awards have been excluded in the calculation of dilutive earnings per share as they be would anti-dilutive due to the net loss for the period.

For the six month period ended June 30, 2017, there were no stock options excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because they would have been anti-dilutive.

For the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2016, 418,000 stock options were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because they would have been anti-dilutive.

Long-Term Debt

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Long-Term Debt [Abstract]

Long-Term Debt

5. Long-Term Debt

On June 30, 2014, we replaced our existing credit agreement with the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (“2014 Credit Agreement”). Terms of the 2014 Credit Agreement consist of a five-year, $350 million revolving credit facility and a $100 million term loan. The 2014 Credit Agreement has a floating interest rate that is generally LIBOR plus a tiered additional rate which varies based on our current leverage ratio. The interest rate as of June 30, 2017 is LIBOR plus 113 basis points.

The debt outstanding as of June 30, 2017 consists of the following:


Revolver	$	45,000
Term loan		80,000
Total		125,000
Current portion of long-term debt		(10,000)
Long-term debt	$	115,000

Scheduled principal payments of the term loan are as follows:


2017	$	5,000
2018		10,000
2019		65,000
	$	80,000

The 2014 Credit Agreement contains the following quarterly financial covenants:



Description		Requirement

Leverage Ratio (Consolidated Indebtedness/Consolidated Adj. EBITDA)		< 3.50 to 1.00

Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (Consolidated Free Cash Flow/Consolidated Fixed Charges)		> 1.50 to 1.00

Annual Operating Lease Commitment		< $50.0 million

We are in compliance with all debt covenants as of June 30, 2017. We have issued $36.1 million in standby letters of credit as of June 30, 2017 mainly for insurance purposes. Issued letters of credit reduce our available credit under the 2014 Credit Agreement. As of June 30, 2017, we have approximately $268.9 million of unused lines of credit available and eligible to be drawn down under our revolving credit facility.

Other Operating Expenses

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Other Operating Expenses [Abstract]

Other Operating Expenses

6. Other Operating Expenses


	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016

Potential litigation settlement	$	90,000	$	-	$	90,000	$	-
Program closure expense		636		-		1,509		-
Retirement expenses		-		4,491		-		4,491
Total other operating expenses	$	90,636	$	4,491	$	91,509	$	4,491

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company recorded $90 million for a potential litigation settlement. See footnote 11 for further discussion.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company recorded $636,000 and $1.5 million, respectively, related to the closure of three Alabama programs at VITAS.

During the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, the Company recorded early retirement related costs and accelerated stock-based compensation expense of approximately $4.5 million pretax and $2.8 million after-tax, related to the early retirement of VITAS’ former Chief Executive Officer.

Other Income/(Expense) - Net

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Other Income/(Expense) - Net [Abstract]

Other Income/(Expense) - Net

7. Other Income/(Expense) – Net

Other income/(expense) -- net comprises the following (in thousands):



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Market value adjustment on assets held in
deferred compensation trust	$	1,587	$	3,188	$	4,202	$	201
Loss on disposal of property and equipment		(98)		(57)		(334)		(90)
Interest income		161		85		245		182
Other - net		3		1		3		-
Total other income/(expense) - net	$	1,653	$	3,217	$	4,116	$	293

Stock-Based Compensation Plans	6 Months Ended
Stock-Based Compensation Plans	Jun. 30, 2017
Stock-Based Compensation Plans [Abstract]
Stock-Based Compensation Plans	8. Stock-Based Compensation Plans On February 17, 2017, the Compensation/Incentive Committee of the Board of Directors (“CIC”) granted 7,304 Performance Stock Units (“PSUs”) contingent upon the achievement of certain total shareholders return (“TSR”) targets as compared to the TSR of a group of peer companies for the three-year period ending December 31, 2019, the date at which such awards vest. The cumulative compensation cost of the TSR-based PSU award to be recorded over the three year service period is $1.7 million. On February 17, 2017, the CIC also granted 7,304 PSUs contingent upon the achievement of certain earnings per share (“EPS”) targets for the three-year period ending December 31, 2019. At the end of each reporting period, the Company estimates the number of shares that it believes will ultimately be earned and records that expense over the service period of the award. We currently estimate the cumulative compensation cost of the EPS-based PSUs to be recorded over the three year service period is $1.3 million.

Independent Contractor Operations

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Independent Contractor Operations [Abstract]

Independent Contractor Operations

9. Independent Contractor Operations

The Roto-Rooter segment sublicenses with 69 independent contractors to operate certain plumbing repair, excavation, water restoration and drain cleaning businesses in lesser-populated areas of the United States and Canada. We had notes receivable from our independent contractors as of June 30, 2017 totaling $1.4 million (December 31, 2016 - $1.7 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 7% per annum and the remaining terms of the loans range from 2.5 months to 5.4 years at June 30, 2017. We recorded the following from our independent contractors (in thousands):



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Revenues	$	11,151	$	9,770	$	22,176	$	19,629
Pretax income		6,742		6,024		13,431		12,180

Retirement Plans

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Retirement Plans [Abstract]

Retirement Plans

10. Retirement Plans

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 retirement and profit-sharing plans, excess benefit plans and other similar plans are as follows (in thousands):



Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
2017		2016		2017		2016
$	4,551	$	5,861	$	10,709	$	6,387

Legal And Regulatory Matters	6 Months Ended
Legal And Regulatory Matters	Jun. 30, 2017
Legal And Regulatory Matters [Abstract]
Legal And Regulatory Matters	11. Legal and Regulatory Matters The VITAS segment of the Company’s business operates in a heavily-regulated industry. As a result, the Company is subjected to inquiries and investigations by various government agencies, as well as to lawsuits, including qui tam actions. The following sections describe the various ongoing material lawsuits and investigations of which the Company is currently aware. Other than as described below with respect to U.S. v. Vitas, it is not possible at this time for us to estimate either the timing or outcome of any of those matters, or whether any potential loss, or range of potential losses, is probable or reasonably estimable. Regulatory Matters and Litigation On May 2, 2013, the government filed a False Claims Act complaint against the Company and certain of its hospice-related subsidiaries in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, United States v. VITAS Hospice Services, LLC, et al., No. 4:13-cv-00449-BCW (the “2013 Action”). Prior to that date, the Company received various qui tam lawsuits and subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice and OIG that have been previously disclosed. The 2013 Action alleges that, since at least 2002, VITAS, and since 2004, the Company, submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the Medicare program by (a) billing Medicare for continuous home care services when the patients were not eligible, the services were not provided, or the medical care was inappropriate, and (b) billing Medicare for patients who were not eligible for the Medicare hospice benefit because they did not have a life expectancy of six months or less if their illnesses ran their normal course. This complaint seeks treble damages, statutory penalties, and the costs of the action, plus interest. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss on September 24, 2013. On September 30, 2014, the Court denied the motion, except to the extent that claims were filed before July 24, 2002. On November 13, 2014, the government filed a Second Amended Complaint. The Second Amended Complaint changed and supplemented some of the allegations, but did not otherwise expand the causes of action or the nature of the relief sought against VITAS. VITAS filed its Answer to the Second Amended Complaint on August 11, 2015. This case is in the discovery phase. Based on recent case developments, including recent mediation discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice, we believe it probable that this matter will be settled, to include payments of $55.8 million after-tax ($90.0 million pretax) including attorneys’ fees. A final settlement will require the parties to resolve several outstanding issues, and to draft and negotiate definitive documentation. There can be no assurance that such a final definitive settlement will be reached on these, or other, terms. For additional procedural history of this litigation, please refer to our prior quarterly and annual filings. The costs incurred related to U.S. v. Vitas and related regulatory matters were $2.1 million and $1.2 million for the quarters ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, the net costs were $4.2 million and $3.5 million respectively. Net income/(loss) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 includes the $55.8 million of after-tax expense ($90 million pre-tax) for the accrual of such potential litigation settlement. As required by U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the Company accrues for contingent loss claims in its financial statements when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company and certain current and former directors and officers are defendants in a case captioned In re Chemed Corp. Shareholder Derivative Litigation, No. 13 Civ. 1854 (LPS) (CJB) (D. Del.), which was consolidated on February 2, 2015. On February 2, 2015, the Court appointed KBC Asset Management NV the sole lead plaintiff and its counsel, the sole lead and liaison counsel. On March 3, 2015, Lead Plaintiff KBC designated its Complaint as the operative complaint in the consolidated proceedings and defendants renewed a previously filed motion to dismiss those claims and allegations. The consolidated Complaint named fourteen individual defendants, together with the Company as nominal defendant. The Complaint alleges a claim for breach of fiduciary duty against the individual defendants for allegedly permitting the Company to submit false claims to the U.S. government. The Complaint seeks (a) a declaration that the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties to the Company; (b) an order requiring those defendants to pay compensatory damages, restitution and exemplary damages, in unspecified amounts, to the Company; (c) an order directing the Company to implement new policies and procedures; and (d) costs and disbursements incurred in bringing the action, including attorneys’ fees. On May 12, 2016, the Court issued a Memorandum Order granting Chemed’s motion to dismiss, and dismissing Lead Plaintiff KBC’s Complaint without prejudice to KBC’s opportunity to file within 30 days of the date of the Court’s Order (i.e., by June 13, 2016) an amended Complaint addressing the deficiencies in its duty of loyalty claim. Lead Plaintiff KBC did not file an amended Complaint within the time specified by the Court. However, on June 13, 2016, counsel for Chemed shareholder Michael Kvint filed a letter with the Court requesting a two-week extension to file a motion to substitute Mr. Kvint as lead plaintiff, in place of Lead Plaintiff KBC and to file an amended Complaint. Alternatively, counsel for Mr. Kvint requested that any dismissal of the action be with prejudice to KBC only. On June 14, 2016, Chemed filed a reply letter with the Court, reserving its rights to oppose any motion filed by Mr. Kvint and, if warranted, to oppose any other actions taken by Mr. Kvint to proceed with the action (including by filing an untimely amended Complaint). On June 21, 2016, the Court entered an Oral Order providing Mr. Kvint until June 30, 2016 to file a Motion to Substitute and Motion for Leave to File an Amended Complaint. On that date, Mr. Kvint filed, under seal, a Motion to Substitute Plaintiff and File Amended Complaint, and attached a Proposed Amended Complaint. Mr. Kvint’s motion was fully briefed by the parties. On April 25, 2017, Magistrate Judge Burke issued a Report and Recommendation recommending that the Court permit Mr. Kvint to intervene as Lead Plaintiff and grant leave to amend the complaint to replead the duty of loyalty claim only. On May 16, 2017, Chief Judge Stark signed an Order adopting that Report and Recommendation. Plaintiff Kvint filed a Corrected Amended Complaint on May 30, 2017. On July 25, 2017, the Court entered an order permitting Defendants to file a Motion to Dismiss the Corrected Amended Complaint on or before August 14, 2017, with Plaintiff’s Answering Brief in opposition to the Motion to Dismiss to be filed on or before October 16, 2017, and Defendants’ Reply Brief in support of the Motion to Dismiss to be filed on or before November 13, 2017. As the Company has previously disclosed, the legal fees and costs associated with defending against this lawsuit are presently being paid by insurance. For additional procedural history of this litigation, please refer to our prior quarterly and annual filings. Jordan Seper, (“Seper”) a Registered Nurse at VITAS' Inland Empire program from May 12, 2014 to March 21, 2015, filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court on September 26, 2016. She alleged VITAS Healthcare Corp of CA (“VITAS CA”) (1) failed to provide minimum wage for all hours worked; (2) failed to provide overtime for all hours worked; (3) failed to provide a second meal period; (4) failed to provide rest breaks; (5) failed to indemnify for necessary expenditures; (6) failed to timely pay wages due at time of separation; and (7) engaged in unfair business practices. Seper seeks a state-wide class action of current and former non-exempt employees employed with VITAS in California within the four years preceding the filing of the lawsuit. She seeks court determination that this action may be maintained as a class action for the entire California class and subclasses, designation as class representative, declaratory relief, injunctive relief, damages (including wages for regular or overtime hours allegedly worked but not paid, premium payments for missed meal or rest periods, and unreimbursed expenses), all applicable penalties associated with each claim, pre and post-judgment interest, and attorneys' fees and costs. Seper served VITAS CA with the lawsuit, Jordan A. Seper on behalf of herself and others similarly situated v. VITAS Healthcare Corporation of California, a Delaware corporation; VITAS Healthcare Corp of CA, a business entity unknown; and DOES 1 to 100, inclusive; Los Angeles Superior Court Case Number BC 642857 on October 13, 2016. On November 14, 2016, the Parties filed a Stipulation to transfer the venue of the lawsuit from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Superior Court Complex Division accepted transfer of the case on December 6, 2016 and stayed the case. On December 16, 2016, VITAS CA filed its Answer and served written discovery on Seper. Jiwan Chhina ("Chhina"), hired by VITAS as a Home Health Aide on February 5, 2002, is currently a Licensed Vocational Nurse for VITAS' San Diego program. On September 27, 2016, Chhina filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court, alleging (1) failure to pay minimum wage for all hours worked; (2) failure to provide overtime for all hours worked; (3) failure to pay wages for all hours at the regular rate; (4) failure to provide meal periods; (5) failure to provide rest breaks; (6) failure to provide complete and accurate wage statements; (7) failure to pay for all reimbursement expenses; (8) unfair business practices; and (9) violation of the California Private Attorneys General Act. Chhina seeks to pursue these claims in the form of a state-wide class action of current and former non-exempt employees employed with VITAS in California within the four years preceding the filing of the lawsuit. He seeks court determination that this action may be maintained as a class action for the entire California class and subclasses, designation as class representative, declaratory relief, injunctive relief, damages (including wages for regular or overtime hours allegedly worked but not paid, premium payments for missed meal or rest periods, and unreimbursed expenses), all applicable penalties associated with each claim, pre-judgment interest, and attorneys' fees and costs. Chhina served VITAS CA with the lawsuit, Jiwann Chhina v. VITAS Health Services of California, Inc., a California corporation; VITAS Healthcare Corporation of California, a Delaware corporation; VITAS Healthcare Corporation of California, a Delaware corporation dba VITAS Healthcare, Inc.; and DOES 1 to 100, inclusive; San Diego Superior Court Case Number 37-2015-00033978-CU-OE-CTL on November 3, 2016. On December 1, 2016, VITAS filed its Answer and served written discovery on Chhina. The Court in Seper lifted the stay at the Initial Status Conference on May 11, 2017. At the Conference, Seper’s counsel informed the Court that he was in contact with Jiwan Chhina’s counsel to consolidate the two cases. The Court set a Further Status Conference for July 13, 2017 expressly to receive a status update on the consolidation efforts. If the cases are consolidated and proceed under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Superior Court Complex Division, the Chhina case in the San Diego Superior Court would then be dismissed. The Parties have agreed to stay further discovery efforts pending the issue of consolidation of the two cases. Counsel for Seper and counsel for Chhina are currently preparing a joint Amended Complaint. The Company is not able to reasonably estimate the probability of loss or range of loss for either of these lawsuits at this time. The Company intends to defend vigorously against the allegations in each of the above lawsuits. Regardless of the outcome of any of the preceding matters, dealing with the various regulatory agencies and opposing parties can adversely affect us through defense costs, potential payments, diversion of management time, and related publicity. Although the Company intends to defend them vigorously, there can be no assurance that those suits will not have a material adverse effect on the Company.

Concentration Of Risk	6 Months Ended
Concentration Of Risk	Jun. 30, 2017
Concentration Of Risk [Abstract]
Concentration Of Risk	12. Concentration of Risk During the quarter VITAS had pharmacy services agreements with one service provider to provide specified pharmacy services for VITAS and its hospice patients. VITAS made purchases from this provider of $8.2 and $17.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively. Vitas made purchases from two providers of $8.5 and $17.4 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively. Purchases from these providers were approximately 90% of all pharmacy services used by VITAS during each quarter presented.

Cash Overdrafts And Cash Equivalents	6 Months Ended
Cash Overdrafts And Cash Equivalents	Jun. 30, 2017
Cash Overdrafts And Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Cash Overdrafts And Cash Equivalents	13. Cash Overdrafts and Cash Equivalents There are $7.5 million in cash overdrafts payable included in accounts payable at June 30, 2017 (December 31, 2016 - $8.6 million). From time to time throughout the year, we invest excess cash in money market funds with major commercial banks. We closely monitor the creditworthiness of the institutions with which we invest our overnight funds. We had $79,000 in cash equivalents as of June 30, 2017. There was $72,000 in cash equivalents as of December 31, 2016. Included in properties and equipment and accounts payable on the balance sheet at June 30, 2017 is $10.8 million of unpaid commitments related to the purchase of transportation equipment. This amount will be paid in July 2017 and is not reflected in capital expenditures in the statement of cash flows. Unpaid commitments to purchase properties and equipment for comparable periods is not material.

Financial Instruments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Financial Instruments [Abstract]

Financial Instruments

14. Financial Instruments

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

The following shows the carrying value, fair value and the hierarchy for our financial instruments as of

June 30, 2017 (in thousands):


				Fair Value Measure
		Carrying Value		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Mutual fund investments of deferred
compensation plans held in trust	$	58,579	$	58,579	$	-	$	-
Total debt		125,000		-		125,000		-

The following shows the carrying value, fair value and the hierarchy for our financial instruments as of December 31, 2016 (in thousands):


				Fair Value Measure
		Carrying Value		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Mutual fund investments of deferred
compensation plans held in trust	$	54,389	$	54,389	$	-	$	-
Total debt		108,750		-		108,750		-

For cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable, the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value because of the liquidity and short-term nature of these instruments. As further described in Footnote 5, our outstanding long-term debt and current portion of long-term debt have floating interest rates that are reset at short-term intervals, generally 30 or 60 days. The interest rate we pay also includes an additional amount based on our current leverage ratio. As such, we believe our borrowings reflect significant nonperformance risks, mainly credit risk. Based on these factors, we believe the fair value of our long-term debt and current portion of long-term debt approximate the carrying value.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Capital Stock Repurchase PlanTransactions

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Capital Stock Repurchase PlanTransactions [Abstract]

Capital Stock Repurchase Plan Transactions

15. Capital Stock Repurchase Plan Transactions

We repurchased the following capital stock for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016:



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016

Total cost of repurchased shares (in thousands):	$	30,801	$	49,853	$	85,063	$	102,313
Shares repurchased		150,000		380,134		450,000		780,134
Weighted average price per share	$	205.34	$	131.15	$	189.03	$	131.15

In March 2017, the Board of Directors authorized an additional $100.0 million for stock repurchase under Chemed’s existing share repurchase program. We currently have $65.1 million of authorization remaining under this share repurchase plan.

Recent Accounting Statements	6 Months Ended
Recent Accounting Statements	Jun. 30, 2017
Recent Accounting Statements [Abstract]
Recent Accounting Statements	16. Recent Accounting Statements In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update “ASU No. 2014-09 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers” which provides additional guidance to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue. The standard and subsequent amendments are intended to develop a common revenue standard for removing inconsistencies and weaknesses, improve comparability, provide more useful information to users through improved disclosure requirements, and simplify the preparation of financial statements. This guidance and subsequent amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. We are in the process of analyzing various contractual arrangements with customers at each subsidiary. We believe that it is likely, as a result of adopting the ASU that certain expenses currently included in bad debt expense will be shown as contractual allowances (i.e. net revenue). We currently do not have an estimate of the magnitude of this potential impact. We anticipate a modified retrospective adoption of the ASU. In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update “ASU No. 2016-02 – Leases” which introduces a lessee model that brings most leases on to the balance sheets and updates lessor accounting to align with changes in the lessee model and the revenue recognition standard. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on our financial statements, existing lease recognition policies and disclosures. In August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update “ASU No. 2016-15 – Cash Flow Classification” which amends guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. The primary purpose of ASU 2016-15 is to reduce diversity in practice related to eight specific cash flow issues. The guidance in this ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. We have analyzed the impact of ASU 2016-15 on our statement of cash flows and do not expect it to have a material effect. In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update “ASU No. 2017-4 – Intangibles – Goodwill and Other”. To simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill, the FASB eliminated Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The guidance in the ASU is effective for the Company in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. We anticipate adoption of this standard will have no impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Goodwill

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Goodwill [Abstract]

Goodwill

17. Goodwill

Shown below is movement in Goodwill (in thousands):


	Vitas		Roto-Rooter		Total
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	328,301	$	144,065	$	472,366
Business combinations		-		481		481
Foreign currency adjustments		-		50		50
Balance at June 30, 2017	$	328,301	$	144,596	$	472,897

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

+ References + Details

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Revenue Recognition [Abstract]

Schedule Of Medicare Cap Liability Activity



	June 30,
	2017		2016
Beginning balance January 1,	$	235	$	1,165
Prior measurement periods		247		-
Payments		-		(618)
Ending balance June 30,	$	482	$	547

Schedule Of Cost Of Charity Care



Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
2017			2016	2017		2016
$	1,761	$	1,715	$	3,698	$	3,521

Segments (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Segments [Abstract]

Service Revenues And Sales And After-Tax Earnings By Business Segment



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Service Revenues and Sales
VITAS	$	284,710	$	278,739	$	567,026	$	556,266
Roto-Rooter		130,349		111,670		253,897		224,532
Total	$	415,059	$	390,409	$	820,923	$	780,798

After-tax Income/(Loss)
VITAS	$	(32,254)	$	18,550	$	(11,657)	$	37,637
Roto-Rooter		17,058		13,341		31,682		26,359
Total		(15,196)		31,891		20,025		63,996
Corporate		(6,460)		(7,006)		(11,837)		(14,271)
Net income	$	(21,656)	$	24,885	$	8,188	$	49,725

Earnings/(Loss) Per Share (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Earnings/(Loss) Per Share[Abstract]

Schedule Of Computation Of Earnings Per Share


			Net Income/(Loss)
For the Three Months Ended June 30,		Income/(Loss)		Shares	Earnings/(Loss) per Share
2017
	Loss	$	(21,656)	16,010	$	(1.35)
	Dilutive stock options		-	-
	Nonvested stock awards		-	-
	Diluted loss	$	(21,656)	16,010	$	(1.35)

2016
	Earnings	$	24,885	16,443	$	1.51
	Dilutive stock options		-	289
	Nonvested stock awards		-	99
	Diluted earnings	$	24,885	16,831	$	1.48


			Net Income
For the Six Months Ended June 30,		Income		Shares	Earnings per Share
2017
	Earnings	$	8,188	16,114	$	0.51
	Dilutive stock options		-	557
	Nonvested stock awards		-	87
	Diluted earnings	$	8,188	16,758	$	0.49

2016
	Earnings	$	49,725	16,583	$	3.00
	Dilutive stock options		-	297
	Nonvested stock awards		-	119
	Diluted earnings	$	49,725	16,999	$	2.93

Long-Term Debt (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Long-Term Debt [Abstract]

Debt Outstanding


Revolver	$	45,000
Term loan		80,000
Total		125,000
Current portion of long-term debt		(10,000)
Long-term debt	$	115,000

Schedule of Principal Payments of the Term Loan


2017	$	5,000
2018		10,000
2019		65,000
	$	80,000

Financial Debt Covenants



Description		Requirement

Leverage Ratio (Consolidated Indebtedness/Consolidated Adj. EBITDA)		< 3.50 to 1.00

Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (Consolidated Free Cash Flow/Consolidated Fixed Charges)		> 1.50 to 1.00

Annual Operating Lease Commitment		< $50.0 million

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of long-debt instruments or arrangements, including identification, terms, features, collateral requirements and other information necessary to a fair presentation. These are debt arrangements that originally required repayment more than twelve months after issuance or greater than the normal operating cycle of the entity, if longer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.22)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21475-112644

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 470
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=75038535&loc=d3e64711-112823

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(e),(f))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 55
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64930739&loc=d3e28878-108400

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21538-112644

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21506-112644

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 1A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64930785&loc=d3e28541-108399

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 835
-SubTopic 30
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64930785&loc=d3e28551-108399

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84159872&loc=d3e21521-112644

+ Details

Other Operating Expenses (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Other Operating Expenses [Abstract]

Schedule Of Other Operating Expenses


	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016

Potential litigation settlement	$	90,000	$	-	$	90,000	$	-
Program closure expense		636		-		1,509		-
Retirement expenses		-		4,491		-		4,491
Total other operating expenses	$	90,636	$	4,491	$	91,509	$	4,491

Other Income/(Expense) - Net (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Other Income/(Expense) - Net [Abstract]

Schedule Of Other Income/(Expense)- Net



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Market value adjustment on assets held in
deferred compensation trust	$	1,587	$	3,188	$	4,202	$	201
Loss on disposal of property and equipment		(98)		(57)		(334)		(90)
Interest income		161		85		245		182
Other - net		3		1		3		-
Total other income/(expense) - net	$	1,653	$	3,217	$	4,116	$	293

Independent Contractor Operations (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Independent Contractor Operations [Abstract]

Schedule Of Independent Contractors



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Revenues	$	11,151	$	9,770	$	22,176	$	19,629
Pretax income		6,742		6,024		13,431		12,180

Retirement Plans (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Retirement Plans [Abstract]

Schedule Of Expenses For Retirement, Profit-Sharing Plans, Excess Benefit Plans And Other Similar Plans



Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
2017		2016		2017		2016
$	4,551	$	5,861	$	10,709	$	6,387

Financial Instruments (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Financial Instruments [Abstract]

Carrying Value, Fair Value And Hierarchy Of Financial Instruments

The following shows the carrying value, fair value and the hierarchy for our financial instruments as of

June 30, 2017 (in thousands):


				Fair Value Measure
		Carrying Value		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Mutual fund investments of deferred
compensation plans held in trust	$	58,579	$	58,579	$	-	$	-
Total debt		125,000		-		125,000		-

The following shows the carrying value, fair value and the hierarchy for our financial instruments as of December 31, 2016 (in thousands):


				Fair Value Measure
		Carrying Value		Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Mutual fund investments of deferred
compensation plans held in trust	$	54,389	$	54,389	$	-	$	-
Total debt		108,750		-		108,750		-

Capital Stock Repurchase PlanTransactions (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Capital Stock Repurchase PlanTransactions [Abstract]

Schedule Of Capital Stock Repurchases



	Three months ended June 30,				Six months ended June 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016

Total cost of repurchased shares (in thousands):	$	30,801	$	49,853	$	85,063	$	102,313
Shares repurchased		150,000		380,134		450,000		780,134
Weighted average price per share	$	205.34	$	131.15	$	189.03	$	131.15

Goodwill (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Goodwill [Abstract]

Schedule of movement in Goodwill


	Vitas		Roto-Rooter		Total
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	328,301	$	144,065	$	472,366
Business combinations		-		481		481
Foreign currency adjustments		-		50		50
Balance at June 30, 2017	$	328,301	$	144,596	$	472,897

Basis Of Presentation (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Decrease income taxes	$ (16,760)	$ 15,724	$ (3,682)	$ 31,511
Increase to basic earnings per share	$ (1.35)	$ 1.51	$ 0.51	$ 3.00
Increase to diluted earnings per share	$ (1.35)	$ 1.48	$ 0.49	$ 2.93
Potential litigation settlement			$ 90,000
ASU No. 2016-09 [Member]
Decrease income taxes	$ 2,600		$ 6,300
Effective tax rate	43.60%		81.70%
Increase to basic and diluted earnings per share	$ 0.17
Increase to basic earnings per share			$ 0.39
Increase to diluted earnings per share			$ 0.38

Revenue Recognition (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
Revenue Recognition (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Revenue Recognition [line items]
Medicare cap		$ 0		$ 0
Percentage of automatic budget reductions							2.00%
Unbilled Revenue	$ 1,900,000		$ 1,900,000
Two Program Projected Measurement Period Liability [Member]
Revenue Recognition [line items]
Medicare cap	247,000		247,000
Additional amount owed for Medicare cap					$ 2,200,000	$ 2,200,000	$ 2,200,000
Sequestration [Member]
Revenue Recognition [line items]
Medicare cap	$ 105,000		$ 105,000

Revenue Recognition (Schedule Of Medicare Cap Liability Activity) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Beginning Balance January 1,	$ 235	$ 1,165
Prior measurment periods	247
Payments		(618)
Ending Balance June 30,	$ 482	$ 547

Revenue Recognition (Schedule Of Cost Of Charity Care) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Charity care cost	$ 1,761	$ 1,715	$ 3,698	$ 3,521

Segments (Service Revenues And Sales And After-Tax Earnings By Business Segment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total service revenues and sales	$ 415,059	$ 390,409	$ 820,923	$ 780,798
After-tax Income/(Loss)	(21,656)	24,885	8,188	49,725
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total service revenues and sales	415,059	390,409	820,923	780,798
After-tax Income/(Loss)	(15,196)	31,891	20,025	63,996
Segment VITAS [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total service revenues and sales	284,710	278,739	567,026	556,266
After-tax Income/(Loss)	(32,254)	18,550	(11,657)	37,637
Segment Roto-Rooter [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total service revenues and sales	130,349	111,670	253,897	224,532
After-tax Income/(Loss)	17,058	13,341	31,682	26,359
Corporate Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
After-tax Income/(Loss)	$ (6,460)	$ (7,006)	$ (11,837)	$ (14,271)

Earnings/(Loss) Per Share (Narrative) (Details) - shares	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Earnings/(Loss) Per Share[Abstract]
Excluded stock options	0	418,000	0	418,000

Earnings/(Loss) Per Share (Schedule Of Computation Of Earnings Per Share) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Earnings/(Loss) Per Share[Abstract]
Loss, Income/(Loss)	$ (21,656)	$ 24,885	$ 8,188	$ 49,725
Diluted loss, Income/(Loss)	$ (21,656)	$ 24,885	$ 8,188	$ 49,725
Earnings, Shares	16,010	16,443	16,114	16,583
Dilutive stock options, Shares		289	557	297
Nonvested stock awards, Shares		99	87	119
Diluted Loss, Shares	16,010	16,831	16,758	16,999
Net income/(Loss) per Share	$ (1.35)	$ 1.51	$ 0.51	$ 3.00
Earnings/(Loss) per Share, Diluted earnings/(loss)	$ (1.35)	$ 1.48	$ 0.49	$ 2.93

Long-Term Debt (Narrative) (Details)	6 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt (Narrative) (Details)	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Standby letters of credit issued	$ 36,100,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Unused lines of credit	$ 268,900,000
2014 Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility period, years	5 years
2014 Credit Agreement [Member] \| LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable interest rate	1.13%
2014 Credit Agreement [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt	$ 350,000,000
2014 Credit Agreement [Member] \| Term Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face amount of debt	$ 100,000,000

Long-Term Debt (Debt Outstanding) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total	$ 125,000
Current portion of long-term debt	(10,000)	$ (8,750)
Long-term debt	115,000	$ 100,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total	45,000
Term Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total	$ 80,000

Long-Term Debt (Schedule of Principal Payments of the Term Loan) (Details) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total	$ 125,000
Term Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
2017	5,000
2018	10,000
2019	65,000
Total	$ 80,000

Long-Term Debt (Financial Debt Covenants) (Details) $ in Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Annual Operating Lease Commitment, Requirement	$ 50.0
Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio (Consolidated Indebtedness/Consolidated Adj. EBITDA), Requirement	1.00
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (Consolidated Free Cash Flow/Consolidated Fixed Charges), Requirement	1.00
Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Leverage Ratio (Consolidated Indebtedness/Consolidated Adj. EBITDA), Requirement	3.50
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (Consolidated Free Cash Flow/Consolidated Fixed Charges), Requirement	1.50

Other Operating Expenses (Narrative) (Details)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
Other Operating Expenses (Narrative) (Details)	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($) item	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)
Other Operating Expenses [Line Items]
Other operating expenses	$ 90,636,000	$ 4,491,000	$ 91,509,000	$ 4,491,000
Segment VITAS [Member]
Other Operating Expenses [Line Items]
Other operating expenses	636,000		$ 1,500,000
Number of programs closed \| item			3
Segment VITAS [Member] \| Chief Executive Officer [Member]
Other Operating Expenses [Line Items]
Other operating expenses		4,500,000		4,500,000
Other operating expense, after tax		$ 2,800,000		$ 2,800,000
Potential Litigation Settlement [Member]
Other Operating Expenses [Line Items]
Other operating expenses	$ 90,000,000		$ 90,000,000

Other Operating Expenses (Schedule Of Other Operating Expenses) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Total other operating expenses	$ 90,636	$ 4,491	$ 91,509	$ 4,491
Potential Litigation Settlement [Member]
Total other operating expenses	90,000		90,000
Program Closure Expense [Member]
Total other operating expenses	$ 636		$ 1,509
Retirement Expense [Member]
Total other operating expenses		$ 4,491		$ 4,491

Other Income/(Expense) - Net (Schedule Of Other Income/(Expense)- Net) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Other Income/(Expense) - Net [Abstract]
Market value adjustment on assets held in deferred compensation trust	$ 1,587	$ 3,188	$ 4,202	$ 201
Loss on disposal of property and equipment	(98)	(57)	(334)	(90)
Interest income	161	85	245	182
Other - net	3	1	3
Total other income/(expense) - net	$ 1,653	$ 3,217	$ 4,116	$ 293

Stock-Based Compensation Plans (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		6 Months Ended
	Feb. 17, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017
Performance Based TSR [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted	7,304
Shares vesting period, years		3 years
Cumulative compensation expense	$ 1.7
Performance Based EPS [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares granted	7,304
Shares vesting period, years		3 years
Cumulative compensation expense	$ 1.3

Independent Contractor Operations (Narrative) (Details) $ in Millions	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($) item	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Independent Contractor Operations [Line Items]
Notes receivable from independent contractors \| $	$ 1.4	$ 1.7
Roto-Rooter segment [Member]
Independent Contractor Operations [Line Items]
Independent contractors with sublicenses \| item	69
Maximum [Member]
Independent Contractor Operations [Line Items]
Interest rates on loans	7.00%
Terms of the loans to independent contractors, years	5 years 4 months 24 days
Minimum [Member]
Independent Contractor Operations [Line Items]
Interest rates on loans	0.00%
Terms of the loans to independent contractors, years	2 months 15 days

Independent Contractor Operations (Schedule Of Independent Contractors) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Independent Contractor Operations [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 11,151	$ 9,770	$ 22,176	$ 19,629
Pretax profits	$ 6,742	$ 6,024	$ 13,431	$ 12,180

Retirement Plans (Schedule Of Expenses For Retirement, Profit-Sharing Plans, Excess Benefit Plans And Other Similar Plans) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Retirement Plans [Abstract]
Defined contribution plans expense	$ 4,551	$ 5,861	$ 10,709	$ 6,387

Legal And Regulatory Matters (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Life expectancy period			6 months
Potential litigation settlement			$ 90,000
Period in which the opportunity to file amended compliant addressing the deficiencies in the claim			30 days
Extension period			14 days
Proceeding time period for law suite			4 years
U.S. v. VITAS [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Potential litigation settlement, after tax	$ 55,800		$ 55,800
Potential litigation settlement	90,000		90,000
Net costs incurred	$ 2,100	$ 1,200	$ 4,200	$ 3,500

Concentration Of Risk (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
Concentration Of Risk (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($) item	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($) item	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Accounts payable	$ 49,154		$ 49,154		$ 39,586
Segment VITAS [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of service providers \| item			1	2
VITAS made purchases from Enclara	$ 8,200	$ 8,500	$ 17,000	$ 17,400
Sales Revenue [Member] \| Segment VITAS [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Percentage of concentration risk services represent from vendor	90.00%	90.00%	90.00%	90.00%

Cash Overdrafts And Cash Equivalents (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Cash Overdrafts And Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Cash overdrafts included in accounts payable	$ 7,500,000	$ 8,600,000
Cash equivalents	79,000	$ 72,000
Unpaid Commitments	$ 10,800,000

Financial Instruments (Carrying Value, Fair Value And Hierarchy Of Financial Instruments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Minimum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Period in which the interest rate will reset	30 days
Maximum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Period in which the interest rate will reset	60 days
Carrying Value [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund investments of deferred compensation plans held in trust	$ 58,579	$ 54,389
Total debt	125,000	108,750
Quoted Prices In Active Markets For Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund investments of deferred compensation plans held in trust	58,579	54,389
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total debt	125,000	108,750
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Mutual fund investments of deferred compensation plans held in trust
Total debt

Capital Stock Repurchase Plan Transactions (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017
Capital Stock Repurchase PlanTransactions [Abstract]
Stock repurchase program, amount authorized		$ 100.0
Stock Repurchase Program, Remaining Authorized Repurchase Amount	$ 65.1

Capital Stock Repurchase Plan Transactions (Schedule Of Capital Stock Repurchases) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Capital Stock Repurchase PlanTransactions [Abstract]
Total cost of repurchased shares	$ 30,801	$ 49,853	$ 85,063	$ 102,313
Shares repurchased	150,000	380,134	450,000	780,134
Weighted average price per share	$ 205.34	$ 131.15	$ 189.03	$ 131.15

Goodwill (Schedule of movement in Goodwill) (Details) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning balance	$ 472,366
Business combinations	481
Foreign currency adjustments	50
Ending balance	472,897
Segment VITAS [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning balance	328,301
Business combinations
Foreign currency adjustments
Ending balance	328,301
Roto-Rooter segment [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning balance	144,065
Business combinations	481
Foreign currency adjustments	50
Ending balance	$ 144,596