Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (the "Company" or "Kindred") (NYSE:KND) today announced that it intends to undertake a refinancing of its existing secured indebtedness. The proposed refinancing would extend the maturity profile of the Company's long-term debt, increase total availability under the Company's secured facilities, improve pricing and provide additional covenant flexibility.
The Company also is evaluating options for refinancing its senior unsecured indebtedness, including through the incurrence of additional senior secured indebtedness and/or new unsecured indebtedness.
The refinancing is subject to market and other customary conditions and there can be no assurance that the refinancing will be completed or as to the timing of completion.
Paul J. Diaz, Chief Executive Officer of Kindred, commented, "This refinancing reflects another important step in our strategic goal of improving our capital structure and enhancing shareholder returns. We believe this refinancing provides an opportunity to extend our debt maturities, improve our covenant flexibility, increase our debt capacity and importantly, to lower our borrowing costs while also de-risking our variable interest rate exposure. The refinancing also better aligns our balance sheet to support our growth strategy."
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding the Company's expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, budgets, capital expenditures, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management and statements containing the words such as "anticipate," "approximate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "project," "could," "should," "will," "intend," "may" and other similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Statements in this press release concerning the Company's business outlook or future economic performance, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses or other financial items, and product or services line growth, together with other statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements that are estimates reflecting the best judgment of the Company based upon currently available information.
Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and stockholders and other potential investors must recognize that actual results may differ materially from the Company's expectations as a result of a variety of factors, including, without limitation, those discussed below. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations and include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which the Company is unable to predict or control, that may cause the Company's actual results or performance to differ materially from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed below and detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In addition to the factors set forth above, other factors that may affect the Company's plans, results or stock price include, without limitation, (a) the impact of healthcare reform, which will initiate significant changes to the United States healthcare system, including potential material changes to the delivery of healthcare services and the reimbursement paid for such services by the government or other third party payors, including reforms resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Healthcare Education and Reconciliation Act (collectively, the "ACA") or future deficit reduction measures adopted at the federal or state level. Healthcare reform is affecting each of the Company's businesses in some manner. Potential future efforts in the U.S. Congress to repeal, amend, modify or retract funding for various aspects of the ACA create additional uncertainty about the ultimate impact of the ACA on the Company and the healthcare industry. Due to the substantial regulatory changes that will need to be implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") and others, and the numerous processes required to implement these reforms, the Company cannot predict which healthcare initiatives will be implemented at the federal or state level, the timing of any such reforms, or the effect such reforms or any other future legislation or regulation will have on the Company's business, financial position, results of operations and liquidity, (b) the impact of the final rules issued by CMS on August 1, 2012 which, among other things, will reduce Medicare reimbursement to the Company's transitional care ("TC") hospitals in 2013 and beyond by imposing a budget neutrality adjustment and modifying the short-stay outlier rules, (c) the impact of the final rules issued by CMS on July 29, 2011 which significantly reduced Medicare reimbursement to the Company's nursing centers and changed payments for the provision of group therapy services effective October 1, 2011, (d) the impact of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (as amended by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the "Taxpayer Relief Act")) which instituted an automatic 2% reduction on each claim submitted to Medicare beginning April 1, 2013, (e) the Company's ability to adjust to the new patient criteria for long-term acute care ("LTAC") hospitals under the Pathway for SGR Reform Act of 2013, which will reduce the population of patients eligible for the Company's hospital services and change the basis upon which the Company is paid, (f) the impact of the Taxpayer Relief Act which, among other things, reduces Medicare payments by an additional 25% for subsequent procedures when multiple therapy services are provided on the same day. At this time, the Company believes that the rules related to multiple therapy services will reduce the Company's Medicare revenues by $25 million to $30 million on an annual basis, (g) changes in the reimbursement rates or the methods or timing of payment from third party payors, including commercial payors and the Medicare and Medicaid programs, changes arising from and related to the Medicare prospective payment system for LTAC hospitals, including potential changes in the Medicare payment rules, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, and changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for the Company's TC hospitals, nursing centers, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice operations, and the expiration of the Medicare Part B therapy cap exception process, (h) the effects of additional legislative changes and government regulations, interpretation of regulations and changes in the nature and enforcement of regulations governing the healthcare industry, (i) the ability of the Company's hospitals and nursing centers to adjust to medical necessity reviews, (j) the costs of defending and insuring against alleged professional liability and other claims (including those related to pending whistleblower and wage and hour class action lawsuits against the Company) and the Company's ability to predict the estimated costs and reserves related to such claims, including the impact of differences in actuarial assumptions and estimates compared to eventual outcomes, (k) the impact of the Company's significant level of indebtedness on the Company's funding costs, operating flexibility and ability to fund ongoing operations, development capital expenditures or other strategic acquisitions with additional borrowings, (l) the Company's ability to successfully redeploy its capital and proceeds of asset sales in pursuit of its business strategy and pursue its development activities, including through acquisitions, and successfully integrate new operations, including the realization of anticipated revenues, economies of scale, cost savings and productivity gains associated with such operations, as and when planned, including the potential impact of unanticipated issues, expenses and liabilities associated with those activities, (m) the Company's ability to pay a dividend as, when and if declared by the Board of Directors, in compliance with applicable laws and the Company's debt and other contractual arrangements, (n) the failure of the Company's facilities to meet applicable licensure and certification requirements, (o) the further consolidation and cost containment efforts of managed care organizations and other third party payors, (p) the Company's ability to meet its rental and debt service obligations, (q) the Company's ability to operate pursuant to the terms of its debt obligations, and comply with its covenants thereunder, and the Company's ability to operate pursuant to its master lease agreements with Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR), (r) the condition of the financial markets, including volatility and weakness in the equity, capital and credit markets, which could limit the availability and terms of debt and equity financing sources to fund the requirements of the Company's businesses, or which could negatively impact the Company's investment portfolio, (s) the Company's ability to control costs, particularly labor and employee benefit costs, (t) the Company's ability to successfully reduce (by divestiture of operations or otherwise) its exposure to professional liability and other claims, (u) the Company's obligations under various laws to self-report suspected violations of law by the Company to various government agencies, including any associated obligation to refund overpayments to government payors, fines and other sanctions, (v) national and regional economic, financial, business and political conditions, including their effect on the availability and cost of labor, credit, materials and other services, (w) increased operating costs due to shortages in qualified nurses, therapists and other healthcare personnel, (x) the Company's ability to attract and retain key executives and other healthcare personnel, (y) the Company's ability to successfully dispose of unprofitable facilities, (z) events or circumstances which could result in the impairment of an asset or other charges, such as the impact of the Medicare reimbursement regulations that resulted in the Company recording significant impairment charges in the last three fiscal years, (aa) changes in generally accepted accounting principles or practices, and changes in tax accounting or tax laws (or authoritative interpretations relating to any of these matters), and (bb) the Company's ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting.
Many of these factors are beyond the Company's control. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements made by the Company are not guarantees of future performance. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to announce publicly the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments.
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