Item 1A. Risk Factors
Our business, financial condition, and operating results are affected by a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including risks specific to us or the healthcare industry, as well as risks that affect businesses in general. The risks disclosed in this Annual Report could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows, or results of operations and thus our stock price. These risk factors may be important to understanding other statements in this Annual Report and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These disclosures reflect the Company’s beliefs and opinions as to factors that could materially and adversely affect the Company and its securities in the future. References to past events are provided by way of example only and are not intended to be a complete listing or a representation as to whether or not such factors have occurred in the past or their likelihood of occurring in the future. Because of such risk factors, as well as other factors affecting the Company’s financial condition and operating results, past financial performance may not reflect future performance, and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those described below, which could harm our business, reputation, financial condition, and operating results.
Summary of Risk Factors
This summary provides an overview of the risks we face and should not be considered a substitute for the comprehensive discussion of risk factors discussed immediately following this summary.
Risks Related to Nutex Health Inc.
• Regulatory and litigation uncertainty under the No Surprises Act may reduce our cash collections and increase dispute costs.
• Our third-party provider in the federal and state arbitration process, HaloMD, has been, and may in the future be, subject to lawsuits filed by health insurance providers, which may have an adverse impact on our reputation, financial condition and the trading price of our common stock.
• Sales of a substantial amount of our Common Stock by our stockholders, or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause the price of our Common Stock to fall.
• Our obligation to issue additional shares of our common stock to former doctor owners of under construction hospitals may cause significant dilution of the voting power of our current stockholders.
• Short sellers of our stock may be manipulative and may drive down the market price of our common stock.
• We may be subject to risks of litigation and disputes.
• If we are unable to maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect our results of operations, our stock price and investor confidence in our company.
• We may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
• Our current business plans require a significant amount of capital. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations, borrow money on commercially reasonable terms, or sell equity at reasonable values, we may not be able to execute our business plans and our prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
• We may decide to close underperforming hospitals which may result in a temporary decrease in overall revenues.
• We may experience difficulties in managing our growth and expanding our operations.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
• Reimbursement methodology and timing for our medical services is subject to change, and the reimbursement amount that we receive for emergency services could be subject to a significant and sustained decline.
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• The estimates and assumptions we are required to make in connection with the preparation of our financial statements may prove to be inaccurate.
• Public health emergencies could negatively affect our operations, business and financial condition, and our ability to generate revenue could be negatively impacted if the U.S. economy remains unstable for a significant amount of time.
• We rely on our management team and key employees and our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be harmed if we are unable to retain qualified personnel.
• Our growth depends in part on our ability to identify and develop successful hospitals in new geographies, physician partners and patients. If we are not able to successfully execute upon our growth strategies, there may be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
• In his capacity as the co-owner of the real estate entities that lease the land and buildings to our hospital facilities, Dr. Vo, our Chairman, CEO and major stockholder, may have conflicts of interest with the Company and its public stockholders.
• If the estimates and assumptions we use to project the size, revenue or medical expense amounts of hospitals in our target geographies are inaccurate or the cost of providing services exceeds the amounts received by us, our future growth prospects may be impacted, and we may generate losses or fail to attain financial performance targets.
• We primarily depend on reimbursement by third-party payors, as well as payments by individuals, which could lead to delays and uncertainties in the timing and process of reimbursement, including any changes or reductions in Medicare reimbursement rates or rules.
• Our business and growth strategy depend on our ability to maintain and expand facilities staffed with qualified physicians. If we are unable to do so, future growth would be limited and our business, operating results and financial condition would be harmed.
• If any of our physician partners lose their regulatory licenses, permits and/or accreditation status, or become ineligible to receive reimbursement under Medicare or Medicaid or from other third-party payors, there may be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, or results of operations.
• We are dependent on our physicians and other healthcare professionals to effectively manage the quality and cost of care.
• We operate in a competitive industry, and if we are not able to compete effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed.
• Developments affecting spending by the healthcare industry could adversely affect our business.
• We and our physician partners and other healthcare professionals may become subject to medical liability claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses and may require us to pay significant damages if the claims are not covered by insurance.
• If we or our partner physicians or other healthcare providers fail to comply with applicable data interoperability and information blocking rules, our consolidated results of operations could be adversely affected.
• Our business and operations could suffer in the event of material information technology system failures, security breaches, or other deficiencies in cybersecurity.
• Actual or perceived failures to comply with applicable data protection, privacy and security laws, regulations, standards and other requirements, including contractual obligations, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
• Changes in U.S. tax laws, and the adoption of tax reform policies could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
• Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly, which could adversely impact the value of our Common Stock.
• Obligations under the term loans of our hospitals, and our related loan and leases guarantees could restrict our operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes in our business or to take specified actions. An event of default under the term loans could harm our business, and creditors having security interests over the hospital assets as well as the leased real estate would be able to foreclose on such assets.
• The arrangements we have with our VIEs are not as secure as direct ownership of such entities.
• Any failure by our affiliated entities or their owners to perform their obligations under their agreements with us would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
• If there is a change in accounting principles or the interpretation thereof affecting consolidation of VIEs, it could impact our consolidation of total revenues derived from our affiliated physician groups.
Risk Related to our Population Health Management Division
• New physicians and other providers must be properly enrolled in governmental healthcare programs before we can receive reimbursement for their services, and there may be delays in the enrollment process.
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• We may have difficulty collecting payments from third-party payors in a timely manner.
• Decreases in payor rates could adversely affect us.
• Federal and state laws may limit our ability to collect monies owed by patients.
• We have established reserves for our potential medical claim losses, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, and a deficiency in the established reserves may lead to a reduction in our assets or net incomes.
• We do not have a Knox-Keene license.
• If our affiliated physician group is not able to satisfy California financial solvency regulations, they could become subject to sanctions and their ability to do business in California could be limited or terminated.
• Primary care physicians may seek to affiliate with our and our competitors’ IPAs at the same time.
• If we inadvertently employ or contract with an excluded person, we may face government sanctions.
• New California privacy regulations require Automated Decision-Making Technology (“ADMT”) transparency and future cybersecurity audits.
• Heightened scrutiny of Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment practices may increase audit and repayment risk.
Risks Related to Our Legal and Regulatory Environment
• We conduct business in a heavily regulated industry and if we fail to adhere to all of the complex government laws and regulations that apply to our business, we could incur fines or penalties or be required to make changes to our operations or experience adverse publicity, any or all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, and reputation.
• If any of our hospitals lose their regulatory licenses, permits and/or registrations, as applicable, or become ineligible to receive reimbursement from third-party payors, there may be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, or results of operations.
• If our arrangements with our partner physicians and other physician partners are found to constitute the improper rendering of medical services or fee splitting under applicable state laws, our business, financial condition and our ability to operate in those states could be adversely impacted.
• We face inspections, reviews, audits and investigations under federal and state government programs and contracts. These audits could have adverse findings that may negatively affect our business, including our results of operations, liquidity, financial condition and reputation.
• Recent healthcare regulations, and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
• Changes to Stark Law DHS codes and exception thresholds may increase compliance risk.
• HIPAA rule changes may require operational and documentation updates and raise enforcement exposure.
• Escalating cyber threats and regulatory expectations may increase costs and disruption risk.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
• Anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law could make an acquisition of the Company, which may be beneficial to the stockholders of the Company, more difficult and may prevent attempts by the stockholders to replace or remove management.
• Because we have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our Common Stock for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your Common Stock for a price in excess of the purchase price.
• The market price and trading volume of our Common Stock may be volatile and could decline significantly.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price and trading volume of our securities could decline.
Risks Related to Nutex Health Inc.
Regulatory and litigation uncertainty under the No Surprises Act may reduce our cash collections and increase dispute costs.
Any significant changes to the federal arbitration process may result in a substantial decrease in the claim amounts we will be able to recover in the future. In light of pending litigation before the Fifth Circuit referred to as TMA III, federal agencies have, in guidance issued on July 30, 2025, extended enforcement relief for services furnished before February 1, 2026 (additional enforcement relief may be provided until August 1, 2026), allowing insurers to continue to calculate in good faith the Qualified Payment Amount (QPA) relying on the previous methodologies set forth in the rules and guidance
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issued in 2021 and 2023, which can result in low QPAs and thus can affect reimbursements we receive for out‑of‑network services and the outcome of IDR disputes. In addition, updates to the Federal IDR portal (e.g., service‑code modifier fields, duplicate‑dispute validation, and resubmission rules) have increased submission complexity and may delay dispute resolutions or require re‑filings, raising administrative costs.
Further, the Fifth Circuit has held that the NSA explicitly bars judicial review of arbitration awards. The NSA does allow HHS to assess penalties against insurers for failure to comply with the NSA, including timely payment of CIDRE awards. As a result, we may be limited to HHS administrative recourse if a provider fails to pay arbitration awards, which could adversely impact our ability to collect payments due under successful award determinations.
The Company is unable to predict the outcome of pending litigation, future legislative or regulatory changes, evolving arbitration practices, payor responses to ongoing enforcement of the NSA, and insurers’ payment discipline, all of which may have an adverse impact on the Company’s ability to recover on its claims and its financial condition and results of operation.
Our third party provider in the federal and state arbitration process, HaloMD, has been, and may in the future be, subject to lawsuits filed by health insurance providers, which may have an adverse impact on our revenues, reputation, financial condition and the trading price of our common stock.
Since May 2024, HaloMD has handled, on an exclusive basis, all out-of-network claims made by Nutex that are eligible for arbitration under federal and state “no surprise” laws. During the year ended December 31, 2025, HaloMD submitted approximately 50-60% of the Company’s medical claims through the IDR process. Pending or future litigation against HaloMD could materially adversely impact the revenues we expect to receive from the medical claims submitted on our behalf by HaloMD.
Nutex has no contractual right to access or audit HaloMD’s proprietary benchmarking data or documents prepared and submitted by HaloMD to the IDREs on behalf of the Company, such as petitions, position statements, methodology formulas, payment demand letters and arbitration briefs.
On July 22, 2025, a short seller published a report making various negative assertions about the Company, which were largely extrapolated from allegations made in lawsuits against HaloMD and certain providers filed in the spring of 2025 by affiliates of Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield. The insurers allege that HaloMD submitted many claims that were ineligible for federal arbitration and otherwise abused the IDR process. HaloMD’s motions to dismiss are pending. While we are not party to these or similar lawsuits, the short seller attack had an adverse impact on the trading price of our common stock. We cannot predict whether additional lawsuits may be brought, the outcome of the existing lawsuits against HaloMD or the resulting impact on our revenues, reputation, financial condition or the trading price of our common stock.
Sales of a substantial amount of our Common Stock by our stockholders, or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause the price of our Common Stock to fall.
As of March 2, 2026 , there were 6,968,350 shares of Common Stock outstanding, including 2,251,295 shares of Common Stock held by our affiliates, including our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Our affiliates, including Dr. Vo, may sell shares into the market in accordance with Rule 144, including its manner of sale and volume limitations.
Sales of substantial amounts of our Common Stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales will occur, could adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock and make it difficult for us to raise funds through securities offerings in the future.
Our obligation to issue additional shares of our common stock to former doctor owners of under construction hospitals may cause significant dilution of the voting power of our current stockholders.
We may be required to issue additional shares of our common stock to former doctor owners of hospitals that were under construction and non-operational prior to our April 1, 2022 merger. Such former owners, including Dr. Vo, transferred their hospital interests to Nutex Health Holdco LLC in connection with the merger. The aggregate number of additional shares we may be required to issue could significantly dilute the voting power of our existing stockholders. Any such additional shares, including the shares issued to Dr. Vo, will be subject to a 100% lock up for six months, with 66 2/3% of these shares locked up for one year, and, with respect to the remaining 33 1/3%, the lock up expiring 18 months after issuance, which may be waived or amended at the discretion of the Company.
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As approved by the stockholders on April 1, 2022, the number of additional shares issuable is equal to (a)(i) the trailing twelve months of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as determined at the end of each such hospital’s initial 24-month operation period multiplied by (ii) 10; minus (iii) the aggregate amount of the former doctor owners’ capital contribution; minus (iv) such former doctor owners’ pro rata share of the aggregate debt, with the resulting value divided by (b) the greater of (i) the price of the common stock at the end of the operational period or (ii) $420.00 (representing $2.80 as adjusted for the 2024 Reverse Stock Splits, and subject to further adjustment for future stock dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like).
With respect to seven hospitals, the initial 24-month operational periods expired on or prior to December 31, 2025. Based on the formula described above, and assuming an aggregate 1,361,861 shares issued, the earn out shares will represent approximately 19.2% of outstanding shares as of December 31, 2025.
With respect to three additional hospitals with an initial 24-month operational period expiring on or prior to December 31, 2026, we estimate, based on current expectations, to issue approximately 88,500 additional shares, or 1.2% of our outstanding shares as of December 31, 2025. See Note 12 - Stock-based Compensation for additional information . This estimated number of shares is calculated on a pro forma basis based on December 31, 2025 operating results and trading price. Since we cannot predict future operating results and trading prices, the actual number of additional shares issued may differ significantly from our estimate.
Former owners of certain under construction hospitals have disputed the number of additional shares issuable to them in accordance with the formula agreed upon at the time of the merger (as described above) and assert, among other things, that the number of shares in the calculation should not be adjusted for the 2024 Reverse Stock Splits. We disagree with these allegations but cannot predict the outcome of these disputes.
Short sellers of our stock may be manipulative and may drive down the market price of our common stock.
Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed or intends to borrow from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities at a later date to return to the lender. A short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. Since it is in the short seller’s interest for the price of the stock to decline, some short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, opinions or characterizations regarding the relevant issuer, its business prospects and similar matters calculated to or which may create negative market momentum, which may permit them to obtain profits for themselves as a result of selling the stock short. Issuers whose securities have historically had limited trading volumes or have been susceptible to relatively high volatility levels can be particularly vulnerable to such publications, sometimes known as “short seller attacks.”
On July 22, 2025, a short seller report that contained various allegations against the Company was published, that had an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock. This report disclosed the writer had a short position with respect to our common stock. On July 23, 2025, the closing price of our common stock was $92.90, representing a decrease of $18.29 or 16.4% compared to the closing price of our common stock on July 21, 2025, prior to the publication of the report. On November 25, 2025, another short seller report that contained various allegations against the Company was published. The sole purpose of this attack appears to have been to create market confusion and to profit from the decline in trading price caused as a result. We cannot assure you that others will not publish similar misleading reports in the future. The publication of any such commentary regarding us may bring about a temporary, or long term, in the market price of our common stock. Similar in the market price of our common stock may occur in the future, in connection with such commentary by short sellers or otherwise.
In addition, following the publication of short seller reports, companies targeted by these short seller publications have sometimes faced securities class action litigation against the company as a result. Additionally, allegations made by short sellers, whether substantiated or not, could result in investigations by regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission. If we were subject to such investigations as a result of such allegations, we could incur substantial costs defending the Company from the lawsuit or such investigation. These could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business and result in negative publicity, which could significantly harm our profitability and reputation.
We may be subject to risks of litigation and disputes.
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From time to time, we have been and may become involved in disputes and litigation with former doctor owners, stockholders, government and regulatory agencies or other parties. Such actions could result in the imposition of various remedies such as injunctions or monetary damages, which if awarded could materially and adversely harm our business, subject us to substantial defense costs and expenses, and divert resources and the attention of management from our business. For example, on August 22, 2025, the Company and certain current and former officers and directors were named in a putative class action lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The complaint alleges violations of federal securities laws arising out of alleged misstatements or omissions by the during the class period and seeks, among other things, and attorneys’ fees and costs on behalf of the putative class. Following the putative class action lawsuit, in September 2025, the Company and certain of its directors and officers were named in two derivative action lawsuits filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Each of the derivative actions was brought on behalf of the Company by a putative stockholder , among other things, of fiduciary duties and of federal securities laws. The seek, among other things, and attorneys’ fees and costs. In addition, from time to time, we are, and may become, the subject of inquiries, requests for information, , or other actions by government and regulatory agencies or other third parties regarding our business. Any such matters, regardless of their merit or resolution, could be and the efforts and attention of our management, our reputation, or otherwise affect our business.
If we are unable to maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect our results of operations, our stock price and investor confidence in our company.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
For the year ended December 31, 2024, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. These material weaknesses that were previously disclosed as of December 31, 2024 were remediated as of December 31, 2025.
While our previous material weaknesses have been remediated, if we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses.
We may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
We may be forced to write down or write off assets, restructure operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in losses. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on liquidity, any report of charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges such as write-downs or impairments may make future financing difficult to obtain on favorable terms or at all. From time to time, our intangible assets are subject to impairment testing. Under current accounting standards, our goodwill, including acquired goodwill, is tested for impairment on an annual basis and may be subject to impairment losses as circumstances change (e.g., after an acquisition).
The Company may have to record impairments in the future, which could materially adversely affect its reported financial results and negatively impact the trading value of its Common Stock.
Our current business plans require a significant amount of capital. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations, borrow money on commercially reasonable terms, or sell equity at reasonable values, we may not be able to
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execute our business plans and our prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
We experienced operating losses in 2023 and could incur operating losses in the future as we implement our business plans. We anticipate making significant capital expenditures for the foreseeable future as we expand our business, including the development of new hospital facilities and acquisition of additional IPAs.
If we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operating activities, borrow money on commercially reasonable terms, or sell equity at reasonable values, we may be forced to curtail or discontinue our operations and our business, financial condition and results of operation could be materially adversely affected.
We may decide to close underperforming hospitals which may result in a temporary decrease in overall revenues.
In the ordinary course of business, we continuously review the individual performance of each of our hospital facilities. As previously disclosed, we have historically closed underperforming facilities. Our commitment to providing high-quality healthcare services demands that we continually assess the performance of our hospitals. In some instances, we may find it necessary to make the difficult decision to close underperforming facilities. This could be due to various factors such as declining patient admissions, increasing operational costs, or changes in healthcare regulations. The closure of any hospital within our portfolio carries inherent risks, including a potential negative impact on our overall revenues. The closure process may involve staff reallocation or severance, and asset dispositions, all of which can be complex and costly. Additionally, the closure of a hospital may temporarily disrupt patient referrals and relationships with healthcare providers in the affected region.
While we believe that such strategic decisions are essential for the long-term sustainability of our organization and the continued provision of high-quality care, there is a risk that the closure of underperforming hospitals could lead to a short-term decrease in our overall revenues. This revenue decline may occur due to the time it takes to execute the closure process as well as potential legal or regulatory challenges associated with hospital closures.
The closure of underperforming hospitals is part of our ongoing effort to optimize our operations and improve financial performance. While we intend to carefully plan and execute our closure strategies, there can be no assurance that such strategies will successfully offset the temporary revenue decrease resulting from hospital closures.
We may experience difficulties in managing our growth and expanding our operations.
We are targeting significant growth in the scope of our operations. Our ability to manage our operations and future growth will require us to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, compliance programs and reporting systems. We may not be able to implement improvements in an efficient or timely manner and may discover deficiencies in existing controls, programs, systems and procedures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation and financial results. Additionally, rapid growth in our business may place a strain on our human and capital resources.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Reimbursement methodology and timing for our medical services is subject to change, and the reimbursement amount that we receive for emergency services could be subject to a significant and sustained decline.
We do not have extensive relationships with large commercial payors and are generally out-of-network. Although some licensed hospital facilities are in-network with payors, the Company’s general payor contracting/government enrollment strategy to date has been to remain out of network. Since we have few contractual arrangements with insurance companies, we cannot predict the timing and amount of the payments we ultimately receive for our services and estimates and assumptions, which are based on historical insurance payment amounts and timing.
In addition, as a result of the NSA becoming effective on January 1, 2022, we initially experienced a significant decline in collections of patient claims for emergency services and for a significant period only had limited success at achieving collections at or higher than the established qualifying payment amount, which is the median in-network contracted rate for the same insurance market.
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The federal regulations promulgated under the NSA, including those establishing the IDR process, have been and continue to be subject to legal challenges. Most importantly, as of March 2, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has not ruled whether the QPA calculation made by providers may include so called “ghost rates,” which are rates included in contracts with no expectation that providers will actually provide such services, resulting in rates as low as $0 being included in QPA calculations. As a result, pending material litigation and regulatory uncertainty may delay claims resolution and negatively impact our ability to receive fair and appropriate payment for the services our hospitals provide. Any decrease in the collections we receive for our emergency services could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial performance and may negatively affect the trading value of our Common Stock.
The estimates and assumptions we are required to make in connection with the preparation of our financial statements may prove to be inaccurate.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
We apply Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 606 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers in making estimates of its earned revenue and accounts receivable at each reporting date. This estimation process for variable consideration is highly subjective. The Company regularly conducts a comparative analysis of its actual results to its previously estimated results in order to evaluate whether changes to its estimation process are required. The estimation of variable consideration is particularly complex within the healthcare industry generally because of the broad range of services provided, the range of reimbursements by patient insurance companies and collectability of patient responsible amounts. In addition, our hospital division generally operates as an out-of-network provider and, as such, does not have negotiated reimbursement rates with insurance companies, adding to the complexity and potential uncertainty of the estimation process.
Our estimates with respect to the claims processing by insurance companies and our resulting cash collections may differ from previous estimated results, and we may be required to make periodic adjustments to our estimation process for new facts or circumstances.
Additionally, our estimates with respect to arbitration wins and our resulting cash collections from arbitration may differ due to significant administrative time built into the federal arbitration process and delays in collections.
Ultimate amounts collected may differ from anticipated collections, and, as a result, may impact our ability to generate revenue at expected levels.
Public health emergencies could negatively affect our operations, business and financial condition, and our ability to generate revenue could be negatively impacted if the U.S. economy remains unstable for a significant amount of time.
As a front-line provider of health care services, we have been and will be affected by the health and economic effects of public health emergencies such as COVID-19.
As a result of public health emergencies, we experienced, and in the future could experience, supply chain disruptions, including shortages and delays, and could experience significant price increases, in equipment and medical supplies, particularly personal protective equipment or PPE. Staffing, equipment, and medical supplies shortages may also impact our ability to serve patients at our centers.
In addition, our results and financial condition may be adversely affected by future federal or state laws, regulations, orders, or other governmental or regulatory actions addressing public health emergencies such as a COVID-19 or the U.S. health care system, which, if adopted, could result in direct or indirect restrictions to its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.
We rely on our management team and key employees and our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be harmed if we are unable to retain qualified personnel.
Our success depends largely upon the continued services of key members of senior management, including our chief executive officer. We also rely on our leadership team in the areas of operations and general and administrative functions. From time to time, there may be changes in our management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives,
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which could disrupt our business. The replacement of one or more of our executive officers or other key employees would likely involve significant time and costs and may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives. Our business would also be adversely affected if we fail to adequately plan for succession of our executives and senior management; or if we fail to effectively recruit, integrate, retain and develop key talent and/or align our talent with our business needs, in light of the current rapidly changing environment. While we have succession plans in place and we have employment arrangements with our key executives, these do not guarantee that the services of these or suitable successor executives will continue to be available to us.
Competition for qualified personnel in our field is intense due to the limited number of individuals who possess the skills and experience required by our industry. As a result, as we enter new geographies, it may be difficult for us to hire additional qualified personnel with the necessary skills to work in such geographies. If our hiring efforts in new or existing geographies are not successful, our business will be harmed. In addition, we have experienced employee turnover and expect to continue to experience employee turnover in the future. New hires require significant training and, in most cases, take significant time before they achieve full productivity. New employees may not become as productive as we expect, and we may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals. If our retention efforts are not successful or our employee turnover rate increases in the future, our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations will be harmed.
In addition, in making employment decisions, job candidates often consider the value of the stock options or other equity instruments they are to receive in connection with their employment. Volatility in the price of our stock may, therefore, adversely affect our ability to attract or retain highly skilled personnel. Further, the requirement to expense stock options and other equity instruments may discourage us from granting the size or type of stock option or equity awards that job candidates require to join our company. Failure to attract new personnel or failure to retain and motivate our current personnel, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our growth depends in part on our ability to identify and develop successful hospitals in new geographies, physician partners and patients. If we are not able to successfully execute upon our growth strategies, there may be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
Our business depends on our ability to identify and develop successful hospitals in new geographies and relationships with physician partners and healthcare professionals, and to successfully execute upon our growth initiatives to increase the profitability of our physician partners and healthcare professionals. In order to pursue our strategy successfully, we must effectively implement our partnership model, including identifying suitable candidates and successfully building relationships with and managing integration of new physician partners. We contract with a limited number of physician partners and rely on such physicians within each geography. Our growth initiatives in our existing geographies depend, in part, on our physician partners’ ability to increase their capacity and to effectively meet increased patient demand. We may encounter difficulties in recruiting additional physicians to work at our hospitals due to many factors, including significant competition in their respective geographies. Accordingly, the loss or dissatisfaction of any physician partners, our inability to recruit, or the of our hospitals to recruit additional physicians or manage and scale capacity to timely meet patient demand, could substantially our reputation, impact our competitiveness, and our ability to attract new physician partners and maintain existing physician partnerships, both in new geographies and in geographies in which we currently operate, which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
Further, our growth strategy depends, in part, on securing and integrating new high-caliber physician partners and expanding into new geographies in which we have little or no operating experience. Integration and other risks can be more pronounced for larger and more complicated relationships or relationships outside of our core business space, or if we pursue multiple relationships simultaneously. New geographies, into which we seek to expand, may have laws and regulations that differ from those applicable to our current operations. As a rapidly growing company, we may be unfamiliar with the regulatory requirements in each geography that we enter, and we may be forced to incur significant expenditures to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements to which we are subject. If we are unable or unwilling to incur such costs, our growth in new geographies may be less successful than in our current geographies.
Our growth to date has significantly increased the demands on our management, operational and financial systems, infrastructure and other resources. We must continue to improve our existing systems for operational and financial management, including our reporting systems, procedures and controls. These improvements could require significant capital expenditure and place increasing demands on our management. We may not be successful in managing or expanding our operations or in maintaining adequate financial and operating systems and controls. If we do not
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successfully manage these processes, our business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations could be harmed.
In his capacity as the co-owner of the real estate entities that lease the land and buildings to our hospital facilities, Dr. Vo, our Chairman, CEO and major stockholder, may have conflicts of interest with the Company and its public stockholders.
The majority of our hospital facilities have contractual relationships with separately owned real estate entities (the “Real Estate Entities”) and each hospital has contractual relationships with separately owned professional entities (the “Physician LLCs”).
The Physician LLCs are owned by the doctors providing services to the corresponding hospital, provide physician and provider services to the hospitals, and employ the doctors and other providers.
The Real Estate Entities, also partially owned by the doctors providing services to the corresponding hospital, own the land and/or buildings that are leased to our hospitals. The Real Estate Entities incur debt to purchase or construct the hospital facility. Lease payments received from our hospitals are used by the Real Estate Entities to make payments on their debt. Each hospital facility’s lease payments are guaranteed by the Company.
In addition to its respective doctor owners, each Real Estate Entity is partially owned or controlled by Dr. Vo, our Chairman, CEO and major stockholder. As a result, the interests of Dr. Vo, in his capacity as part owner of the Real Estate Entities, may differ from the interests of the Company and its public shareholders, both in the re-negotiation of existing contractual relationships between the Company-owned hospital facilities and the Real Estate Entities and in the establishment of new hospital entities and their respective Real Estate Entities.
If the estimates and assumptions we use to project the size, revenue or medical expense amounts of hospitals in our target geographies are inaccurate or the cost of providing services exceeds the amounts received by us, our future growth prospects may be impacted, and we may generate losses or fail to attain financial performance targets.
We often do not have access to reliable historical data regarding the size, revenue or medical expense levels of hospitals in our target geographies or potential physician partners. As a result, our market opportunity estimates and financial forecasts developed as we enter into a new geography, are subject to significant uncertainty, and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. The estimates and forecasts in this prospectus relating to the size and expected growth of the market for our services, and the estimates of our market opportunity may prove to be inaccurate.
Changes in our anticipated ratio of medical expenses to revenue can negatively impact our financial results. Accordingly, the failure to adequately predict and control medical costs and expenses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Additionally, the medical expenses of patients may be outside of our physician partners’ control in the event patients take certain actions that increase such expenses, such as unnecessary hospital visits. If we underestimate or do not correctly predict the cost of the care our partner physicians furnish to patients, we might be underpaid for the care that must be provided to patients, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
We primarily depend on reimbursement by third-party payors, as well as payments by individuals, which could lead to delays and uncertainties in the timing and process of reimbursement, including any changes or reductions in Medicare reimbursement rates or rules.
The reimbursement and associated arbitration process is complex and can involve lengthy delays. Although we recognize revenue when we provide services to patients, we may from time-to-time experience delays in receiving reimbursement for the service provided, in particular as a result of the federally mandated independent dispute resolution process. Third-party payors may disallow, in whole or in part, requests for reimbursement based on determinations that the patient is not eligible for coverage, certain amounts are not reimbursable under plan coverage, were for services provided that were not medically necessary, or additional supporting documentation is necessary. Retroactive adjustments may change amounts realized from third-party payors. As described below, we are subject to audits by such payors, including governmental audits of our Medicare claims, and may be required to repay these payors if a finding is made that we were incorrectly reimbursed. Delays and uncertainties in the reimbursement process may adversely affect accounts receivable, increase the overall costs of collection and cause us to incur additional borrowing costs. Third-party payors are also increasingly focused on
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controlling healthcare costs, and such efforts, including any revisions to reimbursement policies, may further reduce, complicate or delay our reimbursement claims.
In addition, certain of our patients are covered under health plans that require the patient to cover a portion of their own healthcare expenses through the payment of copayments or deductibles. We may not be able to collect the full amounts due with respect to these payments that are the patient’s financial responsibility, or in those instances where physicians provide services to uninsured individuals. To the extent permitted by law, amounts not covered by third-party payors are the obligations of individual patients for which we may not receive whole or partial payment. Any increase in cost shifting from third-party payors to individual patients, including as a result of high deductible plans for patients, increases our collection costs and reduces overall collections, which we may not be able to offset with sufficient revenue.
Our business and growth strategy depend on our ability to maintain and expand facilities staffed with qualified physicians. If we are unable to do so, future growth would be limited and our business, operating results and financial condition would be harmed.
Our success is dependent upon a continued ability to maintain an adequate staff of qualified providers to staff the facilities. If we are unable to recruit and retain physicians and other healthcare professionals, it would have a material adverse effect on our business and ability to grow and would adversely affect the results of operations. In any particular market, providers could demand higher payments or take other actions that could result in higher medical costs, less attractive service for our customers or difficulty meeting applicable regulatory or accreditation requirements. Our ability to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with providers also may be negatively impacted by other factors not associated with us, such as changes in reimbursement levels and consolidation activity among hospitals, physician groups and healthcare providers, the continued private equity investment in physician practice management platforms and other market and operating pressures on healthcare providers. The failure to maintain or to secure new cost-effective provider contracts may result in a of or to staff existing or new facilities, higher costs, less service for patients and/or in meeting applicable regulatory requirements, any of which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If any of our physician partners lose their regulatory licenses, permits and/or accreditation status, or become ineligible to receive reimbursement under Medicare or Medicaid or from other third-party payors, there may be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, or results of operations.
The operations of our hospitals through our physician partners are subject to extensive federal, state and local regulation relating to, among other things, the adequacy of medical care, equipment, personnel, operating policies and procedures, fire prevention, rate-setting and compliance with building codes and environmental protection. Our hospitals and their affiliated professional entities are also subject to extensive laws and regulation relating to facility and professional licensure, conduct of operations, including financial relationships among healthcare providers, Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse and physician self-referrals, and maintaining updates to the hospital’s affiliated professional entities’ enrollment in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including the addition of new clinic locations, providers and other enrollment information. Our hospitals and their affiliated professional entities are subject to periodic inspection by licensing authorities and accreditation organizations to ensure their continued compliance with these various standards. There can be no assurance that these regulatory authorities will determine that all applicable requirements are fully met at any given time. Should any of our hospitals or their affiliated professional entities be found to be noncompliant with these requirements, we could be assessed fines and penalties, could be required to refund reimbursement amounts or could our licensure or Medicare and/or Medicaid certification or accreditation so that we or our hospitals are to receive reimbursement from third-party payors, which could materially affect our business, financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.
We are dependent on our physicians and other healthcare professionals to effectively manage the quality and cost of care.
Our success depends upon our continued ability to collaborate with and expand the number of highly qualified physicians and other healthcare professionals, which are key drivers of our profitability.
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We operate in a competitive industry, and if we are not able to compete effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be harmed.
Our industry is competitive, and we expect it to attract increased competition. We currently face competition in various aspects of our business, including from a range of companies that provide similar services, including hospitals, managed service organizations and provider networks and data analysis consultants.
Our primary competitors include numerous local provider networks, hospitals and health systems. We may face a more competitive environment and increased challenges to grow at the rates we have projected. We expect that competition will continue to increase as a result of consolidation in the healthcare industry and increased demand for its services.
Some of our competitors may have greater name recognition, particularly in local geographies, longer operating histories, superior products or services and significantly greater resources than we do. Further, our current or potential competitors may be acquired by or partner with third parties with greater resources than we have. As a result, our competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than we can to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards or customer requirements and may have the ability to initiate or withstand premium competition. In addition, current and potential competitors have established, and may in the future establish, cooperative relationships with providers of complementary services, technologies or services to increase the attractiveness of their services.
Accordingly, new competitors or alliances may emerge which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. If we are unable to successfully compete, our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Developments affecting spending by the healthcare industry could adversely affect our business.
The U.S. healthcare industry has changed significantly in recent years, and we expect that significant changes will continue to occur. General reductions in expenditures by healthcare industry participants could result from, among other things:
• regulatory uncertainty regarding the implementation of and reimbursement processes under the NSA;
• government regulations or private initiatives that affect the manner in which healthcare providers interact with patients, payors or other healthcare industry participants, including changes in pricing or means of delivery of healthcare products and services;
• consolidation of healthcare industry participants;
• reductions in government funding for healthcare; and
• adverse changes in business or economic conditions affecting healthcare payors or providers or other healthcare industry participants.
Any of these changes in healthcare spending could adversely affect our revenue. Even if general expenditures by industry participants remain the same or increase, developments in the healthcare industry may result in reduced spending in some or all of the specific market segments that we serve now or in the future. However, the timing and impact of developments in the healthcare industry are difficult to predict. Demand for our services may not continue at current levels and we may not have adequate technical, financial, and marketing resources to react to changes in the healthcare industry.
We and our physician partners and other healthcare professionals may become subject to medical liability claims, which could cause us to incur significant expenses and may require us to pay significant damages if the claims are not covered by insurance.
Our overall business entails the risk of medical liability claims. Although we, and our partner professionals carry insurance covering medical malpractice claims in amounts that we believe are appropriate in light of the risks attendant to the services rendered, successful medical liability claims could result in substantial damage awards that exceed the limits of our and those partner professionals’ insurance coverage. We carry or will carry professional liability insurance for us and each of our healthcare professionals. Professional liability insurance is expensive, and insurance premiums may increase significantly in the future, particularly as we expand our services. As a result, adequate professional liability insurance may not be available to us and our partner professionals in the future at acceptable costs or at all, which may negatively impact our and our partner professionals’ ability to provide services to our hospitals, and thereby adversely affect our overall business and operations.
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Any claims made against us or our partner professionals that are not fully covered by insurance could be costly to defend against, result in substantial damage awards, and divert the attention of our management and our partner professional entities from our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any claims may adversely affect our business or reputation.
If we or our partner physicians or other healthcare providers fail to comply with applicable data interoperability and information blocking rules, our consolidated results of operations could be adversely affected.
The 21st Century Cures Act, or the Cures Act, which was passed and signed into law in December 2016, includes provisions related to data interoperability, information blocking and patient access. In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ONC, and CMS finalized and issued complementary rules that are intended to clarify provisions of the Cures Act regarding interoperability and information blocking, and include, among other things, requirements surrounding information blocking, changes to ONC’s health IT certification program and requirements that CMS regulated payors make relevant claims/care data and provider directory information available through standardized patient access and provider directory application programming interfaces that connect to provider electronic health record systems. The companion rules will transform the way in which healthcare providers, health IT developers, health information exchanges/health information networks, or HIEs/HINs, and health plans share patient information, and create significant new requirements for healthcare industry participants. Heightened information blocking enforcement may result in penalties and reimbursement disincentives. HHS has directed OIG and ONC to actively enforce information-blocking regulations. Civil monetary penalties up to $1 million per violation apply to certain entities; provider (including MIPS adjustments and MSSP impacts) became during 2024–2025. or findings could lead to financial , reputational , and operational remediation costs.
Our business and operations could suffer in the event of material information technology system failures, security breaches, or other deficiencies in cybersecurity.
Our information technology systems facilitate our ability to conduct our business. While we have disaster recovery systems and business continuity plans in place, any disruptions in our disaster recovery systems or the failure of these systems to operate as expected could, depending on the magnitude of the problem, adversely affect our operating results by limiting our capacity to effectively monitor and control our operations. Despite our implementation of a variety of reasonable security measures, our information technology systems could be subject to physical or electronic break-ins, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering or any weather-related disruptions where our headquarters is located. In addition, in the event that a significant number of our management personnel were unavailable in the event of a disaster, our ability to effectively conduct business could be affected.
In the ordinary course of our business, we, our partner physicians or other physician partners collect and store sensitive data, including personally identifiable information, protected health information, intellectual property and proprietary business information owned or controlled by us or our employees, members and other parties. We manage and maintain our applications and data utilizing a combination of on-site systems and cloud-based data centers. We utilize external security and infrastructure vendors to provide and manage parts of our information technology systems, including our data centers. These applications and data encompass a wide variety of business-critical information, including research and development information, customer information, commercial information and business and financial information. We face a number of risks with respect to the protection of this information, including loss of access, inappropriate use or disclosure, unauthorized access, inappropriate modification and the risk of being unable to adequately monitor and audit and modify our controls over our critical information. This risk extends to the third-party vendors and subcontractors we use to manage this sensitive data or otherwise process it on our behalf. A or of our or our third-party vendors’ or subcontractors’ network, hosted service providers or vendor systems could result from a variety of circumstances and events, including third-party action, employee or , , computer viruses, cyber-attacks by computer hackers such as -of-service and phishing attacks, during the process of upgrading or replacing software and databases, power , hardware , telecommunication , user , or events. If these third-party vendors or subcontractors to protect their information technology systems and our confidential and proprietary information, we may be to in service and access to our confidential or proprietary information and we could incur liability and reputational .
The secure processing, storage, maintenance and transmission of information is vital to our operations and business strategy, and we devote significant resources to protecting such information. Although we take reasonable measures to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, use or disclosure, our information technology and infrastructure may still
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be vulnerable to, and we have in the past experienced, low-threat attacks by hackers or breaches due to employee error, malfeasance or other malicious or inadvertent disruptions. Further, attacks upon information technology systems are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication and intensity, particularly in the healthcare industry in which we operate where there is an increased reliance on internet technology and remote employees. Furthermore, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures, which could result in an incident that compromises the security of our networks or information and is for an extended period. Our information systems must also be continually updated, patched and upgraded to protect known and the sheer volume and criticality of these patches has increased markedly. Each time a new is identified we are at risk that cyber-attackers such known before we have been to address it.
Any unauthorized access, breach, or loss of personal information could result in the disruption of our operations, legal claims or proceedings, and liability under federal or state laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and corresponding regulatory penalties. In addition, we could face criminal liability, damages for contract breach, reputational harm that could impact our ability to compete, and incur significant costs for remedial measures to prevent future occurrences and mitigate past violations. Notice of breaches may be required to be made to affected individuals or other state or federal regulators, and for extensive breaches, notice may need to be made to the media or State Attorneys General. Such a notice could harm our reputation and our ability to compete. Although we maintain insurance covering certain security and privacy and claim expenses, we may not carry insurance or maintain coverage sufficient to compensate for all liability and in any event, insurance coverage would not address the reputational that could result from a security . our implementation of security measures reasonably designed to prevent access, there is no guarantee we can protect our data from .
Actual or perceived failures to comply with applicable data protection, privacy and security laws, regulations, standards and other requirements, including contractual obligations, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Numerous state and federal laws, regulations, standards and other legal obligations, including consumer protection laws and regulations, which govern the collection, dissemination, use, access to, confidentiality, security and processing of personal information, including health-related information, could apply to our operations or the operations of our partners.
These privacy and security laws and regulations (including our contractual obligations) are constantly evolving, may conflict with each other, and can result in investigations, procedures, or actions that lead to significant civil and criminal penalties and operational restrictions.
Any failure or perceived failure by us or our employees, representatives, contractors, consultants, collaborators, or other third parties to comply with such requirements or adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage our reputation, and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Changes in U.S. tax laws, and the adoption of tax reform policies could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We are subject to federal and state income and non-income taxes in the United States. Tax laws, regulations, and administrative practices in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change, with or without notice, due to economic, political, and other conditions, and significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating these taxes. Our effective tax rates could be affected by numerous factors, such as entry into new businesses and geographies, changes to our existing business and operations, acquisitions and investments and how they are financed, changes in our stock price, changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities and their valuation, and changes in the relevant tax, accounting, and other laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles and interpretations. We are required to take positions regarding the interpretation of complex statutory and regulatory tax rules and on valuation matters that are subject to uncertainty, and tax authorities may challenge the positions that we take.
Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly, which could adversely impact the value of our Common Stock.
Our quarterly results of operations, including our revenue, net loss and cash flows, have varied and may vary significantly in the future, and period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations may not be meaningful. Accordingly, our
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quarterly results should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Our quarterly financial results may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including, without limitation, the following:
• the timing of recognition of revenue, including possible delays in the recognition of revenue due to sometimes unpredictable implementation timelines;
• the amount and timing of operating expenses related to the maintenance and expansion of our business, operations and infrastructure;
• our ability to respond to competitive developments;
• security or data privacy breaches and associated remediation costs; and
• the timing of expenses related to the development or acquisition of additional hospitals or businesses.
Any fluctuation in our quarterly results may not accurately reflect the underlying performance of our business and could cause a decline in the trading price of our Common Stock.
Obligations under the term loans of our hospitals, and our related loan and leases guarantees could restrict our operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes in our business or to take specified actions. An event of default under the term loans could harm our business, and creditors having security interests over the hospital assets as well as the leased real estate would be able to foreclose on such assets.
Each of our hospitals is a party to term loans and lines of credit guaranteed by Nutex Holdco to finance hospital equipment and related assets, for aggregate borrowings of approximately $36.7 million as of December 31, 2025.
In addition, Nutex Holdco subsequently entered into guarantees of finance lease obligations of each of our hospitals and mortgage debt of Real Estate Entities affiliated with Dr. Vo, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The term loans and lease and mortgage loan guarantees require us to comply with a number of financial and other obligations, which include maintaining debt service coverage and leverage ratios and maintaining insurance coverage, and may impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to take actions that may be in our interests. These obligations may limit our flexibility in our operations, and breaches of these obligations could result in defaults under the term loans or guarantees, even if we had satisfied our payment obligations. Moreover, if we defaulted on these obligations, creditors having security interests over the hospital assets or real estate assets could exercise various remedies, including foreclosing on and selling our assets or the real estate assets underlying our hospitals. Unless waived by creditors, for which no assurance can be given, defaulting on these obligations could result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition and ability to continue our operations.
The arrangements we have with our VIEs are not as secure as direct ownership of such entities.
Because of corporate practice of medicine laws, we entered into contractual arrangements to manage certain affiliated physician practice groups or independent physician associations, which allow us to consolidate those groups for financial reporting purposes. We do not have direct ownership interests in any of our VIEs and are not able to exercise rights as an equity holder to directly change the members of the board of directors of these entities so as to affect changes at the management and operational level. Under our arrangements with our VIEs, we must rely on their equity holders to exercise our control over the entities. If our affiliated entities or their equity holders fail to perform as expected, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements.
Any failure by our affiliated entities or their owners to perform their obligations under their agreements with us would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Physician LLCs are owned by individual physicians who could die, become incapacitated, or become no longer affiliated with us. Although the Management Services Agreements (MSAs) of our hospitals with these affiliates provide that they will be binding on successors of current owners, as the successors are not parties to the MSAs, it is uncertain in case of the death, bankruptcy, or divorce of a current owner whether their successors would be subject to such MSAs.
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If there is a change in accounting principles or the interpretation thereof affecting consolidation of VIEs, it could impact our consolidation of total revenues derived from our affiliated physician groups.
Our financial statements are consolidated and include the accounts of our majority-wholly owned subsidiary AHP Health Management Services Inc., non-owned affiliated physician groups and real estate entities that each is a VIE, which consolidation is effectuated in accordance with applicable accounting rules promulgated by the FASB. Such accounting rules require that, under some circumstances, the VIE consolidation model be applied when a reporting enterprise holds a variable interest (e.g., equity interests, debt obligations, certain management, and service contracts) in a legal entity. Under this model, an enterprise must assess the entity in which it holds a variable interest to determine whether it meets the criteria to be consolidated as a VIE. If the entity is a VIE, the consolidation framework next identifies the party, if one exists, that possesses a controlling financial interest in the VIE, and then requires that party to consolidate as the primary beneficiary. An enterprise’s determination of whether it has a controlling financial interest in a VIE requires that a qualitative determination be made and is not solely based on voting rights. If an enterprise determines the entity in which it holds a variable interest is not subject to the VIE consolidation model, the enterprise should apply the traditional voting control model which focuses on voting rights.
In our case, the VIE consolidation model applies to our controlled, but not owned, physician-affiliated entities including our IPA and PLLCs. Our determination regarding the consolidation of our affiliates, however, could be challenged, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations. In addition, in the event of a change in accounting rules or FASB’s interpretations thereof, or if there were an adverse determination by a regulatory agency or a court or a change in state or federal law relating to the ability to maintain present agreements or arrangements with our affiliated physician group, we may not be permitted to continue to consolidate the revenues of our VIE.
Risk Related to our Population Health Management Division
New physicians and other providers must be properly enrolled in governmental healthcare programs before we can receive reimbursement for their services, and there may be delays in the enrollment process.
Each time a new physician joins us or our affiliated IPA groups, we must enroll the physician under our applicable group identification number for Medicare and Medicaid programs and for certain managed care and private insurance programs before we can receive reimbursement for services the physician renders to beneficiaries of those programs. The estimated time to receive approval for the enrollment is sometimes difficult to predict and, in recent years, the Medicare program carriers often have not issued these numbers to our affiliated physicians in a timely manner. These practices result in delayed reimbursement that may adversely affect our cash flows.
We may have difficulty collecting payments from third-party payors in a timely manner.
We derive significant revenue from third-party payors, and delays in payment or refunds to payors may adversely impact our net revenue. We assume the financial risks relating to uncollectible and delayed payments. In particular, we rely on some key governmental payors. Governmental payors typically pay on a more extended payment cycle, which could require us to incur substantial expenses prior to receiving corresponding payments. In the current healthcare environment, as payors continue to control expenditures for healthcare services, including through revising their coverage and reimbursement policies, we may continue to experience difficulties in collecting payments from payors that may seek to reduce or delay such payments. If we are not timely paid in full or if we need to refund some payments, our revenues, cash flows, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Decreases in payor rates could adversely affect us.
Decreases in payor rates, either prospectively or retroactively, could have a significant adverse effect on our revenues, cash flow, and results of operations.
Federal and state laws may limit our ability to collect monies owed by patients.
We use third-party collection agencies whom we do not control to collect from patients any co-payments and other payments for services that our physicians provide. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act of 1977 (the “FDCPA”) restricts the methods that third-party collection companies may use to contact and seek payment from consumer debtors regarding past due accounts. State laws vary with respect to debt collection practices, although most state requirements are similar to those under the FDCPA. Therefore, such agencies may not be successful in collecting payments owed to us and
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our affiliated physician groups. If practices of collection agencies utilized by us are inconsistent with these standards, we may be subject to actual damages and penalties. These factors and events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We have established reserves for our potential medical claim losses, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, and a deficiency in the established reserves may lead to a reduction in our assets or net incomes.
We establish reserves for estimated Insured but Not Reported ("IBNR") claims. IBNR estimates are developed using actuarial methods and are based on many variables, including the utilization of healthcare services, historical payment patterns, cost trends, product mix, seasonality, changes in membership, and other factors. The estimation methods and the resulting reserves are periodically reviewed and updated.
Many of our contracts are complex in nature and may be subject to differing interpretations regarding amounts due for the provision of various services. Such interpretations may not come to light until a substantial period of time has passed. The inherent difficulty in interpreting contracts and estimating necessary reserves could result in significant fluctuations in our estimates from period to period. Our actual losses and related expenses therefore may differ, even substantially, from the reserve estimates reflected in our financial statements. If actual claims exceed our estimated reserves, we may be required to increase reserves, which would lead to a reduction in our assets or net income.
We do not have a Knox-Keene license.
The Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 was passed by the California State Legislature to regulate California managed care plans and is currently administered by the California Department of Managed Healthcare (DMHC). A Knox-Keene Act license is required to operate a healthcare service plan, e.g., an HMO, or an organization that accepts global risk, i.e., accepts full risk for a patient population, including risk related to institutional services, e.g., hospital, and professional services. Applying for and obtaining such a license is a time consuming and detail-oriented undertaking. We currently do not hold any Knox-Keene license. If the DMHC were to determine that we have been inappropriately taking risk for institutional and professional services as a result of our various hospital and physician arrangements without having any Knox-Keene license or applicable regulatory exemption, we may be required to obtain a Knox-Keene license and could be subject to civil and criminal liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
A Knox-Keene Act license or exemption from licensure, where applicable, is required to operate a healthcare service plan, e.g., an HMO, or an organization that accepts global risk, i.e., accepts full risk for a patient population, including risk related to institutional services, e.g., hospital, and professional services.
If our affiliated physician group is not able to satisfy California financial solvency regulations, they could become subject to sanctions and their ability to do business in California could be limited or terminated.
The DMHC has instituted financial solvency regulations. The regulations are intended to provide a formal mechanism for monitoring the financial solvency of a RBO in California, including capitated physician groups. Under current DMHC regulations, our affiliated physician groups, as applicable, are required to, among other things:
• Maintain, at all times, a minimum “cash-to-claims ratio” (which means the organization’s cash, marketable securities, and certain qualified receivables, divided by the organization’s total unpaid claims liability) of 0.75; and
• Submit periodic reports to the DMHC containing various data and attestations regarding their performance and financial solvency, including IBNR calculations and documentation and attestations as to whether or not the organization (i) was in compliance with the “Knox-Keene Act” requirements related to claims payment timeliness, (ii) had maintained positive tangible net equity (“TNE”), and (iii) had maintained positive working capital.
In the event that a physician group is not in compliance with any of the above criteria, it would be required to describe in a report submitted to the DMHC the reasons for non-compliance and actions to be taken to bring it into compliance. Under such regulations, the DMHC can also make some of the information contained in the reports, public, including, but not limited to, whether or not a particular physician organization met each of the criteria. In the event any of our affiliated physician groups are not able to meet certain of the financial solvency requirements, and fail to meet subsequent corrective action plans, it could be subject to sanctions, or limitations on, or removal of, its ability to do business in California. There can be no assurance that our affiliated physician group, such as our IPA, will remain in compliance with DMHC
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requirements or be able to timely and adequately rectify non-compliance. To the extent that we need to provide additional capital to our affiliated physician group in the future in order to comply with DMHC regulations, we would have less cash available for other parts of our operations.
Primary care physicians may seek to affiliate with our and our competitors’ IPAs at the same time.
It is common in the medical services industry for primary care physicians to be affiliated with multiple IPAs. Our affiliated IPA therefore may enter into agreements with physicians who are also affiliated with our competitors. However, some of our competitors at times have agreements with physicians that require the physician to provide exclusive services. Our affiliated IPA often has no knowledge, and no way of knowing, whether a physician is subject to an exclusivity agreement without being informed by the physician. Competitors could initiate lawsuits against us alleging in part interference with such exclusivity arrangements. An adverse outcome from any such lawsuit could adversely affect our business, cash flows and financial condition.
If we inadvertently employ or contract with an excluded person, we may face government sanctions.
Individuals and entities can be excluded from participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs for violating certain laws and regulations, or for other reasons such as the loss of a license in any state, even if the person retains other licensure. This means that the excluded person and others are prohibited from receiving payments for such person’s services rendered to Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries, and if the excluded person is a physician, all services ordered (not just provided) by such physician are also non-covered and non-payable. Entities that employ or contract with excluded individuals are prohibited from billing the Medicare or Medicaid programs for the excluded individual’s services and are subject to civil penalties if it does. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General maintains a list of excluded persons. Although we have instituted policies and procedures to minimize such risks, there can be no assurance that we will not inadvertently hire or contract with an excluded person, or that our employees or contracts will not become excluded in the future without our knowledge. If this occurs, we may be subject to substantial repayments and civil penalties which could adversely affect our business, cash flows, and financial condition.
New California privacy regulations require Automated Decision-Making Technology (“ADMT”) transparency and future cybersecurity audits.
Effective January 1, 2026, businesses using ADMT for significant decisions must provide pre-use notices, consumer access/appeal rights, and certain opt-outs, with opt-in for sensitive data. Starting in 2028, businesses meeting specified revenue/data thresholds must complete annual independent cybersecurity audits and risk assessments. These rules can increase operational complexity and costs and may limit certain analytics or automation use cases.
Heightened scrutiny of Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment practices may increase audit and repayment risk.
DOJ has pursued FCA actions alleging improper risk-adjustment submissions; any adverse findings could result in repayments, penalties, and increased compliance costs for entities engaged in MA coding or analytics.
Risks Related to Our Legal and Regulatory Environment
We conduct business in a heavily regulated industry and if we fail to adhere to all of the complex government laws and regulations that apply to our business, we could incur fines or penalties or be required to make changes to our operations or experience adverse publicity, any or all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, and reputation.
The U.S. healthcare industry is heavily regulated and closely scrutinized by federal, state and local governments. Comprehensive statutes and regulations govern the manner in which we provide and bill for services and collect reimbursement from governmental programs and private payors, our contractual relationships and arrangements with healthcare providers and vendors, our marketing activities and other aspects of our operations. Of particular importance are:
• the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, or the AKS, which prohibits the knowing and willful offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of any bribe, kickback, rebate or other remuneration for referring an individual, in return for ordering, leasing, purchasing or recommending or arranging for or to induce the referral of an individual or the ordering, purchasing or leasing of items or services covered, in whole or in part, by any federal healthcare
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program, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Although there are several statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting certain common activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly. By way of example, the AKS safe harbor for value-based arrangements requires, among other things, that the arrangement does not induce a person or entity to reduce or limit medically necessary items or services furnished to any patient. Failure to meet the requirements of a safe harbor, however, does not render an arrangement illegal, although such arrangements may be subject to greater scrutiny by government authorities. Further, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;
• the federal physician self-referral law, or the Stark Law, which, subject to limited exceptions, prohibits physicians from referring Medicare or Medicaid patients to an entity for the provision of certain designated health services, or DHS, if the physician or a member of such physician’s immediate family has a direct or indirect financial relationship (including an ownership interest or a compensation arrangement) with the entity, and prohibits the entity from billing Medicare or Medicaid for such DHS;
• the federal False Claims Act, or the FCA, which imposes civil and criminal liability on individuals or entities that knowingly submit false or fraudulent claims for payment to the government or knowingly make, or cause to be made, a false statement in order to have a false claim paid, including qui tam or whistleblower suits. There are many potential bases for liability under the FCA. The government has used the FCA to prosecute Medicare and other government healthcare program fraud such as coding errors, billing for services not provided, and providing care that is not medically necessary or that is substandard in quality. In addition, we could be held liable under the FCA if we are deemed to “cause” the submission of or by, for example, providing billing, coding or risk adjustment information to our physician partners through Provider Portal and Analytic Management Tools, respectively. The 2025 NDAA revitalized the AFCA, agencies to pursue administrative and double- assessments for smaller cases, complementing DOJ’s traditional FCA actions. DOJ reported significant recoveries in 2025 and signaled broader enforcement priorities. Our billing, coding, and reimbursement practices could face heightened , increasing the risk of audits, , , and defense costs. The government may also assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a of the AKS or Stark Law constitutes a or claim for purposes of the FCA;
• the Civil Monetary Penalties Statute, which prohibits, among other things, an individual or entity from offering remuneration to a federal healthcare program beneficiary that the individual or entity knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary to order or receive healthcare items or services from a particular provider;
• the criminal healthcare fraud provisions of HIPAA and related rules that prohibit knowingly and willfully executing a scheme or artifice to defraud any healthcare benefit program or falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any material false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the AKS, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;
• reassignment of payment rules that prohibit certain types of billing and collection practices in connection with claims payable by the Medicare or Medicaid programs;
• similar state law provisions pertaining to anti-kickback, self-referral and false claims issues, some of which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any payor, including patients and commercial insurers;
• laws that regulate debt collection practices;
• a provision of the Social Security Act that imposes criminal penalties on healthcare providers who fail to disclose, or refund known overpayments;
• federal and state laws that prohibit providers from billing and receiving payment from Medicare and Medicaid for services unless the services are medically necessary, adequately and accurately documented, and billed using codes that accurately reflect the type and level of services rendered; and
• federal and state laws pertaining to the provision of services by nurse practitioners and physician assistants in certain settings, physician supervision of those services, and reimbursement requirements that depend on the types of services provided and documented and relationships between physician supervisors and nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
The laws and regulations in these areas are complex, changing and often subject to varying interpretations. As a result, there is no guarantee that a government authority will find that we or our partner physicians or other healthcare professionals are in compliance with all such laws and regulations that apply to our business. Further, because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some of the business activities undertaken by us or our partner physicians or other healthcare professionals could be subject to challenge under one or more of these laws, including, without limitation, our patient assistance programs that waive or reduce the patient’s obligation to pay copayments, coinsurance or deductible amounts owed for the services we provide to them if they meet certain financial need criteria. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of such laws or any
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other governmental regulations that apply, we may be subject to significant penalties, including, without limitation, administrative, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, the curtailment or restructuring of operations, integrity oversight and reporting obligations, exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs and imprisonment. In addition, any action against us or our partner physicians or other physician partners for violation of these laws or regulations, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses, our management’s attention from the operation of our business and result in publicity, or otherwise experience a material impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, reputation as a result.
If any of our hospitals lose their regulatory licenses, permits and/or registrations, as applicable, or become ineligible to receive reimbursement from third-party payors, there may be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, or results of operations.
The operations of our hospitals through partner physicians and other healthcare professionals are subject to extensive federal, state and local regulation relating to, among other things, the adequacy of medical care, equipment, personnel, operating policies and procedures and proof of financial ability to operate. Our hospitals and partner physicians and other healthcare professionals are also subject to extensive laws and regulation relating to facility and professional licensure, conduct of operations, including financial relationships among healthcare providers, Medicare, Medicaid and state fraud and abuse and physician self-referrals, and maintaining updates to our and our partner physicians’ and other healthcare professionals’ enrollment in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including addition of new hospital locations, providers and other enrollment information. Our hospitals are subject to periodic inspection by licensing authorities to assure their continued compliance with these various standards. There can be no assurance that these regulatory authorities will determine that all applicable requirements are fully met at any given time. Should any of our hospitals be found to be noncompliant with these requirements, we could be assessed fines and penalties, could be required to refund reimbursement amounts or could our licensure or Medicare and/or Medicaid certification so that we or our partner physicians and other healthcare professionals are to receive reimbursement from such programs and possibly from other third-party payors, any of which could materially affect our business, financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.
If our arrangements with our partner physicians and other physician partners are found to constitute the improper rendering of medical services or fee splitting under applicable state laws, our business, financial condition and our ability to operate in those states could be adversely impacted.
Our contractual relationships with our partner physicians may implicate certain state laws that generally prohibit non-professional entities from providing licensed medical services or exercising control over licensed physicians or other healthcare professionals (such activities generally referred to as the “corporate practice of medicine”) or engaging in certain practices such as fee-splitting with such licensed professionals. The interpretation and enforcement of these laws vary significantly from state to state. There can be no assurance that these laws will be interpreted in a manner consistent with our practices or that other laws or regulations will not be enacted in the future that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Regulatory authorities, state boards of medicine, state attorneys general and other parties may assert that, despite the agreements through which we operate, we are engaged in the provision of medical services and/or that our arrangements with our physician partners constitute unlawful fee-splitting. If a jurisdiction’s prohibition on the corporate practice of medicine or fee-splitting is interpreted in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices, we would be required to restructure or our arrangements with our physician partners to bring our activities into compliance with such laws. A determination of non-compliance, or the of or to these relationships could result in action, , , , and/or a of revenue, any of which could have a material and effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. State corporate practice and fee-splitting prohibitions also often impose on healthcare professionals for aiding in the rendering of professional services, which could physicians and other healthcare professionals from providing clinical services to our hospitals.
We face inspections, reviews, audits and investigations under federal and state government programs and contracts. These audits could have adverse findings that may negatively affect our business, including our results of operations, liquidity, financial condition and reputation.
As a result of our participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, we are subject to various governmental inspections, reviews, audits and investigations to verify our compliance with these programs and applicable laws and
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regulations. Other third-party payors may also reserve the right to conduct audits. We also periodically conduct internal audits and reviews of our regulatory compliance. An adverse inspection, review, audit or investigation could result in:
• refunding amounts we have been paid pursuant to the Medicare or Medicaid programs or from payors;
• state or federal agencies imposing fines, penalties and other sanctions on us;
• temporary suspension of payment for new patients to the facility or agency;
• decertification or exclusion from participation in the Medicare or Medicaid programs or one or more payor networks;
• self-disclosure of violations to applicable regulatory authorities;
• damage to our reputation;
• the revocation of a facility’s or agency’s license;
• criminal penalties;
• a corporate integrity agreement with HHS’ Office of Inspector General; and
• loss of certain rights under, or termination of, our contracts with payors.
If adverse inspections, reviews, audits or investigations occur and any of the results noted above occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. Furthermore, the legal, document production and other costs associated with complying with these inspections, reviews, audits or investigations could be significant.
Recent healthcare regulations, and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The impact on us of healthcare reform legislation and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending is uncertain, but may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our revenue is dependent on the healthcare industry and could be affected by changes in healthcare spending, reimbursement and policy. The healthcare industry is subject to changing political, regulatory and other influences. Additionally, the potential impact of new policies that may be implemented as a result of the new administration is currently uncertain.
On January 1, 2022, the NSA became effective. As a result, we experienced a significant decline in collections of patient claims for emergency services. There are numerous continuing legal challenges to the federal regulations promulgated under the NSA, in particular those mandating the methodology of calculating the qualifying payment amount and implementing the independent dispute resolution process, creating significant uncertainty in the claims recovery process. Any resulting decrease in the collections we receive for our emergency services could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial performance and may negatively affect the trading value of our Common Stock.
Changes to Stark Law DHS codes and exception thresholds may increase compliance risk.
CMS updated the DHS code list for CY 2026, which may expand or contract services subject to Stark restrictions. In addition, the non‑cash compensation exception increased to $535 per physician for 2026, and the “limited remuneration” exception cap increased to $6,237 per physician. Failure to monitor and align provider arrangements to these updated limits could result in noncompliance, repayment, penalties, and contract change
HIPAA rule changes may require operational and documentation updates and raise enforcement exposure.
Following a June 2025 court decision that partially vacated elements of the reproductive health privacy rule, remaining Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) modifications still require compliance by February 16, 2026. Separately, HHS/OCR has proposed modernization of the HIPAA Security Rule emphasizing robust controls (e.g., asset inventories, multi-factor authentication, vulnerability and incident management). Failure to implement and evidence these measures could increase breach risk and enforcement exposure.
Escalating cyber threats and regulatory expectations may increase costs and disruption risk.
HHS reports large healthcare breaches and individuals affected have surged over recent years, heightening the likelihood of incidents and enforcement. Significant events could cause system outages, deferred patient services, regulatory penalties, contract claims, increased insurance premiums or gaps, and costly remediation.
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Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law could make an acquisition of the Company, which may be beneficial to the stockholders of the Company, more difficult and may prevent attempts by the stockholders to replace or remove management.
We are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), including Section 203. Under these provisions, if anyone becomes an “interested stockholder,” the Company may not enter into a “business combination” with that person for three years without special approval, which could discourage a third party from making a takeover offer and could delay or prevent a change of control. For purposes of Section 203 of the DGCL, “interested stockholder” means, generally, someone owning 15% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting stock or an affiliate of the Company that owned 15% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting stock during the past three years, subject to certain exceptions as described in Section 203 of the DGCL. As such, Section 203 of the DGCL could prohibit or delay mergers or a change in control and may discourage attempts by other companies to acquire the Company.
Additionally, certain provisions in our Charter, such as advance notice provisions for matters to be included in the proxy statement for annual meetings, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if such change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders.
Because we have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our Common Stock for the foreseeable future, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your Common Stock for a price in excess of the purchase price.
We may retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and debt repayment and have no current plans to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants contained in any existing or future indebtedness. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our Common Stock unless you sell your Common Stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
The market price and trading volume of our Common Stock may be volatile and could decline significantly.
Securities markets worldwide experience significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market, or political conditions, could reduce the market price of our Common Stock in spite of our operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their Common Stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of the Common Stock. There can be no assurance that the market price of Common Stock will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others, the following:
• actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies perceived to be similar to us;
• changes in the market’s expectations about our operating results;
• success of competitors;
• our operating results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period;
• changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning us or the health population management industry in general;
• operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us;
• our ability to market new and enhanced products on a timely basis;
• changes in laws and regulations affecting our business;
• our ability to meet compliance requirements;
• commencement of, or involvement in, litigation involving us;
• changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt;
• the volume of shares of our Common Stock available for public sale;
• any major change in our board of directors or management;
• sales of substantial amounts of Common Stock by our directors, executive officers or significant stockholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and
• general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, fuel prices, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism.
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The stock market in general, and Nasdaq in particular, have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of these stocks, and of our securities, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for retail stocks or the stocks of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to us could depress our stock price regardless of our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our securities also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price and trading volume of our securities could decline.
The trading market for our securities depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We will not control these analysts, and the analysts who publish information about us may have relatively little experience with us or our industry, which could affect their ability to accurately forecast our results and could make it more likely that we fail to meet their estimates. If few or no securities or industry analysts cover us, the trading price for our securities would be negatively impacted. If one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our securities, publishes incorrect or unfavorable research about us, ceases coverage of us, or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for and visibility of our securities could decrease, which could cause the price or trading volumes of our securities to decline.
