ACCENDRA HEALTH INC/VA/ (ACH) Risk Factors
This page reproduces the company's own Item 1A Risk Factors text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Informational only - not investment advice. See Disclaimer.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Index to Risk Factors
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|---|---|---|
| Section | | Page |
| Operational Risks | | 14 |
| Risks Related to the Sale of our Products & Healthcare Services business | | 18 |
| Industry and Economic Risks | | 19 |
| Litigation and Regulatory Risks | | 21 |
| Risks Related to Our Debt | | 26 |
| General Risk Factors | | 28 |
Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors Summary
This report contains certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts, and generally can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “aim,” “seek,” “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “project,” “estimate,” “intend,” “target,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “continue,” or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report are based on certain risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors described below and the specific risk factors discussed herein and in connection with forward-looking statements throughout this Annual Report, which could cause actual results to vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause such differences include, among other things: increasing competitive and pricing pressures in the marketplace; our ability to retain existing and attract new customers and our dependence on certain customers, vendors, suppliers and third-parties; our ability to successfully identify, manage or integrate acquisitions; risks arising from the legal, regulatory or licensing requirements of the markets in which we operate; and general economic, regulatory and business conditions, including related to our international operations, among others. New risks and uncertainties may arise from time to time and are difficult to predict. Although we believe our expectations with respect to the forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions within the bounds of our knowledge of our business and operations, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied by these statements. We could also be affected by risks that we currently are not aware of or that we currently do not consider material to our business.
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The following is a summary of the risk factors that we currently believe could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and are not all of the risks that we face. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Operational Risks
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| ● | Our concentration in and dependence on certain Payors. |
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| ● | Our failure to maintain our relationships with hospital and physician referral sources may cause revenue decline. |
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| ● | Changes in customer and product mix could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. |
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| ● | Our business dependence on certain significant suppliers. |
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| ● | Our operations depend on proper functioning of information systems; and a cyberattack or systems breach could adversely affect business. |
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| ● | The recent termination of our contracts with a large commercial payor could negatively impact our financial condition and liquidity. |
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| ● | A CMS determination reducing reimbursement qualification for non-invasive ventilation products could negatively impact our financial results. |
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| ● | Our ability to attract and retain talented teammates is critical to our success. |
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| ● | Our inability to adequately integrate acquisitions could materially adversely affect operations. |
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| ● | The storage, transportation and provision of compressed and liquid oxygen carries inherent risk of rupture or accidents. |
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| ● | Our goodwill may become further impaired, requiring significant charge to earnings. |
Risks Related to the Sale of our Products & Healthcare Services Business
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| ● | The sale of the P&HS business may negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity. |
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| ● | We are required to provide transitional services which may divert the management’s attention and harm our business. |
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| ● | We are dependent on the successful execution of transitional services by third party. |
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| ● | Certain of our contracts were transferred or may need to be transferred or replaced and the failure to obtain replacements could increase our expenses. |
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| ● | The sale of P&HS assets could negatively impact business, and the retained liabilities could adversely affect our financial results. |
Industry and Economic Risks
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| ● | We face increasing competition, accelerating pricing pressure and changes in technology. |
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| ● | Uncertainty about economic conditions and adverse political changes may affect demand for our products, services and our accounts receivable collectability. |
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| ● | Changing conditions in the U.S. healthcare industry may impact the results of our operations and cash flows. |
Litigation & Regulatory Risks
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| ● | We are subject to stringent regulatory and licensing requirements; and potential federal and state investigations and compliance reviews. |
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| ● | We must obtain regulatory clearance prior to consummating certain healthcare transactions. |
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| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
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| ● | Our failure to comply with regulatory requirements or receive clearances or approvals for our medical gas facilities could adversely affect our business. |
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| ● | Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to establish, maintain, protect and enforce intellectual property rights. |
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| ● | We may become subject to litigation, investigations, claims and legal proceedings. |
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| ● | We could be subject to adverse tax law changes, challenges to tax positions and audits resulting in additional payments. |
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| ● | Our ESG-related aspirations, goals and disclosures expose us to risks including reputational and stock price risks. |
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| ● | Our amended bylaws designate U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Virginia as the exclusive forum for certain litigation, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain favorable judicial forum. |
Risks Related to Our Debt
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| ● | We may not be able to refinance, extend or repay our substantial indebtedness. |
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| ● | We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service debt and other obligations. |
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| ● | Our credit facilities and existing notes have restrictive covenants that could limit financial flexibility. |
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| ● | Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk. |
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| ● | We may continue to incur additional substantial indebtedness in the future. |
General Risk Factors
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| ● | Our continued success is substantially dependent on positive perceptions of our reputation. |
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| ● | We are subject to risks related to public health crises and future outbreaks. |
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| ● | The market price for our common stock and debt have been and may continue to be volatile. |
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| ● | We may be adversely affected by global climate change or legal, regulatory or market responses to such change. |
Operational Risks
We have concentration in and dependence on certain Payors.
During the year ended December 31, 2025, our two largest commercial Payors represented approximately 23% and 14% of our net revenue, derived from multiple separately managed contracts. Revenue reimbursed under arrangements with Medicare and state Medicaid programs was approximately 19% of our net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025. A commercial Payor, with which we have multiple separately managed contracts, has terminated, or is in the process of terminating, certain of our contracts with them. The terminated agreements reflected $322 million or 12% of our net revenue, including $231 million of capitation revenue, which represents nearly all of our capitation revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2025. Refer to the risk factor titled, “The recent contract termination from a large commercial Payor could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity risk” below for additional information. Changes in a significant individual Payor relationship could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
Our failure to establish and maintain relationships with hospital and physician referral sources may cause our revenue to decline.
We do not have contracts or exclusive arrangements with most hospitals or physicians, but we attempt to work closely with hospitals and physicians to accept discharges and referrals of their patients who require our services. Therefore, our success is significantly dependent on referrals from hospital and physician sources. If we are unable to
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successfully establish new referral sources and maintain strong relationships with our current referral sources, if there is an actual or perceived decrease in the quality of service and care levels we provide, or if efforts to increase the skill level and effectiveness of our sales force fail, our revenues may decline. In addition, our relationships with referral sources are subject to federal and state healthcare laws such as the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute (Anti-Kickback Statute) and the U.S. federal Stark Law (Stark Law), and compliance with these laws limits the scope of our relationships with our referral sources.
Possible changes in customer and product mix could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
Our revenues are determined by a number of factors, including mix of customers, the rates of payment among customers and the mix of our products and services provided. A shift towards customers with lower compensation, or from higher gross margin products to lower gross margin products, would reduce our gross profits. Changes in the mix of our customers, products and services provided and payment methodologies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
Our business is dependent on certain significant suppliers.
We currently rely on a relatively small number of suppliers to provide us with the majority of our patient service equipment and supplies for our home healthcare business. During the year ended December 31, 2025, our three largest suppliers contributed 16%, 14% and 11% of our purchases collectively accounting for approximately 40%. From time to time, we also enter into certain exclusive arrangements with suppliers for the provision of patient service equipment and supplies. Further, some of our supply agreements contain pricing scales that depend on meeting certain order volumes. Our inability to procure certain equipment and supplies, including as a result of failure to maintain and renew certain agreements and access arrangements, could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. We often use suppliers selectively for quality and cost reasons. Significant price increases, or disruptions in the ability to obtain such equipment and supplies from existing suppliers, such as the disruptions that were associated with the Philips Respironics recall as described in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, which primarily affected our 2024 results, may reduce our income and could force us to use alternative suppliers. Any change in the existing suppliers we use could cause delays in the delivery of products and possible losses in revenue, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. In addition, alternative suppliers may not be available, or may not provide their products and services at similar or favorable prices. If we cannot obtain the patient service equipment and supplies we currently use, or alternatives at similar or favorable prices, our ability to provide such products may be severely impacted, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
Our operations depend on the proper functioning of information systems, and our business or results of operations could be adversely affected if we experience a cyberattack or other systems breach or failure.
Our business depends on the proper functioning and availability of computer systems and networks to meet operational needs. These systems are also relied upon for receiving and filling orders for customers, billings to and collections from customers, the purchase of and payment for inventory and related transactions from our suppliers, and the secure electronic transmission, processing, storage, and hosting of sensitive information, including protected health information and other types of personal information, confidential financial information, proprietary information, and other sensitive information relating to our customers, company, and teammates. In addition, the success of our long-term growth strategy is dependent upon the ability to continually monitor and upgrade our information systems to provide better service to customers.
As described in Item 1C, we have an integrated framework to prevent, identify and mitigate risks related to cybersecurity attacks on our systems. Despite physical, technical, and administrative security measures by us and our external service providers and consultants, our technology systems and operations have been subject to cyberattacks in the past and may be subject to cyberattacks in the future from sources beyond our control. In recent years, cyberattacks in our industry have increased and become more sophisticated. For instance, we expect threat actors may use more advanced tools and techniques, such as artificial intelligence (AI), that are designed to circumvent security controls. As a
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result, the risk of a cyberattack on our systems has increased. We do not oversee or actively monitor cybersecurity risks related to our external service providers and we rely on these providers to inform us of risks, breaches or cyberattacks. Cyberattacks include actual or attempted unauthorized access, tampering, malware insertion, ransomware attacks, or other system integrity events. A future cybersecurity incident could involve a material data breach or other material impact to the operations of our technology systems, or the third party service providers on which we rely, which could result in failure of our systems to operate properly for an extended period of time, litigation or regulatory action, loss of customers or revenue, and increased expense, any of which might have a material adverse impact on our business operations, reputation, our growth and strategic initiatives, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The recent termination of certain contracts commercial Payor could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
A commercial Payor, with which we have multiple separately managed contracts, has terminated, or is in the process of terminating, as applicable certain of our contracts with them. The termination resulted in minimal impacts to our operating income for the year ended December 31, 2025, as the transitions of agreements and services started late in the fourth quarter of 2025. While the transitions of agreements and services are expected to continue throughout the first half of 2026, the specific timing of when these contracts will wind down is highly dependent on the Payor’s successor provider’s ability to successfully transition customers among other factors. The terminated agreements reflected $322 million or 12% of our net revenue, including $231 million of capitation revenue, which represents nearly all of our capitation revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2025.
If we are unable to win new business to substitute this loss, effectively execute cost reduction actions, or maintain volume-based supplier discounts, the loss of this contractual relationship could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
A determination from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would reduce reimbursement qualification for non-invasive ventilation products, which could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
In June 2025, CMS released a final national coverage determination for non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in the home for the treatment of chronic respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This determination may make qualifying for NIPPV more difficult for new COPD patients seeking this treatment, as patients must meet a number of criteria before qualifying for coverage of an initial six-month period for respiratory assist devices and home mechanical ventilation. This CMS determination could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our ability to attract and retain talented and qualified teammates is critical to our success and competitiveness.
The success of our business depends on our ability to attract, engage, develop and retain qualified and experienced teammates, including key executives. We may not be able to successfully compete for, attract, or retain qualified and experienced teammates, especially in North America where labor markets continue to be highly competitive. Competition among potential employers, labor shortages, and inflationary pressures might result in increased salaries, benefits or other teammate-related costs, or in our failure to recruit and retain teammates. We may experience sudden loss of key personnel due to a variety of causes, including competitive recruitment, retirement, illness, death, or disability, and must adequately plan for succession of key executive roles. Teammates might not successfully transition into new roles. If we are unable to recruit or retain a sufficient number of qualified employees, or if the costs of compensation or employee benefits increase substantially, our ability to deliver services effectively could suffer and our profitability would likely be adversely affected. In addition, employee union organizing activities have occurred in the past and may occur in the future, and the adverse impact of unionization and organizing activities on our costs and operating results could be substantial.
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Our inability to adequately integrate acquisitions could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
In connection with our growth strategy, we from time to time acquire other businesses, that we believe will expand or complement our existing businesses and operations. The integration of acquisitions involves a number of significant risks, which may include but are not limited to, the following: expenses and difficulties in the transition and integration of operations and systems; complexities associated with managing the expanded operations; retention of current customers and the ability to obtain new customers; the assimilation and retention of personnel; accounting, tax, regulatory and compliance issues; difficulties in implementing uniform controls, procedures, policies and information systems; unanticipated expenses, delays or regulatory issues associated with integrating the operations; general economic conditions in the markets in which the acquired businesses operate; difficulties encountered in conducting business in markets where we have limited experience and expertise; difficulties obtaining or failure to obtain necessary regulatory licenses and Payor-specific approvals; diversion of management’s attention caused by completing the integration of the operations; inadequate indemnification from the seller; and failure of the seller to perform under any transition services agreement.
Even if we are able to integrate an acquired business successfully, this integration may not result in the realization of the full benefits that we expected or may be more costly than we expected. If we are unable to successfully complete and integrate our strategic acquisitions in a timely manner, our business, growth strategies, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.
Our operations involve the storage, transportation and provision of compressed and liquid oxygen, which carries an inherent risk of rupture or other accidents with the potential to cause substantial loss.
Our operations are subject to the many hazards inherent in the storage, transportation and provision of medical gas products and compressed and liquid oxygen, including ruptures, leaks and fires. These risks could result in substantial losses due to personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property and equipment and pollution or other environmental damage and may result in curtailment or suspension of our related operations. If a significant accident or event occurs, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Additionally, corrective action plans, fines or other sanctions may be levied by government regulators who oversee the storage, transportation and provision of hazardous materials such as compressed or liquid oxygen.
Our goodwill may become further impaired, which would require us to record a significant charge to earnings in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) require us to test our goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if indicators for potential impairment exist. The testing required by GAAP involves estimates and judgments by management. Although we believe our assumptions and estimates are reasonable and appropriate, any significant adverse changes in one or a combination of key assumptions, including, but not limited to, a further decrease in our market capitalization, an increase in the discount rate, a failure to meet our business plans or expected earnings and cash flows, unanticipated events and circumstances such as the loss of a contract with a significant Payor, changes in assumptions about the duration and magnitude of increased supply chain expense, commodities costs or inflationary pressures and our planned efforts to mitigate such impacts, disruptions in the supply chain, a decrease in the terminal growth rate, increases in tax rates (including potential tax reform) or a significant change in industry or economic trends, may affect the accuracy or validity of such estimates and may result in goodwill impairment. As a result of an interim impairment test performed during the three months ended December 31, 2024, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge in our Apria reporting unit of $307 million. No impairment charges to goodwill were recorded in continuing operations 2025 or 2023. We may be required to record a material charge to earnings in our consolidated financial statements during the period in which any impairment of our goodwill is determined, which charge could adversely affect our results of operations.
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Risks Related to the Sale of our Products & Healthcare Services Business
We have sold our P&HS business, and there may be negative impacts on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
On December 31, 2025, we completed the P&HS Sale after which we are a significantly smaller, less diversified company with a single segment. We may be more vulnerable to changing market conditions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In addition, the diversification of revenue, costs, and cash flows has diminished, such that our results of operations, cash flows, working capital, effective tax rate, and financing requirements may be subject to increased volatility and our ability to fund capital expenditures and investments and service debt may be diminished. We may be unable to achieve the full strategic and financial benefits that we believe we may be able to achieve through the sale of our P&HS business, or such benefits may be delayed or may never occur at all. For example, we believe the sale could provide the following benefits, among others:
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| ● | directing capital toward the higher growth and higher margin Accendra Health business; and |
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| ● | applying proceeds from the sale to repay certain of our indebtedness. |
We may not achieve these or other anticipated benefits for a variety of reasons, including, among others: (i) the possibility that we may not benefit as expected from the increased focus on our Accendra Health business and simpler business model made possible by the sale and (ii) the risk of litigation, injunctions or other legal proceedings relating to the sale If we fail to achieve some or all of the benefits we expect to achieve as a result of the sale of our P&HS business, or if such benefits are delayed, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.
The sale of our P&HS business has resulted and will continue to result in significant separation costs, and we are obligated to reimburse Purchaser for the first $65 million of such costs subsequent to the completion of the sale, subject to conditions described in Note 3. See Note 3 “discontinued operations” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Furthermore, the sale process could cause disruptions and create uncertainty surrounding our business and affect our relationships with our customers, suppliers and teammates. Although we have taken actions to reduce any adverse effects, these uncertainties could cause customers, suppliers and others that deal with us to seek to change existing business relationships. In addition, teammate retention could be negatively impacted. If key teammates depart because of concerns relating to the uncertainty, our business could be harmed. Additionally, until the market has fully analyzed our valuation following the sale of the P&HS business, the price of our common stock may fluctuate. Furthermore, the sale has decreased the diversification of our revenues, costs and cash flows, and so our operations, cash flows, working capital, effective tax rate and financing requirements may be subject to increased volatility, and our ability to fund capital expenditures and investments, pay dividends and meet debt obligations and other liabilities may be diminished.
In connection with the sale of the P&HS business, we are required to provide certain transitional services which may divert management’s attention and harm our business.
In connection with the P&HS Sale, we are required to provide certain services to the Purchaser for a transitional period. Such transitional services arrangements may be in exchange for fees that do not fully compensate us for the cost of providing such transitional services and may also divert management’s attention and resources, away from the existing business, which could harm our business.
In connection with the sale of the P&HS business, we are receiving certain transitional services and are dependent on the successful execution of these services by a third party.
In connection with the P&HS Sale, we are receiving certain services from the Purchaser for a transitional period. We are dependent on the Purchaser to provide us with these services over a transitional period. If we are not able
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to successfully transition off of these transitional services timely, it could negatively impact our ability to achieve our strategic objectives and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Certain contracts used in our business were transferred or may need to be transferred or replaced in connection with the sale of the P&HS business and any failure to obtain such replacement contracts could increase our expenses or otherwise adversely affect our results of operations.
In connection with the sale of the P&HS business, we have been required and will be further required to replace certain shared contracts. It is possible that, in connection with the replacement process, some parties may seek more favorable contractual terms from us. If we are unable to obtain such replacement contracts, the loss of these contracts could increase our expenses or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The sale of certain assets associated with the P&HS business could negatively impact our business, and retained liabilities from businesses or assets that we have sold could adversely affect our financial results.
The asset sales in connection with the P&HS business pose risks and challenges that could negatively impact our business, including retained liabilities related to divested businesses and sold assets, obligations to indemnify buyers against contingent liabilities and potential disputes with buyers. If post-completion liabilities and obligations related to divestitures and asset sales are substantial and exceed our expectations, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows could be negatively impacted. Any divestiture or asset sale may result in a dilutive impact to our future earnings if we are unable to offset the dilutive impact from the loss of revenue and profits associated with the divestiture or sold asset, as well as significant write-offs, including those related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Industry and Economic Risks
We face increasing competition, accelerating pricing pressure and changes in technology.
The home healthcare industry in which we operate is intensely competitive and highly fragmented. There are a large number of providers, including hospital systems, physician specialists and sleep labs, industrial gas manufacturers, home healthcare agencies, health maintenance organizations, and alternative treatment providers. There are also relatively few barriers to entry in local home healthcare markets. Hospitals, health systems, and Payors are routinely looking to provide coverage and better control of post-acute healthcare services, including home healthcare services of the types we provide. From time to time our contracts are amended (sometimes through unilateral action regarding payment policy), renegotiated, subjected to a bidding process with our competitors, or terminated altogether. Payors may enlarge their provider networks, reducing the amount of referrals or revenue we may receive from them, reduce their provider networks in exchange for lower payment rates or change the order of preference among the providers to which they refer business. In addition, pharmacy benefit managers, such as CVS Health Corporation, are competing with us in the home healthcare market. Large technology companies, such as Amazon.com, Inc. and Alphabet Inc., have disrupted other supply businesses and, in the case of Amazon.com, Inc. and its emerging pharmacy offerings, entered the healthcare market. In the event such providers enter the home healthcare market, we may experience a loss of referrals or revenue.
Traditional distribution relationships are also being challenged by online commerce solutions. Such competition will require us to cost-effectively adapt to changing technology, to continue to provide enhanced service offerings and to continue to differentiate our business (including with additional value-added services) to address demands of consumers and customers on a timely basis. The emergence of such competition and our inability to anticipate and effectively respond to changes on a timely basis could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Some of our competitors may now or in the future have greater financial or marketing resources than we do, or have more effective sales and marketing activities, which may increase pricing pressure and limit our ability to maintain or increase our market share. In addition, in certain markets, competitors may have other products and services that are or perceived to be superior to our own.
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It is also possible that major changes in available technology, Payor benefit or coverage policies related to those changes, or the preferences of customers, patients and referral sources, may cause our current product offerings to become less competitive or obsolete, and it will be necessary for us to adapt to those changes. Such unanticipated changes could cause us to incur increased capital expenditures and change strategies and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Uncertainty about current and future economic conditions and other adverse changes in general political conditions may adversely affect demand for our products and services and collectability of our accounts receivable.
Poor or deteriorating economic and political conditions in the U.S could adversely affect the demand for healthcare services and consequently, the demand for our products and services. Such change in demand may result in further inventory valuation adjustments. Poor economic conditions also could lead our suppliers to offer less favorable terms, which would negatively affect our profitability. Further, the potential decline in federal and state revenues that may result from a deterioration in economic and political conditions may create additional pressures to contain or reduce reimbursements for our services from Medicare, Medicaid and other government sponsored programs. There can be no assurance that our products or services will be considered cost-effective or that adequate third-party reimbursement will be available to enable a company to maintain price levels sufficient to realize profitability. Increases in job losses in the U.S. as a result of adverse economic conditions could result in a smaller percentage of our patients being covered by an employer group health plan and a larger percentage being covered by lower paying Medicare and Medicaid programs. Employers may also select more restrictive commercial plans with lower reimbursement rates. To the extent that Payors are negatively impacted by a decline in the economy, we may experience further pressure on commercial rates, a slowdown in collections and a reduction in the amounts we expect to collect. Furthermore, the collection of accounts receivable requires constant focus and involvement by management and ongoing enhancements to information systems and billing center operating procedures. There can be no assurance that we will be able to improve upon or maintain current levels of collectability and DSO in future periods. Worsening economic conditions have had and may continue to have an adverse impact on the businesses and financial health of many of our customers and hurt their creditworthiness. The bankruptcy, insolvency or other credit failure of one or more customers with substantial balances due to us could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. These and other possible consequences of financial and economic decline could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The U.S. and global economies experienced elevated inflation rates significantly above Central Bank targets from 2021 through 2023, with inflation moderating but remaining above target levels through 2025.The Federal Reserve and other Central Banks raised interest rates during 2023 and 2024 and could do so again in the future. The present conditions and state of U.S. and global economies make it difficult to predict whether and/or when and to what extent a recession has occurred or will occur in the near future. Uncertainty about the effects of current and future economic and political conditions on us, our customers, suppliers and partners makes it difficult for us to forecast operating results and to make decisions about future investments. Inflation has and may continue to materially impact the costs to source materials or produce and distribute products to customers. Continued inflationary pressures could result in market pressures on our customers to reduce costs, which could impact our profitability and cash flows. Additionally, there is uncertainty that we will be able to pass elevated costs onto customers in an effort to offset inflationary pressures, or that such increases may outpace the compensating inflation-based increase in Medicare payment rates, or any other rate increases we may receive.
Any significant downturn in the health of the general economy, or any recession, depression or other sustained adverse market event, including inflationary pressures, could have an adverse effect on our revenues and financial performance, resulting in impairment of assets.
Changing conditions in the U.S. healthcare industry may impact our results of operations and cash flows.
We, along with our customers and suppliers, are subject to extensive federal and state regulations relating to healthcare as well as the policies and practices of the private healthcare insurance industry. In recent years, there have been a number of government and private initiatives to reduce healthcare costs and government spending. These changes
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have included an increased reliance on managed care; consolidation of competitors, suppliers and customers; a shift in healthcare provider venues from acute care settings to clinics, physician offices and home care; and the development of larger, more sophisticated purchasing groups. National and regional insurers and managed care organizations are regularly attempting to seek reductions in the prices we charge for our products and services to them and their members, including through direct contracts with healthcare providers, increased oversight and greater enrollment of patients in managed care programs and preferred provider organizations. We have faced, and expect to continue to face, pricing pressures due to reductions in provider reimbursement for our products and services. In addition, in recent years, the healthcare industry in the U.S. has experienced and continues to experience significant consolidation in response to cost containment legislation and general market pressures to reduce costs. This consolidation of our customers, health insurers and suppliers generally gives them greater bargaining power to reduce the pricing available to them. All of these changes place additional financial pressure on healthcare provider customers, who in turn seek to reduce the costs and pricing of products and services provided by us. We expect the healthcare industry to continue to change significantly and these potential changes, which may include a reduction in government support of healthcare services, adverse changes in legislation or regulations, and further reductions in healthcare reimbursement practices, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Litigation & Regulatory Risks
We are subject to stringent regulatory and licensing requirements, and we have been, are and in the future could become the subject of federal and state investigations and compliance reviews.
We are required to comply with extensive and complex laws and regulations at the federal, state and local government levels in the U.S. We, and certain of our employees, also are required to hold permits and licenses and to comply with the operational and security standards of various governmental bodies and agencies. Any failure to comply with these laws and regulations or any failure to maintain the necessary permits, licenses or approvals, or to comply with the required standards, could disrupt our operations and/or adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Among the U.S. healthcare related laws that we are subject to include the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal Ethics in Patient Referrals Act, the Stark Law, the FCA the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, the criminal healthcare fraud provisions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, federal laws and regulations that prohibit providers from billing and receiving payment from Medicare and Medicaid for services unless the services are medically necessary, adequately and accurately documents, and billed using codes that accurately reflect the type and level of services rendered, and similar state laws relating to fraud, waste and abuse. The requirements of these laws are complex and subject to varying interpretations, and it is possible that regulatory authorities could challenge our policies and practices. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to federal or state government investigations or qui tam actions (false claims cases initiated by private parties purporting to act on behalf of federal or state governments), which could result in civil or criminal sanctions, including the loss of licenses or the ability to participate in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state healthcare programs. Such sanctions and damages could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We are a Medicare-certified supplier and participates in state Medicaid programs. Failure to comply with applicable standards and regulations could result in civil or criminal sanctions, including the loss of our ability to participate in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state healthcare programs.
We collect, handle and maintain patient-identifiable health information and other sensitive personal and financial information, which are subject to federal, state and foreign laws that regulate the use and disclosure of such information. Regulations currently in place continue to evolve, and new laws in this area could further restrict our ability to collect, handle and maintain personal or patient information, or could require us to incur additional compliance costs, either of which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and cash flows. Violations of federal (such as HIPAA) and state laws concerning privacy and data protection could subject us to civil or criminal penalties, breach of contract claims, costs for remediation and harm to our reputation. AI, particularly generative AI, is an emerging technology subject to a complex and evolving regulatory landscape at both the federal and state level. Regulatory considerations surrounding AI in healthcare are still developing and many regulatory agencies including the FDA are
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developing and implementing requirements related to the functionality, safety, efficacy, and privacy of AI and machine learning technologies. The increased cost and difficulty with complying with such legal requirements, or a failure to do so, may have an adverse effect our business.
Our operations, including our billing practices and our arrangements with healthcare providers, are also subject to extensive federal and state laws and audits, inquiries and investigations from government agencies. For example, in connection with the settlement agreements resolving the investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York regarding civil investigative demands, Apria was required to enter into a five-year CIA with the HHS OIG. The CIA provides that Apria will, among other things, impose certain oversight obligations on Apria’s board of directors, provide certain management certifications, and continue or implement, as applicable certain compliance training and education. The CIA also requires Apria to engage independent third parties to review compliance with the CIA, as well as certain reporting, certification, record retention and notification requirements. Failure to comply with the obligations under the CIA could have material consequences for us including monetary penalties or exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs.
Applicable laws may be directed at payments for the products and services we provide, conduct of our operations, preventing fraud and abuse, and billing and reimbursement from government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and from commercial Payors. These laws may have related rules and regulations that are subject to interpretation and may not provide definitive guidance as to their application to our operations, including our arrangements with hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers.
Federal and state governments have contracted with private entities to audit and recover revenue resulting from payments made in excess of those permitted by federal and state benefit program rules. These entities include, but are not limited to, Recovery Audit Contractors that are responsible for auditing Medicare claims, Unified Program Integrity Contractors that are responsible for the identification of suspected fraud through medical record review and Medicaid Integrity Contractors, that are responsible for auditing Medicaid claims. We believe audits, inquiries, and investigations from these contractors and others will occur from time to time in the ordinary course of our business. We also may be subject to increased audits from commercial Payors and pursuant to federal, civil, and criminal statutes that relate to our billings to commercial Payors. Our efforts to be responsive to these audits, inquiries, and investigations may result in substantial costs and divert management’s time and attention away from the operation of our business. Moreover, an adverse outcome with respect to any audit, inquiry or investigation may result in damage to our reputation, or in fines, penalties or other sanctions imposed on us. Such pending or future audits, inquiries, or investigations, or the public disclosure of such matters, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
Federal and state laws are broadly worded and may be interpreted or applied by prosecutorial, regulatory, or judicial authorities in ways that we cannot predict. Additionally, in many instances, there are only limited publicly available guidelines and methodologies for determining errors with certain audits. As a result, there can be a significant lack of clarity regarding required documentation and audit methodology. The clarity and completeness of each patient medical file, some of which is the work product of physicians not employed by us, is essential to successfully challenging any payment denials.
Certain of our former operations under the P&HS business engaged in Ethylene Oxide (EtO) sterilization of medical products either directly or indirectly through third-parties. In the U.S., several regulators, including the EPA, the FDA, and agencies at the state and local level, play a role in regulating the use of EtO sterilization. Recent announcements of the temporary or permanent closure of sterilization facilities operated by others have been associated with state and/or local regulatory or other legal action related to EtO emissions at those facilities. We have been named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging personal injury as a result of EtO emissions. Additionally, we have incurred, and may incur additional costs associated with defending EtO emissions litigation. We have taken measures to comply with all applicable emissions regulations and to reduce emissions. However, no assurance can be given that current or future legislative or regulatory action, or current or future litigation to which we may become a party, will not significantly increase the costs of conducting sterilization operations or curtail or eliminate the use of EtO in our operations. Further, we could be liable for damages and fines as a result of legislative or regulatory action or litigation, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
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Accordingly, our arrangements and business practices may be the subject of government scrutiny or be found to violate applicable laws. If federal or state government officials challenge our operations or arrangements with third parties that we have structured based upon our interpretation of these laws, rules, and regulations, such a challenge could potentially disrupt our business operations and we may incur substantial defense costs, even if we successfully defend our interpretation of these laws, rules, and regulations. If the government or third parties successfully challenge our interpretation, such a challenge may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
We must obtain clearance or approval from appropriate regulatory authorities prior to consummating transactions of certain healthcare related businesses.
In the U.S., there has been a trend towards increasing government oversight of investments in the healthcare industry. This trend is occurring at both the federal and state levels, with at least 15 states adopting laws requiring state regulators to be notified of investments in various healthcare entities. Some of these laws increase the authority of the relevant governmental authority to review and approve, deny, or require modifications to such transactions. The governmental authorities can, in some cases, delay or stop the proposed transaction from proceeding. These laws may make certain jurisdictions less suitable for investments into healthcare businesses and may result increased compliance costs, introduce delays to investment and divestment transactions, alter transaction terms and structures and ultimately impact the returns of such investments.
Our failure to comply with regulatory requirements or receive regulatory clearances or approvals for our medical gas facilities, products or operations could adversely affect our business.
We have a number of medical gas facilities in several states. These facilities are subject to federal and state regulatory requirements. Our medical gas facilities and operations are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other federal and state authorities. The FDA regulates medical gases, including medical oxygen, pursuant to its authority under the FFDCA. Among other requirements, the FDA’s cGMP regulations impose certain quality control, documentation, and recordkeeping requirements on the receipt, processing, and distribution of medical gas. Further, in each state where we operate medical gas facilities, we are subject to regulation under state health and safety laws, which vary from state to state. The FDA and state authorities conduct periodic, unannounced inspections at medical gas facilities to assess compliance with the cGMP and other regulations. We expend significant time, money, and resources in an effort to achieve substantial compliance with the cGMP regulations and other federal and state law requirements at each of our medical gas facilities. There can be no assurance, however, that these efforts will be successful and that our medical gas facilities will achieve and maintain compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. Our failure to achieve and maintain regulatory compliance at our medical gas facilities could result in enforcement action, including warning letters, fines, product recalls or seizures, temporary or permanent injunctions, or suspensions in operations at one or more locations, as well as civil or criminal penalties, all of which could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources, and liquidity.
The medical gas products we distribute and certain other products we distribute are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other federal and state governing authorities. Compliance with FDA, state, and other requirements regarding production, safety, quality, manufacturing, distribution and marketing is costly and time-consuming, and while we seek to be in full compliance, instances of non-compliance could arise from time to time. We cannot be assured that any of our medical gases will be certified by the FDA. We have applied for, and received, designated gas certifications for our medical gas products. We may not be successful in receiving certification in the future.
Failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in administrative enforcement action by the FDA or state agencies, which may include any of the following: adverse publicity; warning or untitled letters; fines; injunctions; consent decrees; civil money penalties; recalls; termination of distribution or seizure of our products; operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production; delays in the introduction of products into the market; withdrawals or suspensions of current medical gas certifications or drug approvals, resulting in prohibitions on sales of our products; and criminal prosecution. There is also a risk that we may not adequately implement sustainable processes and procedures to maintain regulatory compliance and to address future regulatory agency
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findings, should they occur. The FDA may change its policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations, each of which could prevent or delay certification of our medical gases, or could impact our ability to market a device that was previously certified or cleared by the FDA. Any of these sanctions could result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, capital resources and liquidity.
Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to adequately establish, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights or prevent third parties from making unauthorized use of such rights.
Our intellectual property is an important part of our business. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could result in our competitors offering similar products and services, potentially resulting in the loss of our competitive advantage and a decrease in our revenue, which would adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Our success depends in part on our ability to protect our proprietary rights and intellectual property. We rely on a combination of intellectual property rights, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets (including know-how) and domain names, in addition to teammate and third-party confidentiality agreements, intellectual property licenses and other contractual rights, to establish, maintain, protect and enforce our rights in our technology, proprietary information and processes. For example, we rely on trademark protection to protect our rights to various marks as well as distinctive logos and other marks associated with our products and services. Furthermore, intellectual property laws and our procedures and restrictions provide only limited protection and any of our intellectual property rights may be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed or misappropriated. If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights adequately, we may lose an important advantage in the markets in which we compete.
Other parties may also independently develop technologies, products and services that are substantially similar or superior to ours. We also may be forced to bring claims against third parties. However, the measures we take to protect our intellectual property from unauthorized use by others may not be effective, and there can be no assurance that our intellectual property rights will be sufficient to protect against others offering technologies, products or services that are substantially similar or superior to ours and that compete with our business. Our management’s attention may be diverted by these attempts, and we may need to use funds in litigation to protect our proprietary rights against any infringement, misappropriation or other violation.
We may become subject to litigation, investigations, claims and other legal proceedings brought by regulatory agencies, third parties, or individuals.
Our commercial success depends in part on avoiding infringement, misappropriation or other violations of the intellectual property and proprietary rights of third parties. However, we may become party to disputes from time to time over rights and obligations concerning intellectual property held by third parties. For example, third parties may allege that we have infringed upon or not obtained sufficient rights in the technologies used in our products and services. We cannot assure that we are not infringing or violating, and have not infringed or violated, any third-party intellectual property rights, or that we will not be held to have done so or be accused of doing so in the future. Any claim that we have violated intellectual property or other proprietary rights of third parties, with or without merit, and whether or not it results in litigation, is settled out of court or is determined in our favor, could be time consuming and costly to address and resolve, and could divert the time and attention of management and technical personnel from our business. Our liability insurance may not cover potential claims of this type adequately or at all. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We are subject to risks relating to asserted claims, litigation and other proceedings relating to employment and pay practices. We are facing, or may face, claims or become a party to a variety of legal actions that affect our business, including breach of contract actions, employment and employment discrimination-related suits or employee benefit claims under California and Federal law. We may also be subject to examination of our payroll practices from various federal and state taxation authorities from time to time. While we believe that our employment and pay practices materially comply with relevant laws and regulations, interpretations of these laws may change. There is a risk that we could be subject to payment of additional wages, insurance and employment, and payroll-related taxes and sizeable statutory penalties negatively impacting our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, our
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involvement in these matters and any related adverse rulings may result in increased costs and expenses, significant costs in defending such claims, even if groundless, reputational damage, cause us from time to time to significantly increase our legal expenses and/or modify our pay practices, all of which would likely have an adverse impact on our financial performance and profitability.
We could be subject to adverse changes in the tax laws or challenges to our tax positions.
We operate throughout the U.S., and we are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the U.S. federal, state and local governments. From time to time, legislative and regulatory initiatives are proposed, including but not limited to proposals for changes in tax accounting methods for inventory, import tariffs and taxes, including the pass through impact from certain indirect suppliers, or other tax items. Changes in tax laws and regulations could adversely affect our tax positions, tax rate or cash payments for taxes. There can be no assurance that our effective tax rate will not be materially adversely affected by legislative developments.
Audits by tax authorities could result in additional tax payments for prior periods, and tax legislation could materially adversely affect our financial results and tax liabilities.
The amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits by U.S. federal, state and local tax authorities and by non-U.S. tax authorities. In addition, tax laws and regulations are extremely complex and subject to varying interpretations. Although we believe that our historical tax positions are sound and consistent with applicable laws, regulations and existing precedent, there can be no assurance that our tax positions will not be challenged by relevant tax authorities or that we would be successful in any such challenge. If these audits result in assessments different from our reserves, our future results may include unfavorable adjustments to our tax liabilities.
Our aspirations, goals and disclosures related to ESG matters expose us to numerous risks, including risks to our reputation and stock price.
Companies are facing increasing scrutiny from regulators, investors, consumers and other stakeholders related to ESG matters. We engage with key stakeholders to develop ESG focus areas and to set ESG-related goals, many of which are aspirational. We have set and disclosed these focus areas, goals and related objectives as part of our continued commitment to ESG matters, but our goals and objectives, including our climate commitments, reflect our current plans and aspirations and are not guarantees that we will be able to achieve them. Our efforts to accomplish and accurately report on these goals and objectives present numerous operational, reputational, financial, legal and other risks, certain of which are outside of our control, and could have, under certain circumstances, a material adverse impact on us, including on our reputation and stock price.
Moreover, while we create and publish voluntary disclosures regarding ESG matters from time to time, some of the statements in those voluntary disclosures may be based on hypothetical expectations and assumptions that may or may not be representative of current or actual risks or events or forecasts of expected risks or events, including the costs associated therewith. Such expectations and assumptions are necessarily uncertain and may be prone to error or subject to misinterpretation given the long timelines involved and the lack of an established single approach to identifying, measuring and reporting on many ESG matters. In addition, our interpretation of reporting frameworks or standards may differ from those of others and such frameworks or standards may change over time, any of which could result in significant revisions to our goals or reported progress in achieving such goals.
There are efforts by some stakeholders and regulators to reduce companies’ efforts on certain ESG-related matters. Both advocates and opponents to certain ESG initiatives are increasingly resorting to a range of activism forms, including media campaigns and litigation, to advance their perspectives. To the extent we are subject to such activism, it may require us to incur costs or otherwise adversely impact our business.
Our failure or perceived failure to adequately pursue or fulfill our goals and objectives, including our climate commitments, or to satisfy various reporting standards within the timelines we announce, or at all, could also have similar negative impacts and expose us to other risks, which under certain circumstances could be material. In addition, some stakeholders may disagree with our goals and initiatives. Further, organizations that provide information to
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investors on corporate governance and related matters have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on ESG matters. Such ratings are used by some investors to inform their investment and voting decisions, and thus unfavorable ESG ratings may have a negative impact on our reputation, stock and debt prices and access to and costs of capital.
Our amended and restated bylaws designate the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia as the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.
Pursuant to our amended and restated bylaws, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, (or, if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, another state or federal court located within the Commonwealth of Virginia) will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a duty owed to the Company by any director or officer or other employee of the Company or the Company’s shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer or other employee of the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the Virginia Stock Corporation Act, our articles of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws (as applicable) or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer or other employee of the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the U.S federal district courts shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The forum selection clause in our amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us or our directors and officers and may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.
Risks Related to Our Debt
We may not be able to refinance, extend or repay our substantial indebtedness which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
The Term Loan A will mature in March 2027 and the Term Loan B will mature in March 2029. The Term Loan A and Term Loan B have $326 million and $511 million of principal outstanding excluding unamortized deferred financing costs as of December 31, 2025. The Revolving Credit Agreement matures in March 2027 and as of December 31, 2025, we had an outstanding balance of $204 million. The 2029 Notes and 2030 Notes become due and payable in March 2029 and April 2030. We may need to raise capital in order to repay our indebtedness. As of December 31, 2025, we owed $479 million and $552 million in principal under our 2029 Notes and 2030 Notes, respectively. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital to repay these obligations at maturity and we are otherwise unable to extend the maturity dates or refinance these obligations, we would be in default. We cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to raise the necessary amount of capital to repay these obligations or that we will be able to extend the maturity dates or otherwise refinance these obligations. Upon a default, our lenders would have the right to exercise its rights and remedies to collect, which would include foreclosing on our assets. Accordingly, a default would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service our debt and other obligations.
As of December 31, 2025, on a consolidated basis we had $2.1 billion of aggregate principal amount of indebtedness, excluding deferred financing costs and third party fees, $217 million of undrawn availability under our revolving credit facility, as well as other contractual obligations due beyond the next twelve months. See Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Contractual Obligations” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
Our ability to make payments on our indebtedness and our other obligations will depend on our financial and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.
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If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. We cannot assure you that we would be able to implement any of these alternatives on satisfactory terms or at all. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and may be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds that we could realize from them, and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.
If we are unable to service our debt obligations from cash flows, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our debt obligations prior to maturity. Our ability to refinance or restructure our debt will depend upon our financial condition or the condition of the capital markets at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. We may not be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
Our credit facilities and our existing notes have restrictive covenants that could limit our financial flexibility.
Our Credit Agreement and Revolver, as well as the indentures that govern our existing senior notes, contain financial and other restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that may not be in our long-term best interests. Our credit facilities and the indentures governing our existing notes include restrictions that, among other things, limit our ability to: incur indebtedness; grant liens; engage in acquisitions, mergers, consolidations and liquidations; use proceeds from asset dispositions for general corporate purposes, restricted payments, or investments; enter into transactions with affiliates; and amend, modify or prepay certain indebtedness. Under our credit facilities, we are subject to financial covenants that require us to maintain ratios for leverage and interest coverage, including on a pro forma basis in the event of an acquisition or disposition.
These restrictions limit our ability to manage our business in our sole discretion, which could adversely affect our business by, among other things, limiting our ability to take advantage of financings, mergers, acquisitions and other corporate opportunities that we believe would be beneficial to us. The terms of any future indebtedness we may incur could include more restrictive covenants. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain compliance with these covenants in the future and, if we fail to do so, that we will be able to obtain waivers from the lenders and/or amend the covenants. Our ability to comply with these various covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. Our failure to comply with these restrictions or covenants could result in a default under the agreements governing the relevant indebtedness. If a default under the credit facilities and the indentures governing our existing notes is not cured or waived, such default could result in the acceleration of debt or other payment obligations under our debt or other agreements that contain cross-acceleration, cross-default or similar provisions, which could require us to repurchase or pay debt or other obligations prior to the date it is otherwise due.
Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our indebtedness service obligations to increase significantly.
Certain borrowings under our Credit Agreement bear interest at variable rates and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates were to increase, our debt service obligations on our variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our earnings and cash flows will correspondingly decrease.
Despite current indebtedness levels, we may continue to incur indebtedness in the future, and the amount of that additional indebtedness may be substantial, which could further exacerbate the risks described herein.
We may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we and our subsidiaries now face to service debt levels and the risks associated with failure to adequately service our debt could intensify.
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General Risk Factors
Our continued success is substantially dependent on positive perceptions of our reputation.
One of the reasons customers choose to do business with us and teammates choose us as a place of employment is the reputation that we have built over many years. To be successful in the future, we must continue to preserve, grow and leverage the value of our brand. Reputational value is based in large part on perceptions of subjective qualities. Even an isolated incident, or the aggregate effect of individually insignificant incidents, can erode trust and confidence, particularly if they result in adverse publicity, governmental investigations or litigation, and as a result, could tarnish our brand and lead to adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We are subject to risks related to public health crises, future outbreaks of health crises or other adverse public health developments.
As a healthcare solutions company, we could be impacted by public health crises, pandemic or contagious diseases. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted capital markets, supply chains for equipment and medical supplies, and our services.
Further, actions by the U.S. federal, state or local governments in response to any such public health developments could adversely affect our business and operations, such as closure of one or more facilities for an unknown period of time.
We may incur additional costs to ensure we meet the needs of our customers and protect our workforce or to implement operational changes in response to any future pandemics. We may experience additional impacts which are not currently known.
The market price for our common stock and debt have been, and may continue to be, highly volatile.
A variety of factors may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock and debt, including, but not limited to: the publication of earnings estimates or other research reports and speculation in the press or investment community; changes in our financial projections or our failure to meet these projections; changes in our industry and competitors; changes in government or legislation; government debt and/or budget crises; changes in our Board or management; our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and prospects; activism by any single large shareholder or combination of shareholders; lawsuits threatened or filed against us; any future issuances of our common stock, which may include primary offerings for cash, stock splits, issuances in connection with business acquisitions, issuances of restricted stock/units and the grant or exercise of stock options from time to time; the trading volume of our common stock and debt; general market and economic conditions; any future outbreaks, and any future pandemics; the threat or outbreak of war, terrorism or public unrest (including, without limitation, geopolitical conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, or tensions involving other regions); and the other factors discussed in this Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” any of which could have a material effect on us.
The stock and bond markets have recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. The market prices of securities of companies have experienced fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to their operating results. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies. This type of litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Additionally, our common stock is subject to continued listing requirements on NYSE, including maintaining a minimum $1.00 share closing price for a period of 30 consecutive trading days. If the closing bid price of our common stock falls below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive trading days, NYSE could issue a deficiency notice and ultimately delist our common stock if we fail to regain compliance. Given our recent stock price and recent financial challenges, including the loss of significant Payor contracts, goodwill impairment charges and the divestiture of our P&HS business, there is a risk that our stock price could fall below the minimum share price requirement. If our stock were delisted and
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traded on the over-the-counter market, it would significantly reduce liquidity, make it more difficult for shareholders to sell their shares, impair our ability to raise capital and could have a material effect on our business operations and our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We may be adversely affected by global climate change or by legal, regulatory or market responses to such change.
The long-term effects of global climate change are difficult to predict and may be widespread. The impacts may include physical risks (such as rising sea levels or frequency and severity of extreme weather conditions), social and human effects (such as population dislocations or harm to health and well-being), compliance costs and transition risks (such as regulatory or technology changes) and other adverse effects. The effects could impair, for example, the availability and cost of certain products, commodities and energy (including utilities), which in turn may impact our ability to procure goods or services required for the operation of our business at the quantities and levels we require. In addition, certain of our operations and facilities are in locations that may be impacted by the physical risks of climate change, and we face the risk of losses incurred as a result of, for example, physical damage to or destruction of our facilities (such as distribution centers), loss or spoilage of inventory, and business interruption. Insurance may not be available or cost effective for the coverage limits needed to address such losses.
In addition, federal, state, and local governments are increasingly focused on climate change and sustainability and new legal or regulatory requirements have and may in the future be enacted to prevent, mitigate, or adapt to the implications of a changing climate and its effects on the environment. For example, in 2024 the state of California enacted a series of laws that will require reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks. These and similar regulatory requirements, which may differ across jurisdictions, are likely to result in increased costs and complexities of compliance in order to collect, measure and report on the relevant climate-related information. Our supply chain will likely be subject to these same transitional risks and may pass along any related cost increases to us. These events and impacts could materially adversely affect our business operations and our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.