Nobilis Health (NRTSF) Risk Factors

In recent years, a variety of legislative and regulatory initiatives have occurred on both the federal and state levels concerning physician ownership of healthcare entities to which physicians refer patients, third-party payment programs and other regulatory matters concerning ASCs. We anticipate that federal and state legislatures will continue to review and assess alternative healthcare delivery and payment systems. Potential approaches that have been considered include mandated basic health care benefits, controls on health care spending through limitations on the growth of private health insurance premiums and Medicare and Medicaid spending, the creation of large insurance purchasing groups, pay for performance systems, and other fundamental changes to the health care delivery system. Private sector providers and payors have embraced certain elements of reform, resulting in increased consolidation of health care providers and payors as those providers and payors seek to form alliances in order to provide cost effective, quality care. Legislative debate is expected to continue in the future, and we cannot predict what impact the adoption of any federal or state health care reform measures or future private sector reform may have on its business. It is not possible to predict what federal or state initiatives, if any, may be adopted in the future or how such changes might affect us. If a federal or state agency asserts a different position or enacts new legislation regarding ASCs, we may experience a significant reduction in our revenues, be excluded from participation in third-party payor programs, or be subject to future civil and criminal penalties.

As a healthcare provider, we are subject to professional liability claims both directly and vicariously through the malpractice of members of our medical staff. We are responsible for the standard of care provided in our facilities by staff working in those facilities. We have legal responsibility for the physical environment and appropriate operation of equipment used during surgical procedures. In addition, we are subject to various liability for the negligence of its credentialed medical staff under circumstances where we either knew or should have known of a problem leading to a patient injury. The physicians credentialed at our facilities are involved in the delivery of healthcare services to the public and are exposed to the risk of professional liability claims. Although we neither control the practice of medicine by physicians nor have responsibility for compliance with certain regulatory and other requirements directly applicable to physicians and their services, as a result of the relationship between us and the physicians providing services to patients in our facilities, we or our subsidiaries may become subject to medical malpractice claims under various legal theories. Claims of this nature, if successful, could result in damage awards to the claimants in excess of the limits of available insurance coverage. Insurance against losses related to claims of this type can be expensive and varies widely from state to state. We maintain and require the physicians on the medical staff of our facilities to maintain liability insurance in amounts and coverages believed to be adequate, presently $1 million per claim to an aggregate of $3 million per year. In 2003, Texas passed legislation that reformed its laws related to professional liability claims by setting caps on non-economic damages in the amount of $250,000 per claimant to a per claim aggregate of $750,000 for physicians and other providers, including ASCs. In Texas, punitive damages awarded against a defendant may not exceed an amount equal to the greater of: (1) (A) two times the amount of economic damages; plus (B) an amount equal to any non-economic damages found by the jury not to exceed $750,000 or (2) $200,000. This tort reform legislation has resulted in a reduction in the cost of malpractice insurance because of the reduction in malpractice claims. However, there can be no assurances that this trend will continue into the future. Most malpractice liability insurance policies do not extend coverage for punitive damages. While extremely rare in the medical area, punitive damages are those damages assessed by a jury with the intent to "punish" a tortfeasor rather than pay for a material loss resulting from the alleged injury. We cannot assure you that we will not incur liability for punitive damage awards even where adequate insurance limits are maintained. We also believe that there has been, and will continue to be, an increase in governmental investigations of physician-owned facilities, particularly in the area of Medicare/Medicaid false claims, as well as an increase in enforcement actions resulting from these investigations. Investigation activity by private third-party payors has also increased with, in some cases, intervention by the states' attorneys general. Also possible are potential non-covered claims, or "qui tam" or "whistleblower" suits. Although exposure to qui tam lawsuits is minimal since Medicare and Medicaid comprise less than 4.0% of our revenue and an even smaller percentage of our profit. Many plaintiffs' lawyers have refocused their practices on "whistleblower" lawsuits given the reduction in awards from medical malpractice claims. These whistleblower lawsuits are based on alleged violations of government law related to billing practice and kickbacks. Under federal Medicare law, these whistleblowers are entitled to receive a percentage of recoveries made if the federal government takes on the case. However, a whistleblower may pursue direct action against the healthcare entity under the applicable statutes and seek recoveries without federal government intervention. Many malpractice carriers will not insure for violations of the law although they may cover the cost of defense. Any adverse determination in a legal proceeding or governmental investigation, whether currently asserted or arising in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. We may, in the ordinary course of their business, be subject to litigation claims. In particular, we can be subject to claims relating to actions of medical personnel performing services at our facilities. Historically, we have been able to obtain what we believe is adequate insurance to cover these risks. However, the cost of this insurance may increase and there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain adequate insurance against medical liability claims in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. In addition, claims of this nature, if successful, could result in damage awards to the claimants in excess of the limits of any applicable insurance coverage. If the insurance that we have in place from time to time is not sufficient to cover claims that are made, the resulting shortfall could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations. Our insurance coverage might not cover all claims against us or be available at a reasonable cost, if at all. If we are unable to maintain insurance coverage, if judgments are obtained in excess of the coverage we maintain, or if we are required to pay uninsured punitive damages or pay fines under "qui tam" lawsuits, we would be exposed to substantial additional liabilities. We cannot assure that we will be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable premium, or at all, that coverage will be adequate to satisfy adverse determinations against us, or that the number of claims will not increase.

There can be no assurance that United States federal income tax laws and local state tax laws and Internal Revenue Service and Department of the Treasury administrative and legislative policies respecting the United States federal income tax consequences described herein will not be changed in a manner that adversely affects the holders of our common shares.

The United States is currently experiencing a shortage of nursing staff. Our failure to hire and retain qualified nurses could have a material adverse effect on our business operations and financial condition.

Our success, in large part, is dependent upon referrals to our physicians from other physicians, systems, health plans and others in the communities in which we operate, and upon our medical staff's ability to maintain good relations with these referral sources. Physicians who use our facilities and those who refer patients are not our employees and, in many cases, most physicians have admitting privileges at other specialty surgical hospitals and (subject to any applicable non-competition arrangements) may refer patients to other providers. If we are unable to successfully cultivate and maintain strong relationships with our physicians and their referral sources, the number of procedures performed at our facilities may decrease and cause revenues to decline. This could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Should adverse risk management claims arise against us or should the market for medical malpractice dictate a large increase in rates, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.

If we are unable to effectively manage information security risks, or the security measures protecting our information technology systems are breached, we could suffer a loss of confidential data, which may subject us to liability, or a disruption of our operations. We rely on our information systems to securely transmit, store, and manage confidential data. A failure in or breach of our operational or information security systems as a result of cyber-attacks or information security breaches could disrupt our business, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, damage our reputation, increase our costs or lead to liability under privacy and security laws (including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), litigation, governmental inquiries, fines and financial losses. As a result, cyber security and the continued development and enhancement of the controls and processes designed to protect our systems, computers, software, data and networks from attack, damage or unauthorized access remain a priority for us, and we must continue to focus on any security risks in connection with the transition and integration of information systems as we pursue our growth and acquisition strategy. Although we believe that we have appropriate information security procedures and other safeguards in place, there can be no assurance that we will not be subject to a cyber-attack. We continue to prioritize the security of our information technology systems and the continued development and enhancement of our controls, processes and practices designed to protect our systems, computers, software, data and networks from cyber-attack, damage or unauthorized access. As cyber threats continue to evolve due to the proliferation of new technologies and the increased activities by perpetrators of such attacks, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to enhance our information security measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities or breaches.

The medical technology used in our facilities is ever changing and represents a significant cost of doing business. There can be no assurance that the equipment purchased or leased by our facilities will not be enhanced or rendered obsolete by advances in medical technology, or that our facilities will be able to finance or lease additional equipment necessary to remain competitive should its medical staff physicians request such modern equipment or its existing equipment become obsolete. This could have an adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.

We depend on payments from third-party payors, including private insurers, managed care organizations and government healthcare programs. We are dependent on private and, to a lesser extent, governmental third-party sources of payment for the procedures performed in our facilities. Our competitive position has been, and will continue to be, affected by reimbursement and co-payment initiatives undertaken by third-party payors, including insurance companies, and, to a lesser extent, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid. As an increasing percentage of patients become subject to healthcare coverage arrangements with managed care payors, our success may depend in part on our ability to negotiate favorable contracts on behalf of our facilities with managed care organizations, employer groups and other private third-party payors. There can be no assurances that we will be able to enter into these arrangements on satisfactory terms in the future. Also, to the extent that our facilities have managed care contracts currently in place, there can be no assurance that such contracts will be renewed or the rates of reimbursement held at current levels. Managed care plans often set their reimbursement rates based on Medicare and Medicaid rates and consequently, although only a small portion of our revenues are from Medicare and Medicaid, the rates established by these payors may influence our revenues from private payors. As with most government reimbursement programs, the Medicare and Medicaid programs are subject to statutory and regulatory changes, possible retroactive and prospective rate adjustments, administrative rulings, freezes and funding reductions, all of which may adversely affect our revenues and results of operations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") introduced substantial changes to reimbursement and coverage in early 2007. While the ASC final rule expanded the types of procedures eligible for payment in the ASC setting and excluded from eligibility only those procedures that pose a significant safety risk to patients or are expected to require active medical monitoring at midnight when furnished in an ASC, the ASC final rule also provided a 4-year transition to the fully implemented revised ASC payment rates. Beginning with the November 2007 OPPS/ASC final rule with comment period (CMS-1392-FC), the annual update OPPS/ASC final rule with comment period provides the ASC payment rates and lists the surgical procedures and services that qualify for separate payment under the revised ASC payment system. As a result, reimbursement levels decreased but coverage expanded. These rates remain subject to change, thus our operating margins may continue to be under pressure as a result of changes in payor mix and growth in operating expenses in excess of increases in payments by third-party payors. In addition, as a result of competitive pressures, our ability to maintain operating margins through price increases to privately insured patients is limited. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Net patient service revenue is reported at the estimated net realizable amounts from patients, third-party payors, and others for services rendered and is recognized upon performance of the patient service. In determining net patient service revenue, management periodically reviews and evaluates historical payment data, payor mix and current economic conditions and adjusts, as required, the estimated collections as a percentage of gross billings in subsequent periods based on final settlements and collections. Management continues to monitor historical collections and market conditions to manage and report the effects of a change in estimates. While we believe that the current reporting and trending software provides us with an accurate estimate of net patient service revenues, any changes in collections or market conditions that we fail to accurately estimate or predict could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.