Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A – RISK FACTORS
A description of the risk factors associated with our business is included under “Risk Factors” contained in Part I, Item 1A of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2020. There have been no material changes in our risk factors since such filing, except for the following:
We Rely Heavily on Three Customers
For the nine months ended March 31, 2021 approximately 41% of the Company’s revenues were dependent on three customers, with approximately 26% being generated by one group of customers. The loss of any of these customers would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s revenues that may not be replaced by other customers, particularly as these customers are in the prostate sector which is facing substantial competition from other treatments.
The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak Could Materially Adversely Affect Our Financial Condition and Results of Operations .
COVID-19 may impact supply chain and product sales. Our Cesium supply comes from Russia, and while at this time we are not aware of any shutdowns of nuclear facilities in Russia or limited staffing due to ongoing risk of virus transmission, shutdowns may occur in the future. We also depend on overseas flights, which have been curtailed. Further flight cancellations may impact our supply chain. While our surgeries are not considered elective, in areas where hospitals are devoted to COVID-19 or other chronic conditions, surgeries required to implant our seeds may be postponed or cancelled, as occurred in late March 2020 and continued through much of April 2020 at numerous locations, and impacted us again from September 2020 to March 2021. If conditions worsen with the COVID-19 pandemic this may have a material adverse effect on our business.
The spread of COVID-19 has caused us to modify our business practices (including employee travel, employee work locations, and cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners, and suppliers. There is no certainty that such measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks posed by the virus, and our ability to perform critical functions could be harmed.
These and similar, and perhaps more severe, disruptions in our operations could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, quarantines, stay-at-home, executive and similar government orders, or the perception that such orders, shutdowns or other restrictions on the conduct of business operations could occur, could impact personnel at third-party manufacturing facilities in the United States and other countries, or the availability or cost of materials, which would disrupt our supply chain.
The spread of COVID-19, which has caused a broad impact globally, may materially affect us economically. While the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of, COVID-19 may be difficult to assess or predict, it has significantly disrupted global financial markets, and may limit our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. A recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect our business and the value of our common stock.
The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 outbreak or a similar health epidemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our clinical trials, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole. However, the effects could have a material impact on our operations, and we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely.
We Are Subject To Uncertainties Regarding Reimbursement For Use Of Our Product.
Hospitals and freestanding clinics may be less likely to purchase our product if they cannot be assured of receiving favorable reimbursement for treatments using our product from third-party payers, such as Medicare and private health insurance plans. Currently, Medicare reimburses hospitals at fixed rates that cover the cost of stranded and loose seeds. Clinics and physicians performing procedures in a free-standing center are reimbursed at the actual cost of the seeds.
In July 2019, CMS proposed a significant change to the way Medicare currently pays for radiation services in an out-patient setting. The Radiation Oncology Alternative Payment Method (RO APM) proposed a single, bundled payment for a 90-day episode of radiation therapy including LDR brachytherapy, IMRT, SBRT, proton therapy, and HDR brachytherapy. The RO APM proposal applied the same payment levels to services provided in physician offices, free-standing centers, and hospital outpatients. In addition, certain surgical codes were proposed to be included in the bundled payment such as those for gynecological treatments. This CMS proposal for a revised payment included brachytherapy sources. All comments regarding the RO APM were due to CMS by mid-September 2019 and the Company submitted its comments prior to the deadline.
The final rule was published on September 18, 2020 with an initial effective date of January 1, 2021; however, CMS subsequently delayed the effective date to July 1, 2021. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 enacted December 27, 2020 included a provision that delayed the effective date to January 1, 2022. As published, the rule is effective for randomly selected Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) and the participating zip codes are included in the final rule. The selected zip codes include approximately thirty percent of all eligible Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) radiotherapy episodes nationally. The RO APM could prove beneficial to the Company if clinics and physicians transition to brachytherapy options and away from more expensive IMRT and other non-brachytherapy options. However, if clinics and physicians determine to use less costly iodine brachytherapy this would have a negative impact on the Company as the costs of our Cesium-131 seeds are higher than iodine seeds. Management is currently evaluating the impact the final rule may have on our business, financial condition, or results of operations, but it is uncertain whether this rule will have a favorable or unfavorable impact on our business.
Brachytherapy seeds have two CMS codes in the out-patient setting – one code for loose seeds and a second code for stranded seeds. Reimbursement amounts are reviewed and revised annually based upon information submitted to CMS on claims by providers. Changes in reimbursement can positively or negatively affect market demand for our product. We monitor these changes and provide comments, as permitted, when changes are proposed, prior to implementation.
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In-patient procedures are covered by CMS and hospitals are paid based on the type and complexity of the surgery. These procedures are done as part of a Diagnostic Related Group or DRG system under which the hospital pays for all items involved in the care of the patient exclusive of the physician fees. Hospitals are less receptive to treatments which require out of pocket costs such as procedures we use for certain non-prostate applications. Certain of our DRG reimbursement amounts coupled with out-of-pocket costs imposed on hospitals make some of our surgical, in-patient procedures not financially viable. We rely on our reimbursement consultant to assist us to improve the rate of reimbursement so that our product reimbursement will create greater incentives to be used. Effective October 1, 2020, new codes took effect and now CMS will be able to track the additional cost of the Cesium-131 seed itself and be able to reimburse the hospital through the DRG payment system for these additional costs when an in-patient brachytherapy procedure is performed. There is no assurance we will obtain the increase necessary to keep certain procedures viable and improve the margins of others.
Historically, private insurers have followed Medicare guidelines in establishing reimbursement rates. However, third-party payers are increasingly challenging the pricing of certain medical services or devices, and we cannot be sure that they will reimburse our customers at levels sufficient for us to maintain favorable sales and price levels for our product. There is no uniform policy on reimbursement among third-party payers, and we can provide no assurance that our product will continue to qualify for reimbursement from all third-party payers or that reimbursement rates will not be reduced. A reduction in or elimination of third-party reimbursement for treatments using our products would have a material adverse effect on our revenues.
Our success in international markets also depends upon the eligibility of our product for coverage and reimbursement through government-sponsored health care payment systems and third-party payors. Reimbursement practices vary significantly by country. Many international markets have government-managed insurance systems that control reimbursement for our new product and procedures. Other foreign markets have both private insurance systems and government-managed systems that control reimbursement for our new product and procedures. Market acceptance of our product may depend on the availability and level of coverage and reimbursement in any country within a particular time. In addition, health care cost containment efforts similar to those we face in the United States are prevalent in many of the other countries in which we intend to sell our product and these efforts are expected to continue.
Furthermore, any federal and state efforts to reform government and private healthcare insurance programs, such as those passed by the federal government in 2010, could significantly affect the purchase of healthcare services and our product in general and demand for our product in particular. Approximately 60% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are of Medicare age (65+), providing Medicare with a significant influence in the marketplace. We are unable to predict the ultimate impact of current healthcare reform rates, those reforms that may be enacted in the future both in the United States and in other countries, whether other healthcare legislation or regulations affecting the business may be proposed or enacted in the future or what effect any such legislation or regulations would have on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
ITEM 2 – UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
None
ITEM 3 – DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
ITEM 4 - MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.