form10-q.htm


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM 10-Q
 
 
x
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934    
 
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2010
 
 
o
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
   
 
For the transition period from                    to                   
 
Commission file number 0–29486
 
MERGE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
 
39–1600938
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
 
(I. R. S. Employer Identification No.)
 
900 Walnut Ridge Drive, Hartland, Wisconsin 53029
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) (262) 367–0700
 
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes xNo o
 
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o     No o
 
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “accelerated filer”, “large accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b–2 of the Exchange Act.
 
Large accelerated filer  o
Non-accelerated filero
Accelerated filer  x
Smaller reporting company o
 
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b–2 of the Act).
Yes   o   No x
 
The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, as of November 4, 2010:  83,284,805
 


 
 

 
 
 
INDEX
 
       
Page
   
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
   
Item 1.
   
1
     
1
     
2
     
3
     
4
     
5
     
6
Item 2.
   
23
Item 3.
   
33
Item 4.
   
33
         
   
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
   
Item 1.
   
34
Item 1A.
   
34
Item 6.
   
35
   
Exhibit 31.1 Section 302 Certification of Principal Executive Officer
 
38
   
Exhibit 31.2 Section 302 Certification of Principal Financial Officer
 
39
   
Exhibit 32 Section 906 Certification of Principal Executive and Financial Officers
 
40
 
 
 

 
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
 
Item 1.
 
MERGE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
 (In thousands, except for share data) 
 
   
September 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
ASSETS
           
Current assets:
           
Cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash of $613 and $559 at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively
  $ 39,998     $ 19,621  
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts and sales returns of $956 and $1,287 at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively
    47,679       17,219  
Inventory
    2,655       280  
Prepaid expenses
    5,093       1,896  
Deferred income taxes
    325       142  
Other current assets
    6,931       3,590  
Total current assets
    102,681       42,748  
Property and equipment:
               
Land
    1,050        
Building and building improvements
    4,900        
Computer equipment
    9,448       8,542  
Office equipment
    1,816       2,347  
Leasehold improvements
    926       1,715  
      18,140       12,604  
Less accumulated depreciation
    6,233       8,727  
Net property and equipment
    11,907       3,877  
Purchased and developed software, net of accumulated amortization of $8,376 and $15,488 at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively
    26,783       12,621  
Other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization of $6,374 and $2,411 at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively
    49,412       6,715  
Goodwill
    162,612       28,749  
Deferred income taxes
    4,490       4,689  
Other assets
    12,556       850  
Total assets
  $ 370,441     $ 100,249  
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
               
Current liabilities:
               
Accounts payable
  $ 13,878     $ 4,444  
Interest payable
    9,988        
Accrued wages
    5,608       1,950  
Restructuring accrual
    2,414       879  
Other accrued liabilities
    2,397       1,665  
Deferred revenue
    42,164       15,579  
Total current liabilities
    76,449       24,517  
Notes payable, net of unamortized discount of $5,130
    194,870        
Deferred income taxes
    49       68  
Deferred revenue
    1,849       1,193  
Income taxes payable
    5,491       5,461  
Other
    1,542       873  
Total liabilities
    280,250       32,112  
Shareholders’ equity:
               
Series A Non-voting Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value: 50,000 shares authorized; 41,750 and zero shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively. Aggregate liquidation preference: $54,275 and zero at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.
    41,750        
Common stock, $0.01 par value: 150,000,000 shares authorized: 82,975,261 shares and 74,791,753 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively
    830       748  
Common stock subscribed, 16,197 shares and 9,978 shares at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively
    45       32  
Additional paid-in capital
    525,913       524,114  
Accumulated deficit
    (479,915 )     (458,356 )
Accumulated other comprehensive income
    1,568       1,599  
Total shareholders’ equity
    90,191       68,137  
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
  $ 370,441     $ 100,249  
 
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
1

 
MERGE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
   
Three Months Ended
September 30,
   
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Net sales:
                       
Software and other
  $ 12,931     $ 7,755     $ 28,888     $ 25,459  
Professional services
    6,826       3,855       16,203       6,630  
Maintenance and EDI
    25,432       5,297       49,071       15,480  
Total net sales
    45,189       16,907       94,162       47,569  
Cost of sales:
                               
Software and other
    4,930       600       7,324       2,710  
Professional services
    4,381       1,885       11,406       3,927  
Maintenance and EDI
    8,622       1,517       15,928       3,998  
Depreciation, amortization and impairment
    2,805       899       8,510       2,172  
Total cost of sales
    20,738       4,901       43,168       12,807  
Gross margin
    24,451       12,006       50,994       34,762  
Operating costs and expenses:
                               
Sales and marketing
    5,776       2,470       12,784       5,968  
Product research and development
    5,621       2,689       14,629       7,503  
General and administrative
    6,043       3,616       15,485       8,972  
Acquisition-related expenses
    854       658       9,213       997  
Restructuring and other expenses
    1,213       1,974       4,696       1,974  
Depreciation and amortization
    1,816       755       4,837       1,849  
Total operating costs and expenses
    21,323       12,162       61,644       27,263  
Operating income (loss)
    3,128       (156 )     (10,650 )     7,499  
Other income (expense):
                               
Interest expense
    (6,475 )     (775 )     (10,796 )     (2,304 )
Interest income
    28       6       51       30  
Other, net
    (140 )     18       (71 )     (2,801 )
Total other income (expense)
    (6,587 )     (751 )     (10,816 )     (5,075 )
Income (loss) before income taxes
    (3,459 )     (907 )     (21,466 )     2,424  
Income tax expense (benefit)
    (13 )     29       93       72  
Net income (loss)
    (3,446 )     (936 )     (21,559 )     2,352  
Less: preferred stock dividends
    1,566             17,510        
Net income (loss) available to common shareholders
  $ (5,012 )   $ (936 )   $ (39,069 )   $ 2,352  
Net income (loss) per share - basic
  $ (0.06 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.49 )   $ 0.04  
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic
    82,813,533       61,077,637       79,265,227       57,904,467  
Net income (loss) per share - diluted
  $ (0.06 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.49 )   $ 0.04  
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - diluted
    82,813,533       61,077,637       79,265,227       59,552,430  
 
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
2

 
MERGE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)
 
   
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Cash flows from operating activities:
           
Net income (loss)
  $ (21,559 )   $ 2,352  
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
               
Depreciation, amortization and impairment
    13,347       4,021  
Share-based compensation
    1,326       1,256  
Change in contingent consideration for acquisitions
    226        
Amortization of note payable issuance costs & discount
    889       837  
Other than temporary impairment on equity investments
          3,624  
Provision for doubtful accounts receivable, sales returns and non-trade receivables, net of recoveries
    503       151  
Deferred income taxes
    (3 )      
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:
               
Accounts receivable
    (8,242 )     2  
Inventory
    (1,372 )     396  
Prepaid expenses
    2,118       349  
Accounts payable
    1,749       (2,404 )
Accrued wages
    (833 )     (554 )
Restructuring accrual
    1,615       411  
Deferred revenue
    7,734       (6,189 )
Accrued interest and other liabilities
    6,769       (373 )
Other
    2,406       588  
Net cash provided by operating activities
    6,673       4,467  
Cash flows from investing activities:
               
Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired
    (212,721 )     (1,752 )
Purchases of property, equipment, and leasehold improvements
    (871 )     (165 )
Change in restricted cash
    (53 )     338  
Distribution from equity investments
    76       886  
Net cash used in investing activities
    (213,569 )     (693 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
               
Proceeds from issuance of notes, net of discount of $5,468
    194,532        
Proceeds from issuance of stock
    41,750        
Note and stock issuance costs paid
    (9,017 )      
Proceeds from exercise of stock options and employee stock purchase plan
    102       78  
Repurchases of stock
    (26 )      
Principal payments on notes
          (4,570 )
Principal payments on capital leases
    (122 )     (35 )
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
    227,219       (4,527 )
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    20,323       (753 )
Cash and cash equivalents (net of restricted cash), beginning of period (1)
    19,062       17,227  
Cash and cash equivalents (net of restricted cash), end of period (2)
  $ 39,385     $ 16,474  
                 
Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information:
               
Cash paid for interest
  $ 10     $ 1,463  
Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds
    (207 )     (173 )
 
(1) Net of restricted cash of $559 and $621 at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
(2) Net of restricted cash of $613 and $409 at September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
 
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
3

 
MERGE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
   
Preferred Stock
   
Common Stock
     Accumulated Deficit       Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income      Total Shareholders’ Equity  
   
Shares Issued
   
Issued Amount
   
Shares Subscribed
   
Subscribed Amount
   
Shares Issued
   
Issued Amount
   
Additional Paid–in Capital
           
Balance at December 31, 2009
        $       9,978     $ 32       74,791,753     $ 748     $ 524,114     $ (458,356 )   $ 1,599     $ 68,137  
Issuance of stock
    41,750       26,850                   7,515,000       75       13,966                   40,891  
Deemed dividend on preferred stock
          14,900                               (14,900 )                  
Stock issued under ESPP
                6,219       13       35,191       1       89                   103  
Issuance of restricted shares
                            141,866       1       (1 )                  
Share-based compensation expense
                                        1,326                   1,326  
Shares issued for acquisitions
                            500,000       5       1,345                   1,350  
Treasury stock
                            (8,549 )           (26 )                 (26 )
Net loss
                                              (21,559 )           (21,559 )
Other comprehensive loss
                                                    (31 )     (31 )
Balance at September 30, 2010
    41,750     $ 41,750       16,197     $ 45       82,975,261     $ 830     $ 525,913     $ (479,915 )   $ 1,568     $ 90,191  

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
4


MERGE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)

   
 
   
 
 
   
Three Months Ended
September 30,
   
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Net income (loss)
  $ (3,446 )   $ (936 )   $ (21,559 )   $ 2,352  
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable security
    11       (37 )     (31 )     (203 )
Comprehensive income (loss)
  $ (3,435 )   $ (973 )   $ (21,590 )   $ 2,149  
 
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
 
5

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)

(1)
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
 
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for reporting on Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain information and notes required by United States of America generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for annual financial statements are not included herein. These interim statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 of Merge Healthcare Incorporated, a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries and affiliates (which we sometimes refer to collectively as Merge, we, us or our).
 
Principles of Consolidation
 
Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and results of operations.  Such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature, unless otherwise noted.  The results of operations for the three and nine month periods ended  September 30, 2010 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.
 
Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. These accounting principles require us to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We believe that the estimates, judgments and assumptions are reasonable, based on information available at the time they are made. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
 
Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the results of AMICAS, Inc. (AMICAS) since April 28, 2010, and insignificant other acquisitions from the dates of acquisition.  
 
Reclassifications
 
Where appropriate, certain reclassifications have been made to the prior periods’ condensed consolidated financial statements to conform to the current year presentation.  
 
(2)
Acquisitions
 
AMICAS, Inc.
 
On April 28, 2010, we completed our acquisition of AMICAS through a successful tender offer for 37,009,990 outstanding shares of common stock of AMICAS at $6.05 per share in cash.  Following the tender offer, we purchased the remaining shares pursuant to a merger of a subsidiary of Merge with and into AMICAS.  Total transaction consideration was approximately $223,910.  In addition, shortly before the completion of the acquisition, AMICAS paid cash to holders of vested, in-the-money stock options for the difference between $6.05 per share and the exercise price of such options.  The holders of shares of restricted stock were paid $6.05 per share in cash.  The total consideration paid to option and restricted stock holders was approximately $22,906.  We financed the transaction with $200,000 of senior secured notes (Notes), cash already available at the two companies and proceeds of $41,750 from the issuance of preferred and common stock.  See Notes 7, 8 and 11 for further information regarding the Notes and preferred and common stock issuance.  
 
Reasons for the Transaction
 
We believe that our acquisition of AMICAS allows our customers to benefit from the combined company’s enhanced suite of products ranging from point solutions to end-to-end solutions for imaging workflow.  The acquisition also creates an opportunity to cross-sell our solutions to different provider bases and to use our international footprint to increase revenues of AMICAS’s products.  In addition, the acquisition of AMICAS is expected to create ongoing cost synergies of approximately $15,000 annually.
 
 
6

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
Accounting
 
The acquisition of AMICAS was accounted for in accordance with ASC Topic No. 805, Business Combinations.  Merge was considered the accounting acquirer.  Under the acquisition method of accounting, the total purchase price of approximately $223,910 was allocated to the net tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, based on various estimates of their respective fair values.  The allocation of the purchase consideration was based upon estimates made by us with the assistance of independent valuation specialists.  The purchase price allocation, based on AMICAS’ assets and liabilities as of April 28, 2010, was as follows:
 
     
Estimated Fair Value
 
 
Cash
  $ 15,125  
 
Other tangible assets
    45,202  
 
Liabilities assumed
    (30,336 )
 
Purchased and developed software
    19,200  
 
Customer relationships
    30,400  
 
Backlog
    8,100  
 
Trade names
    3,600  
 
Non-competes
    3,100  
 
Goodwill
    129,519  
 
Total consideration
  $ 223,910  
 
Liabilities assumed include approximately $2,245 owed to certain former officers of AMICAS.  These liabilities were considered part of the acquisition of AMICAS since the contractual obligations were entered into prior to the acquisition and were not for the benefit of Merge.
 
The amounts allocated to purchased and developed software, customer relationships, trade names, employee non-compete agreements and backlog were estimated by us based on the work performed by independent valuation specialists, primarily through the use of discounted cash flow techniques.  Appraisal assumptions utilized under these methods include a forecast of estimated future net cash flows, as well as discounting the future net cash flows to their present value.  Acquired intangible assets are being amortized over the estimated useful lives as set forth in the following table:
               
           
Amortization
 
     
Years
   
Method
 
 
Purchased and developed software
    8.0    
Straight-line
 
 
Customer relationships
    9.7    
Other
 
 
Backlog
    4.7    
Other
 
 
Trade names
    12.0    
Straight-line
 
 
Non-competes
    7.0    
Straight-line
 
 
Goodwill
 
Indefinite
   
NA
 
 
The estimated asset lives are determined based on projected future economic benefits and expected life cycles of the acquired intangible assets.  The amount assigned to goodwill is not being amortized, but will be tested for impairment annually or under circumstances that may indicate a potential impairment.  We expect approximately $12,700 of the $129,519 assigned to goodwill will be deductible for federal income tax purposes.
 
Pro forma Results
 
The GAAP results of AMICAS for the period April 28, 2010 through September 30, 2010, which include sales of $39,094 and net income of $1,855, have been included in our condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
The following unaudited pro forma condensed combined results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, respectively, are based on the historical financial statements of Merge and AMICAS giving effect to the business combination as if it had occurred at the beginning of the periods presented.  Therefore, this pro forma data has been adjusted to exclude pre-acquisition revenue related to sales by Merge to AMICAS as well as the amortization of intangible assets acquired by AMICAS, while including amortization of purchased intangible assets and interest on the Notes during the entire applicable periods.  This data is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that would have been generated if the transaction had occurred at the beginning of the respective periods.  Moreover, this data is not intended to be indicative of future results of operations.
 
 
7

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
   
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Net sales
  $ 130,849     $ 109,058  
Net loss available to common shareholders
    (48,775 )     (47,196 )
Loss per share:
               
Basic
  $ (0.59 )   $ (0.72 )
Diluted
  $ (0.59 )   $ (0.72 )
 
Insignificant Acquisitions
 
We completed one insignificant acquisition of assets in the first quarter of 2010.  Total consideration was $2,674, including $1,350 in cash, $150 held in escrow and contingent consideration of $1,174.  We also completed two insignificant acquisitions in the third quarter of 2010.  The first was for $2,500 in cash and the second for 500,000 shares of our common stock.  Total consideration for these two transactions was $2,500 and $1,350, respectively.  See Note 11 for further discussion of the second transaction.
 
In November 2010, we completed an insignificant acquisition of assets for total cash consideration of $4,000, including $800 held in escrow.
 
(3)
Other Current Assets
 
Other current assets consist primarily of revenue recognized that has not yet been billed to a customer, taxes receivable and other non-trade receivables, all of which are due within the next twelve months.  The balances are comprised of the following as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009:
 
     
Balance at September 30, 2010
     
Balance at
December 31,
2009
 
Unbilled accounts receivable
  $ 6,434     $ 2,054  
Taxes receivable
    370       331  
Other non-trade receivables
    127       1,205  
    $ 6,931     $ 3,590  
 
In the third quarter of 2010, we received cash of $123 related to a non-trade receivable that was a result of an equity investment that we had in a company that was sold in the third quarter of 2009.  The amount received represented our portion of the release of an escrow.  This amount was less than the original amount of expected escrow payments of $450, of which we had recorded $204 in current assets and $246 in long-term assets (as a second release of escrow was due in the third quarter of 2011).  Based on discussions with the shareholder representative of the company in which we had the equity investment, there are no further payments expected.  As a result, we recorded an other receivable non-cash bad debt expense in the third quarter of $327 within general and administrative expense of our condensed consolidated statement of operations.  
 
(4)
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
 
Goodwill
 
The changes in carrying amount of goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2009 and the nine months ended September 30, 2010, are as follows:
 
   
Total
 
Balance at December 31, 2009
  $ 28,749  
Goodwill due to insignificant acquisitions
    4,344  
Goodwill due to AMICAS acquisition
    129,519  
Balance at September 30, 2010
  $ 162,612  
 
 
8

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
Other Intangible Assets
 
Other than capitalized software development costs, our intangible assets subject to amortization are summarized as of September 30, 2010 as follows:
 
   
Weighted
             
   
Average
             
   
Remaining
             
   
Amortization
   
Gross Carrying
   
Accumulated
 
   
Period (Years)
   
Amount
   
Amortization
 
Purchased software
    6.5     $ 33,335     $ (7,324 )
Customer relationships
    8.9       40,186       (4,555 )
Backlog
    4.3       8,100       (1,397 )
Trade names
    10.8       4,400       (237 )
Non-competes
    6.6       3,100       (185 )
Total
          $ 89,121     $ (13,698 )
 
In addition to the increase in intangible assets as a result of the acquisition of AMICAS as set forth in Note 2, we increased the gross carrying amount of purchased software and customer relationships by $1,220 and $1,230, respectively, related to insignificant acquisitions completed in 2010.  
 
Our purchased software assets are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis using Level 3 inputs (as defined in Note 5).  In calculating potential impairment losses, we evaluate the expected future benefit of the assets using discounted cash flow techniques.  As a result of decisions related to overlapping products, we recorded a $2,271 expense in the second quarter of 2010 to fully impair certain purchased software assets related to products from which we expect no future benefit.  We also wrote-off the fully amortized gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization of $4,665 in the second quarter of 2010.
 
Estimated aggregate amortization expense for our intangible assets, which become fully amortized in 2022, for the remaining periods is as follows:

For the remaining 3 months of the year ended:
    2010     $ 3,382  
For the year ended December 31:
    2011       14,008  
      2012       11,817  
      2013       10,920  
      2014       9,833  
   
Thereafter
      25,463  
 
As of September 30, 2010, we had gross capitalized software development costs of $1,824 and accumulated amortization of $1,052.  The weighted average remaining amortization period of capitalized software development costs was 3.8 years as of September 30, 2010.  We did not capitalize any software development costs in the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2010 or 2009.  
 
Our capitalized software assets are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis using Level 3 inputs (as defined in Note 5),  In calculating potential impairment losses, we evaluate the expected future benefit of the assets using discounted cash flow techniques.  As a result of decisions related to overlapping products, we recorded a $157 expense in the second quarter of 2010 to fully impair certain capitalized software assets related to products from which we expect no future benefit.  We also wrote-off the fully amortized gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization of $717 in the second quarter of 2010.   
 
 
9

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
 
Amortization expense, including impairments for our intangible assets, is set forth in the following table:
                         
    Three Months Ended     Nine Months Ended  
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Amortization and impairment included in cost of sales
                       
Purchased software
  $ 1,337     $ 665     $ 5,753     $ 1,620  
Capitalized software
    91       137       505       455  
Backlog
    1,124             1,397        
Total
    2,552       802       7,655       2,075  
                                 
Amortization included in operating expenses
                               
Customer relationships
    860       319       2,173       803  
Trade names
    121       10       209       10  
Non-competes
    110             184        
Total
    1,091       329       2,566       813  
Total amortization and impairment
  $ 3,643     $ 1,131     $ 10,221     $ 2,888  
 
(5)
Fair Value Measurement
 
Our financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, marketable and non-marketable securities, accounts payable, notes payable, and certain accrued liabilities.  The carrying amounts of our cash and cash equivalents (which are comprised primarily of deposit and overnight sweep accounts), accounts receivable, accounts payable, and certain accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to the short maturity of these instruments.  The estimated fair values of the non-marketable equity securities have been determined from information obtained from independent valuations and management estimates.  The carrying value of our notes payable approximates fair value due to the interest rates and terms approximating those available to the company for similar obligations.
 
We use a three-tier value hierarchy to prioritize the inputs used in measuring fair value of our financial assets and liabilities.  These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore, requiring us to develop our own assumptions.  
 
We also consider additional information in estimating fair value when the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased, or circumstances indicate a transaction is not suitable for fair value measurement.  
 
Non-Current Investments
 
At September 30, 2010, we held securities in a publicly traded entity valued at $79 and private companies valued at $337, which are classified as non-current assets.  In determining fair value, we utilize techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.  In calculating potential impairment losses for the private company securities, we evaluate the fair value of these investments by comparing them to certain public company metrics such as revenue multiples, independent transactions involving such securities, and inquiries and estimates made by us.  The following tables set forth our non-current investments that are carried at fair value:
 
 
10

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
                           
   
Level 1
   
Level 2
   
Level 3
    Balance at
December 30,
2010
 
Investment in publicly traded equity security
  $ 79     $     $     $ 79  
Investments in equity securities of private companies
                337       337  
Total
  $ 79     $     $ 337     $ 416  
 
   
Level 1
   
Level 2
   
Level 3
    Balance at
December 31,
2009
 
Investment in publicly traded equity security
  $ 110     $     $     $ 110  
Investments in equity securities of private companies
                413       413  
Total
  $ 110     $     $ 413     $ 523  
 
We performed the evaluation of our Level 3 investments as of September 30, 2010, and concluded that there was no significant change in their fair value.
 
The following table sets forth the change in the fair value of our Level 1 publicly traded equity security:
 
   
2010
   
2009
 
Balance at January 1
  $ 110     $ 318  
Unrealized loss
    (31 )     (203 )
Balance at September 30
  $ 79     $ 115  
 
The following table sets forth the change in the fair value of our Level 3 non-current investments:
 
    2010     2009  
Balance at January 1
  $ 413     $ 5,372  
Sale of investment
          (1,335 )
Impairment charge
          (3,624 )
Distribution from investment
    (76 )      
Balance at September 30
  $ 337     $ 413  
 
Unrealized gains or losses on our available-for-sale (publicly traded) security, as well as foreign currency translation adjustments, are components of accumulated other comprehensive income as set forth in the following table:
 
   
Balance at September 30,
 
    2010     2009  
Cumulative translation adjustment
  $ 1,936     $ 1,936  
Net unrealized loss on available-for-sale security
    (368 )     (332 )
Total accumulated other comprehensive income
  $ 1,568     $ 1,604  
 
(6)
Restructuring
 
On April 29, 2010, we committed to a restructuring initiative to materially reduce our workforce by approximately 125 individuals and exit certain facilities.  In the second quarter of 2010, we exited each of our Bellevue, Washington, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Hudson, Ohio facilities.  This action was taken concurrent with the acquisition of AMICAS based upon our assessment of ongoing personnel needs.  In the third quarter of 2010, we exited our New Brighton, Massachusetts facility as part of the plan for this initiative.
 
The following table sets forth the activity in the nine months ended September 30, 2010 related to this initiative as well as those taken in prior years:
 
 
11

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
   
Employee
Termination
Costs
   
Contract Exit
Costs
   
Relocation
   
Total
 
 
Prior Year Initiatives
             
Balance at December 31, 2009
  $ 663     $ 216     $     $ 879  
Payments
    (526 )     (209 )           (735 )
Foreign exchange
    5                   5  
Balance at September 30, 2010
    142       7             149  
                                 
 
Second Quarter 2010 Initiative
                 
Balance at December 31, 2009
                       
Charges to expense
    2,240       1,881       505       4,626  
Payments
    (1,565 )     (249 )     (462 )     (2,276 )
Foreign exchange
    (5 )                 (5 )
Balance at September 30, 2010
    670       1,632       43       2,345  
                       
   
Total Initiatives
                 
Balance at December 31, 2009
    663       216             879  
Charges to expense
    2,240       1,881       505       4,626  
Payments
    (2,091 )     (458 )     (462 )     (3,011 )
Foreign Exchange
                       
Total balance at September 30, 2010
  $ 812     $ 1,639     $ 43     $ 2,494  
 
As of September 30, 2010, $2,414 of the remaining balance was recorded in the restructuring accrual in current liabilities, with the remainder recorded in other long term liabilities.  
 
(7)
Debt and Operating Leases
 
We issued $200,000 of Notes in order to finance the acquisition of AMICAS.  The Notes were issued at 97.266% of the principal amount, bear interest at 11.75% of principal (payable on May 1st and November 1st of each year) and will mature on May 1, 2015.  The Notes were offered in a private placement pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.  In connection with the Notes, we incurred issuance costs of $8,910 (which are recorded in other assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2010).  These issuance costs are recorded as a long-term asset and amortized over the life of the Notes using the effective interest method.  On November 1, 2010, we made our first interest payment totaling $11,946.
 
At any time on or prior to May 1, 2013, we may redeem any of the Notes at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof plus an applicable “make-whole” premium plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.  At any time and from time to time during the twelve month period commencing May 1, 2013, we may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to 105.875% of the principal amount thereof and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.  At any time and from time to time after May 1, 2014, we may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.  In addition, prior to May 1, 2013, we may redeem up to 35% of the Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, using proceeds from permitted sales of certain kinds of our capital stock.  Upon the occurrence of a change of control or the sale of substantially all of our assets, we may be required to repurchase some or all of the Notes.  The obligations under the Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior, secured basis by all of our current and future domestic restricted subsidiaries. The Notes and guarantees are secured by a first-priority lien on certain collateral which comprises substantially all of our and the guarantors’ tangible and intangible assets, subject to certain exceptions.
 
In addition, the Notes contain certain covenants with varying restriction levels, which may limit our ability to:
 
Incur additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock;
Pay dividends or make distributions with respect to capital stock;
Make investments or certain other restricted payments;
 
 
12

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
Pay dividends or enter into other payment restrictions affecting certain subsidiaries;
Engage in sale-leaseback transactions;
Enter into transactions with stockholders or affiliates;
Guarantee debt;
Sell assets;
Create liens;
Issue or sell stock of certain subsidiaries; and
Merge or consolidate.
 
We assumed certain operating lease obligations associated with our acquisition of AMICAS.  Our significant operating leases are all facility leases as set forth in the following table:
 
Location
 
Square
Footage
   
Annual Lease
Payments
   
End of Term
 
New Brighton, Massachusetts
    27,000     $ 851    
January 2013
 
Daytona Beach, Florida
    36,000       319    
April 2012
 
Madison, Wisconsin
    14,000       326    
January 2013
 
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    6,000       147    
December 2013
 
 
Future minimum lease payments under all non-cancelable operating leases as of September 30, 2010, are:
 
For the remaining 3 months of the year ended:
    2010     $ 1,015  
   For the year ended December 31:
    2011       3,966  
      2012       3,089  
      2013       1,506  
      2014       861  
      2015       899  
   
thereafter
      2,827  
   
Total
    $ 14,163  
 
Amounts to be received under non-cancelable sub-leases as of September 30, 2010 are $54, $221, $226 and $57 for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively.  The above obligations include lease payments related to facilities that we have either ceased to use or abandoned as of September 30, 2010.  The related obligations for such facilities have been recorded as restructuring related accruals in our consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2010.
 
 (8)
Shareholders’ Equity
 
On April 1, 2010, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with a limited number of institutional and accredited investors, including Merrick RIS, LLC (Merrick) and Merrick Venture Management LLC, under which we agreed to issue an aggregate of 41,750 shares of Series A Preferred Stock and 7,515,000 shares of our common stock for total proceeds of $41,750.  We used the net proceeds from the offering to partially finance the acquisition of AMICAS.  The shares of Series A Preferred Stock will rank in priority, with respect to payment of dividends and return of capital upon liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the business, ahead of the shares of all other classes of our capital stock.  The holders of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive cumulative compounding dividends at a rate of 15% per annum of the Designated Price of $1,000 per share of Series A Preferred Stock (as adjusted for stock splits, combinations, reclassifications and the like).  Subject to certain written notice requirements, we may, at any time and on a pro rata basis, redeem the outstanding Series A Preferred Stock by paying the Designated Price per share plus any accrued but unpaid dividends.  Upon a change of control, which is defined in the Securities Purchase Agreement as “the occurrence of a sale of all of the capital stock of Merge (including by merger or consolidation or other similar transaction subsequent to Board approval) or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of Merge to a Person or Persons in a transaction or series of transactions that include a subsequent distribution of all the proceeds to the holders of common stock,” the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock may, subject to certain restrictions specifically outlined in the Securities Purchase Agreement, require us to redeem all of such holders’ then-outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock by paying in cash the Designated Price per share plus any accrued but unpaid dividends.  In addition, in the event that, prior to the second anniversary of the date such shares are issued, we seek to redeem a holder’s shares of Series A Preferred Stock or such holder elects to require us to redeem his shares of Series A Preferred Stock upon a Change of Control, such holder will also be entitled to receive a minimum of two years of dividend payments (giving effect to the payment of any dividends actually paid prior to such date).
 
 
13

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
We have performed a fair value analysis of the preferred and common stock based upon estimates made by us with the assistance of independent valuation specialists.  We currently believe that any redemption of the Series A Preferred Stock is solely within our control and, therefore, is considered permanent equity.  The proceeds of $41,750 were allocated to preferred and common stock based upon the relative fair value of each instrument.  As a result, we recorded net Series A Preferred Stock of $26,850 and total common stock (par value and additional paid-in capital) of $14,900. We also recorded a deemed dividend of $14,900 upon issuance of the preferred stock for the difference between the relative fair value and its redemption value of $41,750.  The deemed dividend as well as a cumulative dividend of $1,566 and $2,610 are reflected as a reduction of net income available to common shareholders in our statement of operations for the three and  nine months ended  September 30, 2010.
 
In connection with the preferred and common stock offering, we incurred issuance costs of $859, which are recorded as a reduction of additional paid-in capital in our condensed consolidated balance sheet.  
 
On September 21, 2010, our shareholders approved an increase in our authorized common stock to 150,000,000 shares from 100,000,000 shares, and also approved the removal of our Preferred Series 3 Special Voting Stock.  On September 27, 2010, we filed a Certificate of Amendment to reflect these changes in our Amended Certificate of Incorporation.
 
(9)
Share-Based Compensation
 
The following table summarizes share-based compensation expense recognized during the periods indicated:
 
    Three Months Ended     Nine Months Ended  
    September 30,     September 30,  
     
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Share-based compensation expense included in the statement of operations:
                       
Cost of sales
  $ 76     $ 8     $ 107     $ 37  
Sales and marketing
    155       91       305       275  
Product research and development
    18       79       173       249  
General and administrative
    261       193       741       695  
Total
  $ 510     $ 371     $ 1,326     $ 1,256  
 
On September 21, 2010, our shareholders approved an amendment to our 2005 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance thereunder by 3,000,000 to 13,500,000.  Stock option activity in the nine months ended September 30, 2010 is set forth in the following table:
 
 
14

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 

   
Number of
 
   
Options
 
Options outstanding, December 31, 2009
    5,021,995  
Options granted
    2,535,000  
Options exercised
     
Options forfeited and expired
    (927,291 )
Options outstanding, September 30, 2010
    6,629,704  
         
Options exercisable, September 30, 2010
    2,539,783  
 
Restricted stock activity in the nine months ended September 30, 2010 is set forth in the following table:
 
   
Number of
 
   
Shares
 
Restricted stock outstanding, December 31, 2009
    426,664  
Restricted stock granted
     
Restricted stock exercises
    (141,866 )
Restricted stock forfeited
    (18,133 )
Restricted stock outstanding, September 30, 2010
    266,665  
 
As of September 30, 2010, there was approximately $5,145 of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options and restricted stock that may be recognized in future periods.
 
(10)
Commitments and Contingencies
 
On June 1, 2009, Merge Healthcare was served with a Summons and Complaint in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, State of Wisconsin, captioned William C. Mortimore and David M. Nosay v. Merge Technologies Inc. n/k/a Merge Healthcare Inc. [sic], Case Number 09CV008356, Case Code 30301.  The case arises from our termination of Mortimore’s and Nosay’s employment and our subsequent refusal to indemnify them with respect to litigation related to their service as officers of Merge.  The Complaint alleges that we breached their employment agreements, unreasonably refused their requests for indemnification and breached other covenants of good faith and fair dealing.  The Complaint requests an order that they are entitled to indemnification under Wisconsin Statute Section 180.0851(2), seeks unspecified monetary damages and includes a demand for a jury trial.  Discovery in this case is on-going.  We have retained litigation counsel and intend to continue to vigorously defend this action.
 
In January, 2010, a purported stockholder class action complaint was filed in the Superior Court of Suffolk County, Massachusetts in connection with AMICAS’ proposed acquisition by Thoma Bravo, LLC (the Thoma Bravo Merger), entitled Progress Associates, on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated, v. AMICAS, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 10-0174.  In March, 2010, because AMICAS had terminated the Thoma Bravo Merger and agreed to be acquired by Merge, the Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims as moot.  Subsequently, counsel for the plaintiffs filed an application for approximately $5 million of attorneys fees for its work on this case, which fee petition AMICAS has opposed.  A court hearing on the fee petition was held on August 4, 2010, but the court did not set a date for the issuance of a ruling.  AMICAS has retained litigation counsel, has tendered defense of this matter to its appropriate insurers and intends to continue to vigorously defend the fee petition.
 
In August, 2010, Merge Healthcare was served with a Summons and Complaint in the Northern District of Texas, captioned Ralph S. Janvey (Receiver), in his capacity as court-appointed receiver for Stanford International Bank, Ltd., et al. v. Merge Healthcare, Inc.  The Receiver alleges that Merge was a recipient of a fraudulent conveyance in conjunction with a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Robert Stanford and Stanford International Bank, Ltd. (SIBL).  Merge is not alleged to have participated in the Ponzi scheme, but to have been a recipient of a fraudulent conveyance.  The Receiver’s claims seem to arise from the failed acquisition of Emageon, Inc. (Emageon) by Health Systems Solutions, Inc. (HSS) in February 2009.  The Receiver seeks to recover the break up fee paid by HSS that was financed by SIBL as a result of that failed acquisition.  Merge’s involvement arises from subsequent acquisitions by Merge.  Specifically, several months after the Emageon-HSS transaction was terminated, AMICAS acquired 100% of the stock of Emageon.  Thereafter, Merge acquired 100% of the stock of AMICAS.  The Complaint requests recovery of the $9 million payment to Emageon, plus interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees, as a fraudulent conveyance.  Discussions with the Receiver are on-going.  We have retained litigation counsel and intend to vigorously defend this action.
 
In addition to the matters discussed above, we are, from time to time, parties to legal proceedings, lawsuits and other claims incident to our business activities.  Such matters may include, among other things, assertions of contract breach or intellectual property infringement, claims for indemnity arising in the course of our business and claims by persons whose employment has been terminated.  Such matters are subject to many uncertainties and outcomes are not predictable with assurance.  Consequently, we are unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of monetary liability, amounts which may be covered by insurance or recoverable from third parties, or the financial impact with respect to these matters as of the date of this report.
 
Guarantees
 
As a result of the acquisition of AMICAS, we assumed a guarantee to a lender on behalf of a customer.  At September 30, 2010, the balance outstanding on the loan was approximately $885.
 
 
15

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
(11)
Transactions with Related Party
 
Effective January 1, 2009, we entered into a consulting agreement with Merrick, an affiliate of Merrick Ventures, LLC (Merrick Ventures), under which we received certain consulting services for cash consideration of $100 per quarter, plus reasonable expenses, for a one year term. Effective January 1, 2010, we entered into an amendment to extend the term of the consulting agreement with Merrick through December 31, 2011, and modified the payment terms from a flat fee arrangement per quarter to a per transaction or success based arrangement.  Michael W. Ferro, Jr. and trusts for the benefit of Mr. Ferro’s family members beneficially own a majority of the equity interest in Merrick Ventures.  Mr. Ferro, who is the Chairman of our Board of Directors, also serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merrick Ventures.  Accordingly, Mr. Ferro indirectly owns or controls all of the shares owned by Merrick.  As of September 30, 2010, Merrick and its affiliates owned approximately 38.1% of our common stock.  In addition, Justin C. Dearborn, our President and a Director, served as Managing Director and General Counsel of Merrick Ventures from January 2007 until his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Merge on June 4, 2008. 
 
We paid $423 and $1,675 to Merrick for such services in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively, and recognized $477 and $1,785 in expense in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively.  We paid $105 and $335 to Merrick for such services in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009, respectively, and recognized $122 and $357 in expense in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009, respectively.  As of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, we have $112 and $2, respectively, recorded in accounts payable covering obligations under this agreement.
 
In February 2010, we entered into a VAR agreement with Merrick Healthcare Solutions, LLC (Merrick Healthcare), an affiliate of Merrick Ventures, under which we could market, resell, or supply certain of its products and services.  Under terms of the agreement, products and services would be purchased on a per unit basis from Merrick Healthcare.  The agreement was in effect for 12 months and could renew automatically at the end of the term unless terminated by either party at least 30 days prior to the end of the then-current term.  In the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, we paid Merrick Healthcare $26 and $74, respectively, for certain products and services sold by us under this agreement.  On March 31, 2009, we entered into a value added reseller agreement with Merrick Healthcare under which it purchased software licenses from us for $400.  Payment of the entire balance was made on the date of the agreement.  We recognized $400 in revenue in the first quarter of 2009 related to this transaction.  On July 30, 2010, we acquired substantially all of the assets of Merrick Healthcare for 500,000 shares of our common stock, which have a one-year trading restriction.  The transaction consideration was valued at $1,350, based on the issuance of 500,000 shares of our common stock at an estimated fair value of $2.70 per share.  The fair value of stock issued was based upon the NASDAQ closing price of our common stock on July 30, 2010 of $3.24 per share, discounted by 17% to account for the one-year trading restriction.  The fair value of the discount was estimated by management with the assistance of independent valuation specialists.  As a result of the acquisition, all prior agreements have been terminated.
 
In February 2010, we entered into equity commitment agreements with both Merrick and Merrick Venture Management LLC, an affiliate of Merrick Ventures, under which they transferred $30,000 in cash to us as a deposit to support their commitment to purchase up to an aggregate of $30,000 of Merge preferred and common stock.  As a result of the stock purchases of other investors, as described below, they acquired only $10,000 of Merge preferred and common stock and the remaining $20,000 in cash was subsequently returned to Merrick.  Based on the terms of the commitment letters, upon close of the AMICAS acquisition in April 2010, we paid a fee of 2% of the $30,000 committed by Merrick and Merrick Venture Management LLC, for a total of $600.  This cost was charged to  additional paid-in capital as stock issuance costs.
 
On April 1, 2010, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Merrick, under which Merrick subscribed to purchase 10,000 shares of Series A Non-Voting Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (Series A Preferred Stock) and 1,800,000 shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $10,000, under the same terms and conditions as other investors, as further indicated in Note 8.
 
 
16

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
(12)
Income Taxes
 
We record income tax expense on an interim basis.  The estimated annual effective income tax rate is adjusted quarterly and items discrete to a specific quarter are reflected in tax expense for that interim period.  The estimated annual effective income tax rate reflects the effect of changes in a valuation allowance due to expected current year earnings or loss.  A valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount more-likely-than-not to be realized.  Further limitations may apply to deferred tax assets if ownership changes occur.  There was no material change in unrecognized tax benefits in the nine month period ending September 30, 2010, and we do not anticipate a material change in total unrecognized tax benefits within the next 12 months.
 
(13)
Earnings Per Share Available to Common Shareholders
 
Basic and diluted net earnings or loss per share is computed by dividing earnings or loss available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding.  Earnings or loss available to common shareholders is computed as net income or loss less the 15% cumulative annual compounding dividend earned by preferred shareholders in the respective periods.  The computation of earnings or loss available to common shareholders is presented in our condensed consolidated statements of operations.  Diluted earnings per share includes the dilution that could occur based on outstanding restricted stock awards and the potential exercise of stock options, except for stock options with an exercise price of more than the average market price of our common stock, as such exercise would be anti-dilutive.  The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the periods indicated:
 
    Three Months Ended      Nine Months Ended   
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2010
   
2009
   
2010
   
2009
 
Numerator:
                       
Net income (loss) available to common shareholders
  $ (5,012 )   $ (936 )   $ (39,069 )   $ 2,352  
Denominator:
                               
Weighted average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding - basic
    82,813,533       61,077,637       79,265,227       57,904,467  
Effect of stock options
                      1,167,966  
Effect of restricted stock
                      479,997  
Denominator for net income (loss) per share - diluted
    82,813,533       61,077,637       79,265,227       59,552,430  
Net income (loss) per share - basic
  $ (0.06 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.49 )   $ 0.04  
Net income (loss) per share - diluted
  $ (0.06 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (0.49 )   $ 0.04  
 
 For the three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, options to purchase 2,179,704 and 3,145,000 shares of our common stock, respectively, had exercise prices greater than the average market price of our common stock, and, therefore, are not considered in the above calculations of diluted net income (loss) per share.  For the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, options to purchase 2,404,704 and 2,945,000 shares of our common stock, respectively, had exercise prices greater than the average market price of our common stock, and, therefore, are not considered in the above calculations of diluted net income (loss) per share.
 
As a result of the losses in the three and  nine months ended  September 30, 2010, incremental shares from the assumed conversion of employee stock options and restricted stock awards totaling 4,716,665 and 4,491,665 shares, respectively, have been excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per share as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.  As a result of the loss in the three months ended September 30, 2009, incremental shares from the assumed conversion of employee stock options and restricted stock awards totaling 2,188,110 shares have been excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per share as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive.
 
(14)
Segment Information
 
Concurrent with the restructuring initiative in April 2010, we reorganized our operations, and the leadership thereof, from discrete operating business units to company-wide functions.  As a result we no longer internally report on a business unit basis.  Our Chief Executive Officer assesses performance and allocates resources within Merge Healthcare based on the company-wide operational results, including revenue.  Therefore, we believe that effective in the second quarter of 2010, we have a single reportable segment.
 
 
17

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
(15)
Guarantor Subsidiaries
 
The obligations under the Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by all of our current and future 100% owned domestic restricted subsidiaries (Guarantors).  No other subsidiaries guarantee the Notes.  The Notes and guarantees are secured by a first-priority lien on certain collateral which comprises substantially all of the Parent and Guarantors’ tangible and intangible assets, subject to certain exceptions.  The following tables present the balance sheets, statements of operations and statements of cash flows of the Parent, Guarantor and Non-Guarantor entities along with the eliminations necessary to arrive at the information on a consolidated basis.
 
 General corporate expenses, including public company costs, certain amortization, corporate administration costs, acquisition-related expenses and net interest expense are included in the results of the Parent.
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
                               
    September 30, 2010  
   
Parent
   
Guarantors
   
Non-Guarantors
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
ASSETS
                             
Current assets:
                             
Cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash)
  $ 450     $ 36,178     $ 3,370     $     $ 39,998  
Accounts receivable, net
          43,174       4,505             47,679  
Intercompany receivables
    22,425                   (22,425 )      
Other current assets
    1,140       13,482       382             15,004  
Total current assets
    24,015       92,834       8,257       (22,425 )     102,681  
Net property and equipment
    46       11,211       650             11,907  
Purchased and developed software, net
    962       25,707       114             26,783  
Other intangible assets, net
    632       48,780                   49,412  
Goodwill
          162,612                   162,612  
Investment in and advances to subsidiaries
    262,932       (723 )           (262,209 )      
Other assets
    12,999       6,328       598       (2,879 )     17,046  
Total assets
  $ 301,586     $ 346,749     $ 9,619     $ (287,513 )   $ 370,441  
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
                                       
Current liabilities:
                                       
Accounts payable
  $ 2,087     $ 10,832     $ 959     $     $ 13,878  
Deferred revenue
          40,369       1,795             42,164  
Intercompany payables
          9,918       22,442       (32,360 )      
Other accrued liabilities
    10,310       9,349       748             20,407  
Total current liabilities
    12,397       70,468       25,944       (32,360 )     76,449  
Notes payable
    194,870                         194,870  
Other long-term liabilities
    4,128       2,538       5,144       (2,879 )     8,931  
Total liabilities
    211,395       73,006       31,088       (35,239 )     280,250  
Total shareholders’ equity
    90,191       273,743       (21,469 )     (252,274 )     90,191  
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
  $ 301,586     $ 346,749     $ 9,619     $ (287,513 )   $ 370,441  
 
 
18

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
 
    December 31, 2009  
   
Parent
   
Guarantors
   
Non-Guarantors
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
ASSETS
                             
Current assets:
                             
Cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash)
  $ 5,383     $ 9,081     $ 5,157     $     $ 19,621  
Accounts receivable, net
          9,990       7,229             17,219  
Intercompany receivables
    17,840                   (17,840 )      
Other current assets
    1,009       3,482       1,417             5,908  
Total current assets
    24,232       22,553       13,803       (17,840 )     42,748  
Net property and equipment
    306       3,035       536             3,877  
Purchased and developed software, net
    2,659       9,735       227             12,621  
Customer relationships and trade names, net
    1,343       5,372                   6,715  
Goodwill
          28,749                   28,749  
Investment in and advances to subsidiaries
    40,313       (716 )           (39,597 )      
Other assets
    4,838       2,811       769       (2,879 )     5,539  
Total assets
  $ 73,691     $ 71,539     $ 15,335     $ (60,316 )   $ 100,249  
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
                                       
Current liabilities:
                                       
Accounts payable
  $ 947     $ 2,392     $ 1,105     $     $ 4,444  
Deferred revenue
          13,410       2,169             15,579  
Intercompany payables
          4,331       32,196       (36,527 )      
Other accrued liabilities
    450       2,832       1,212             4,494  
Total current liabilities
    1,397       22,965       36,682       (36,527 )     24,517  
Other long-term liabilities
    4,157       1,197       5,120       (2,879 )     7,595  
Total liabilities
    5,554       24,162       41,802       (39,406 )     32,112  
Total shareholders’ equity
    68,137       47,377       (26,467 )     (20,910 )     68,137  
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
  $ 73,691     $ 71,539     $ 15,335     $ (60,316 )   $ 100,249  
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
 
    Three Months Ended September 30, 2010  
   
Parent
   
Guarantor
   
Non-Guarantor
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
Net sales
  $     $ 40,741     $ 4,448     $     $ 45,189  
Cost of sales
          19,387       1,351             20,738  
Gross margin
          21,354       3,097             24,451  
Selling, research and development, general and and administrative expenses
    657       14,946       1,837             17,440  
Acquisition-related expenses
    848       6                   854  
Restructuring and other expenses
    (91 )     1,304                   1,213  
Depreciation and amortization
    174       1,565       77             1,816  
Total operating costs and expenses
    1,588       17,821       1,914             21,323  
Operating income (loss)
    (1,588 )     3,533       1,183             3,128  
Equity in net income of subsidiaries
    4,711       (1 )           (4,710 )      
Other, net
    (6,582 )     79       (84 )           (6,587 )
Other income (expense)
    (1,871 )     78       (84 )     (4,710 )     (6,587 )
Income (loss) before income taxes
    (3,459 )     3,611       1,099       (4,710 )     (3,459 )
Income tax expense
    (13 )                       (13 )
Net income (loss)
  $ (3,446 )   $ 3,611     $ 1,099     $ (4,710 )   $ (3,446 )
 
 
19

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
                               
   
Three Months Ended September 30, 2009
 
   
Parent
   
Guarantor
   
Non-Guarantor
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
Net sales
  $     $ 9,864     $ 7,043     $     $ 16,907  
Cost of sales
    231       3,410       1,260             4,901  
Gross margin
    (231 )     6,454       5,783             12,006  
Selling, research and development, general and and administrative expenses
    49       6,714       2,012             8,775  
Acquisition-related expenses
    645       13                   658  
Restructuring and other expenses
          1,039       935             1,974  
Depreciation and amortization
    221       445       89             755  
Total operating costs and expenses
    915       8,211       3,036             12,162  
Operating income (loss)
    (1,146 )     (1,757 )     2,747             (156 )
Equity in net income of subsidiaries
    854       (25 )           (829 )     -  
Other, net
    (626 )     (59 )     (66 )           (751 )
Other income (expense)
    228       (84 )     (66 )     (829 )     (751 )
Income (loss) before income taxes
    (918 )     (1,841 )     2,681       (829 )     (907 )
Income tax expense
    18             11             29  
Net income (loss)
  $ (936 )   $ (1,841 )   $ 2,670     $ (829 )   $ (936 )
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
 
   
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
 
   
Parent
   
Guarantor
   
Non-Guarantor
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
Net sales
  $     $ 80,275     $ 13,887     $     $ 94,162  
Cost of sales
          39,211       3,957             43,168  
Gross margin
          41,064       9,930             50,994  
Selling, research and development, general and and administrative expenses
    1,725       35,384       5,789             42,898  
Acquisition-related expenses
    9,177       36                   9,213  
Restructuring and other expenses
    372       4,047       277             4,696  
Depreciation and amortization
    694       3,904       239             4,837  
Total operating costs and expenses
    11,968       43,371       6,305        —       61,644  
Operating income (loss)
    (11,968 )     (2,307 )     3,625             (10,650 )
Equity in net income of subsidiaries
    1,220       (94 )           (1,126 )      
Other, net
    (10,703 )     46       (159 )           (10,816 )
Other income (expense)
    (9,483 )     (48 )     (159 )     (1,126 )     (10,816 )
Income (loss) before income taxes
    (21,451 )     (2,355 )     3,466       (1,126 )     (21,466 )
Income tax expense (benefit)
    108       (35 )     20             93  
Net income (loss)
  $ (21,559 )   $ (2,320 )   $ 3,446     $ (1,126 )   $ (21,559 )
 
 
20

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
 
   
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009
 
   
Parent
   
Guarantor
   
Non-Guarantor
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
Net sales
  $     $ 23,435     $ 24,134     $     $ 47,569  
Cost of sales
    231       7,425       5,151             12,807  
Gross margin
    (231 )     16,010       18,983             34,762  
Selling, research and development, general and and administrative expenses
    (651 )     16,158       6,936             22,443  
Acquisition-related expenses
    984       13                   997  
Restructuring and other expenses
          1,039       935             1,974  
Depreciation and amortization
    663       886       300             1,849  
Total operating costs and expenses
    996       18,096       8,171             27,263  
Operating income (loss)
    (1,227 )     (2,086 )     10,812             7,499  
Equity in net income of subsidiaries
    5,418       (25 )           (5,393 )      
Other, net
    (1,778 )     (155 )     (3,142 )           (5,075 )
Other income (expense)
    3,640       (180 )     (3,142 )     (5,393 )     (5,075 )
Income (loss) before income taxes
    2,413       (2,266 )     7,670       (5,393 )     2,424  
Income tax expense
    61             11             72  
Net income (loss)
  $ 2,352     $ (2,266 )   $ 7,659     $ (5,393 )   $ 2,352  
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
 
   
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
 
   
Parent
   
Guarantor
   
Non-Guarantor
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
Cash flows from operating activities:
                             
Net income (loss)
  $ (21,559 )   $ (2,320 )   $ 3,446     $ (1,126 )   $ (21,559 )
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
                                       
Deferred income taxes
    (3 )                       (3 )
Depreciation, amortization and impairment
    1,872       10,847       628             13,347  
Share-based compensation
    399       699       228             1,326  
Change in contingent consideration for acquisitions
          226                   226  
Amortization of notes payable issuance costs and discount
    889                         889  
Provision for doubtful accounts receivable, sales returns and non-trade receivables, net of recoveries
          64       439             503  
Net change in assets and liabilities (net of effects of acquisitions)
    5,912       5,141       (235 )     1,126       11,944  
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
    (12,490 )     14,657       4,506             6,673  
Cash flows from investing activities:
                                       
Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired
    (211,375 )     (1,346 )                 (212,721 )
Purchases of property, equipment, and leasehold improvements
    (7 )     (727 )     (137 )           (871 )
Intercompany advances
    (8,415 )                 8,415        
Change in restricted cash
    (167 )     114                   (53 )
Distribution from equity investment
                76             76  
Net cash used in investing activities
    (219,964 )     (1,959 )     (61 )     8,415       (213,569 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
                                       
Intercompany advances
          14,647       (6,232 )     (8,415 )      
Proceeds from issuance of notes payable, net of discount of $5,468
    194,532                         194,532  
Proceeds from issuance of stock
    41,750                         41,750  
Note and stock issuance costs paid
    (9,017 )                       (9,017 )
Proceeds from exercise of options and employee stock purchase plan
    102                         102  
Repurchases of stock
    (26 )                       (26 )
Principal payments on capital leases
          (122 )                 (122 )
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
    227,341       14,525       (6,232 )     (8,415 )     227,219  
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    (5,113 )     27,223       (1,787 )           20,323  
Cash and cash equivalents (net of restricted cash), beginning of period
    5,113       8,792       5,157             19,062   (1)
Cash and cash equivalents (net of restricted cash), end of period
  $     $ 36,015     $ 3,370     $     $ 39,385   (2)

(1)
Net of restricted cash of $559 at December 31, 2009.
(2)
Net of restricted cash of $613 at September 30, 2010.
 
 
21

 
Merge Healthcare Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)
(Unaudited and in thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
                               
    Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009  
   
Parent
   
Guarantor
   
Non-Guarantor
   
Eliminations
   
Consolidated
 
Cash flows from operating activities:
                             
Net income (loss)
  $ 2,352     $ (1,334 )   $ 8,312     $ (6,978 )   $ 2,352  
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
                                       
Depreciation and amortization
    663       2,095       1,263             4,021  
Share—based compensation
    487       525       244             1,256  
Amortization of note payable issuance cost and discount
    837                         837  
Unrealized loss on investment
                3,624             3,624  
Provision for doubtful accounts receivable and sales returns, net of recoveries
          127       24             151  
Net change in assets and liabilities (net of effects of acquisitions)
    (15,283 )     8,754       (8,223 )     6,978       (7,774 )
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
    (10,944 )     10,167       5,244             4,467  
Cash flows from investing activities:
                                       
Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired
    (502 )     (1,250 )                 (1,752 )
Purchases of property, equipment, and leasehold improvements             (73     (92           (165
Intercompany advances
    3,238                   (3,238 )      
Change in restricted cash
    338                         338  
Proceeds from sale of equity investment
                886             886  
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
    3,074       (1,323 )     794       (3,238 )     (693 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
                                       
Proceeds from exercise of stock options and employee stock purchase plan
    78                         78  
Intercompany advances
          2,075       (5,313 )     3,238        
Principal payment of notes
          (4,570 )                 (4,570 )
Capital lease payments
          (35 )                 (35 )
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
    78       (2,530 )     (5,313 )     3,238       (4,527 )
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    (7,792 )     6,314       725             (753 )
Cash and cash equivalents (net of restricted cash), beginning of period
    9,916       2,697       4,614             17,227   (1)
Cash and cash equivalents (net of restricted cash), end of period
  $ 2,124     $ 9,011     $ 5,339     $     $ 16,474   (2)
 
(1) Net of restricted cash of $621 at December 31, 2008.
(2) Net of restricted cash of $409 at September 30, 2009.
 
(16)
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
 
There were no recent pronouncements that have had or may have a significant effect on our financial statements. We do not discuss recent pronouncements that are not anticipated to have an impact on or are unrelated to our financial condition, results of operations, or related disclosures.
 
 
22

 
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
 
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
 
The discussion below contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act.  We have used words such as “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “expects” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements.  These statements are based on information currently available to us and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance, business prospects and opportunities and the timing of certain events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements.  These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation, those matters discussed in Item 1A of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.  Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events, developments, or changed circumstances, or for any other reason.  The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for the year ended December 31, 2009.
 
Management’s Discussion and Analysis is presented in the following order:
 
 
Overview
 
Results of Operations
 
Liquidity and Capital Resources
 
Material Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
 
Critical Accounting Policies
 
Overview
 
We develop software solutions that automate healthcare data and diagnostic workflow to create a more comprehensive electronic record of the patient experience.  Our products, ranging from standards-based development toolkits to fully integrated clinical applications, have been used by healthcare providers worldwide for over 20 years.  We continue to expand our product offerings through strategic acquisitions, including:
 
 
AMICAS, Inc. (AMICAS), an image and information management solutions provider, which we completed on April 28, 2010;
 
 
Confirma, Inc. (Confirma), a provider of computer systems for processing and presentation of data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, which we completed on September 1, 2009;
 
 
etrials Worldwide, Inc. (etrials), a provider of clinical trials software and services, which we completed on July 20, 2009; and
 
 
Two insignificant asset purchases in 2009, one insignificant asset purchase in the first quarter of 2010, two insignificant acquisitions in the third quarter of 2010, and one other insignificant asset purchase in November 2010.
 
On April 28, 2010, we completed our acquisition of AMICAS through a successful tender offer for 37,009,990 outstanding shares of common stock of AMICAS at $6.05 per share in cash.  Following the tender offer, we purchased the remaining shares pursuant to a merger of a subsidiary of Merge with and into AMICAS.  Total transaction consideration was approximately $223,910.  In addition, shortly before the completion of the acquisition, AMICAS paid cash to holders of vested, in-the-money stock options for the difference between $6.05 per share and the exercise price of such options.  The holders of shares of restricted stock were paid $6.05 per share in cash.  The total consideration paid to option and restricted stockholders was approximately $22,906.  We financed the transaction with $200,000 of senior secured notes (Notes), cash already available at the two companies and proceeds of $41,750 from the issuance of preferred and common stock.  See Notes 2, 7, 8 and 11 for further information regarding these transactions.
 
Our Competitive Strengths
 
Leading Healthcare IT Solution Provider
 
We believe that we have created a leading healthcare IT software company withsignificant experience in medical imaging and interoperability software development, and substantial intellectual property.  The acquisitions have enhanced our product suite across the enterprise with new interoperability capabilities and with specific departmental solutions such as cardiology which, we believe, will position us to more effectively meet customer needs across most major provider segments.
 
 
23

 
Diversified Customer Base and Business Model
 
We have served approximately 1,500 hospital sites, approximately 800 orthopaedic imaging sites, approximately 2,200 outpatient imaging sites and approximately 250 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).  In addition, the eCommerce business has experienced over 100,000 downloads, and Merge has participated in over 1,000 clinical trials in 65 countries.  In 2009 and the first nine months of 2010, no single customer has accounted for more than 10% of the our net sales.
 
Significant Recurring Revenue and Backlog Provides High Visibility
 
We continue to generate recurring revenue that exceeds 60% of total net sales.  A significant portion of our recurring revenue is generated from 12-month forward maintenance contracts, which provide enhanced visibility into this revenue source.  In addition, we have a significant backlog of non-recurring revenue that we believe provides additional strength to our go-forward revenue model.  As of September 30, 2010, our backlog of non-recurring revenue was approximately $48.6 million.
 
Business Model Supports Strong Levered Free Cash Flow
 
We believe our software business model will support strong cash flow.  Furthermore, we expect low capital expenditure requirements and working capital needs.  As of September 30, 2010, we have completed the steps necessary to attain our cost synergy goal of $15 million annually, including a restructuring initiative in the second quarter of 2010 to reduce our workforce by approximately 125 individuals and exit certain facilities.  As a result, we expect we will have sufficient unlevered free cash flow to allow us to meet our debt service requirements.
 
Our Strategy
 
Our strategy is to be a leading provider of integrated, global healthcare IT solutions and services that improve the exchange of healthcare information.  In order to achieve this goal, we intend to offer solutions that help address the evolving issues our customers face in leveraging IT in order to provide better business and clinical workflow.  We expect to increase our financial and market performance by:
 
 
Focusing on cross-selling complementary products across existing customer bases;
 
 
Leveraging technology into new market segments and product extensions;
 
 
Adding strategic acquisitions which allow us to further expand our addressable market and customer base;
 
 
Growing internationally by expanding product offerings through our value-added reseller and distributor relationships; and
 
 
Providing operational rigor to a combined, larger organization.
 
In addition to the acquisition of AMICAS, we have completed insignificant acquisitions in 2010 which have allowed us to expand our product offering as well as provide greater penetration into existing market segments.  As a result of these acquisitions, we have extended our addressable market to include other specialties, such as solutions for Orthopaedics and have increased the depth of our solution portfolio for existing customers and new prospects to include additional automation capabilities via patient kiosks.
 
Our Product and Service Offerings
 
We provide a wide range of products and services to our customers, including:
 
 
Enterprise-wide infrastructure and interoperability solutions;
 
 
Departmental image management solutions;
 
 
Departmental clinical information systems;  
 
 
Diagnostic workstation software applications;
 
 
24

 
 
Advanced image post-processing applications;  
 
 
Revenue cycle management software;  
 
 
Software development toolkits, technologies and platforms; and  
 
 
Hosted software solutions for clinical trial data management.
 
A complete description of all of our product and related service offerings within these categories, and the benefits to our customers, can be found on our website at www.merge.com/products.
 
Our Market and Challenges That We Face
 
We continue to believe the market for medical imaging technologies in the U.S. is in the early stages of recovery after several years of Medicare cuts focused on medical imaging reimbursement and the effect of the U.S. and global downturn on macroeconomic conditions during 2008 and 2009.  We further believe the trends that support sustained growth in medical imaging volumes, which include continual technological improvements that provide wider affordability, increasing use of clinical applications and ongoing technological sophistication of imaging technologies, will continue to provide greenfield and replacement market opportunities for our solutions over the long-term.
 
We are also monitoring the increasing regulatory and legislative activity surrounding healthcare and health information technology.  While recent legislation in the U.S. has provided our customers clarity related to the reimbursement of certain activities, uncertainty still remains as to the long-term impact on the industry.  Due to the complexity of the reform legislation and its potential impact on us as both a vendor and employer, it remains difficult to forecast the potential net impact of these factors on our customers and market, as well as on our business.
 
Prior to the closing of the acquisition of AMICAS, there existed a period of uncertainty for customers regarding our go-forward corporate and product strategy.  This resulted in weakness in our net sales for the second quarter of 2010, which we believe is a common reaction when one public company acquires another perceived competitor.  Immediately following the closing of the acquisition, we began a proactive communication effort with customers in order to share and validate our corporate strategy and product roadmap.   In addition, we realigned our business from a decentralized organizational structure into a centralized organizational structure to create a more streamlined set of processes.  We believe that centralizing functions will have a long-term positive effect on our ability to efficiently develop products to address existing market needs.  Based on discussions held with customers and the operating results for the third quarter of 2010, we believe that our customers understand and support our corporate and product strategies.
 
Results of Operations
 
The following have significantly impacted the results of operations for the periods discussed herein:
 
 
We completed the following three significant acquisitions (the Significant Acquisitions), of which the results of operations are included in our condensed consolidated statements of operations since the date of acquisition:
 
 
o
On April 28, 2010, we completed the acquisition of AMICAS;
 
 
o
On September 1, 2009, we completed the acquisition of Confirma; and
 
 
o
On July 20, 2009, we completed the acquisition of etrials.
 
 
As result of the timing of the Significant Acquisitions, the comparability of the results of operations in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 differ significantly from the same periods in 2009.  In addition, as a result of the AMICAS transaction, we incurred significant acquisition related costs in the nine months ended September 30, 2010.
 
 
We issued $200.0 million of Notes in April 2010 as part of the financing for the acquisition of AMICAS.  The Notes were issued at 97.266% of the principal amount, are due in 2015 and bear interest at 11.75% of principal (payable on May 1st and November 1st of each year).  In connection with the Notes, we incurred issuance costs of $8.6 million.  The three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 include approximately three and five months, respectively, of interest expense and amortization of the original issuance discount and costs of the Notes.  In November 2009, we sold 9.1 million shares of common stock in a registered direct offering for aggregate net proceeds of $25.2 million which we used to repay a then-existing $15.0 million note payable (at 13% interest).  This note payable was originally issued at a discount and had issuance costs, both of which were being amortized over the life of the note payable.
 
 
25

 
 
Concurrent with the acquisition of AMICAS, we completed a restructuring initiative in April 2010.  We also completed a restructuring activity in July 2009 concurrent with the acquisition of etrials.  Both of these initiatives assisted in providing operational rigor to a combined, larger organization and enabled us to decrease costs as a percentage of revenue (most notably general and administrative costs).  We anticipate the full impact of cost saving benefits of the April 2010 initiative to be reflected in the operating results for the fourth quarter of 2010.
 
Three Months Ended September 30, 2010 Compared to the Three Months Ended September 30, 2009
 
The following table sets forth selected, summarized, unaudited, consolidated financial data for the periods indicated, as well as comparative data showing increases and decreases between the periods.  All amounts, except percentages, are in thousands.
 
   
Three Months Ended September 30,
   
Change
 
   
2010
   
%
  (1)   2009    
%
  (1)   $     %  
Net sales:
                                       
Software and other
  $ 12,931       28.6 %   $ 7,755       45.9 %   $ 5,176       66.7 %
Professional services
    6,826       15.1 %     3,855       22.8 %     2,971       77.1 %
Maintenance and EDI
    25,432       56.3 %     5,297       31.3 %     20,135       380.1 %
Total net sales
    45,189       100.0 %     16,907       100.0 %     28,282       167.3 %
Cost of sales:
                                               
Software and other
    4,930       38.1 %     600       7.7 %     4,330       721.7 %
Professional services
    4,381       64.2 %     1,885       48.9 %     2,496       132.4 %
Maintenance and EDI
    8,622       33.9 %     1,517       28.6 %     7,105       468.4 %
Depreciation, amortization and impairment
    2,805       6.2 %     899       5.3 %     1,906       212.0 %
Total cost of sales
    20,738       45.9 %     4,901       29.0 %     15,837       323.1 %
Total gross margin
    24,451       54.1 %     12,006       71.0 %     12,445       103.7 %
                                                 
Gross margin by net sales category (3)
                                               
Software and other
    8,001       61.9 %     7,155       92.3 %     846       11.8 %
Professional services
    2,445       35.8 %     1,970       51.1 %     475       24.1 %
Maintenance and EDI
    16,810       66.1 %     3,780       71.4 %     13,030       344.7 %
                                                 
Operating expenses:
                                               
Sales and marketing
    5,776       12.8 %     2,470       14.6 %     3,306       133.8 %
Product research and development
    5,621       12.4 %     2,689       15.9 %     2,932       109.0 %
General and administrative
    6,043       13.4 %     3,616       21.4 %     2,427       67.1 %
Acquisition-related expenses
    854       1.9 %     658       3.9 %     196       29.8 %
Restructuring and other expenses
    1,213       2.7 %     1,974       11.7 %     (761 )     -38.6 %
Depreciation and amortization
    1,816       4.0 %     755       4.5 %     1,061       140.5 %
Total operating costs and expenses
    21,323       47.2 %     12,162       71.9 %     9,161       75.3 %
Operating income (loss)
    3,128       6.9 %     (156 )     -0.9 %     3,284    
NM
     (2)
Other income (expense), net
    (6,587 )     -14.6 %     (751 )     -4.4 %     (5,836 )  
NM
     (2)
Income (loss) before income taxes
    (3,459 )     -7.7 %     (907 )     -5.4 %     (2,552 )  
NM
     (2)
Income tax expense
    (13 )     0.0 %     29       0.2 %     (42 )     -144.8 %
Net income (loss)
    (3,446 )     -7.6 %     (936 )     -5.5 %     (2,510 )     268.2 % (2)
Less: preferred stock dividends
    1,566       3.5 %           0.0 %        
NM
     (2)
Net income (loss) available to common shareholders
  $ (5,012 )     -11.1 %   $ (936 )     -5.5 %   $ (4,076 )     435.5 % (2)
 
 
(1) Percentages are of total net sales, except for cost of sales and gross margin, which are based upon related net sales.
   
 
(2) NM denotes percentage is not meaningful.
   
 
(3) Depreciation, amortization and impairment expenses are excluded from these gross margin calculations.
 
 
26

 
Net Sales
 
Software and Other Sales.  Total software and other sales in 2010 were $12.9 million, an increase of $5.1 million, or 66.7%, from $7.8 million in 2009, primarily due to $6.6 million in sales arising from the Significant Acquisitions, offset by a decrease of $1.4 million due to 2010 having fewer large contracts with revenue recognized when compared to 2009.  We anticipate that the revenue recognized from software and other sales may vary significantly on a quarterly basis.
 
Professional Service Sales.  Total professional service sales in 2010 were $6.8 million, an increase of $2.9 million, or 77.1%, from $3.9 million in 2009, primarily due to sales arising from the Significant Acquisitions.  
 
Maintenance and EDI Sales.  Total maintenance and electronic data interchange (EDI) sales in 2010 were $25.4 million, an increase of $20.1 million, or 380.1%, from $5.3 million in 2009, primarily due to sales arising from the Significant Acquisitions.  
 
Gross Margin
 
Gross Margin – Software and Other Sales. Gross margin on software and other sales was $8.0 million in 2010, an increase of $0.8 million, or 11.8%, from $7.2 million in 2009.  Gross margin as a percentage of software and other sales decreased to 61.9% in 2010 from 92.3% in 2009, due to an increase in hardware sales, which are at lower margin than software only sales, as a result of the acquisition of AMICAS.  Hardware sales were 26% of software and other sales in 2010 compared to 4% in 2009.  We expect gross margin on software and other sales to fluctuate depending on the mix of sales among our products.
 
Gross Margin – Professional Service Sales. Gross margin on professional service sales was $2.4 million in 2010, an increase of $0.4 million, or 24.1%, from $2.0 million in 2009.  Gross margin as a percentage of professional service sales decreased to 35.8% in 2010 from 51.1% in 2009, primarily due to the impact of our Significant Acquisitions.  As the majority of professional service costs are fixed, we expect gross margins going forward to fluctuate depending on billable utilization of our resources.
 
Gross Margin – Maintenance and EDI Sales. Gross margin on maintenance and EDI sales was $16.8 million in 2010, an increase of $13.0 million, or 344.7%, from $3.8 million in 2009.  Gross margin as a percentage of maintenance and EDI sales decreased to 66.1% in 2010 from 71.4% in 2009, primarily due to the impact of the AMICAS acquisition.  AMICAS gross margins on maintenance and EDI sales are typically lower than our historical margins since they include more third party maintenance costs.  Further, EDI margins are typically lower than that of maintenance.  We expect these gross margins going forward will trend similar to the third quarter of 2010.
 
Depreciation, Amortization and Impairment.  Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense increased $1.9 million, or 212.0%, to $2.8 million in 2010 from $0.9 million in 2009, primarily due to the Significant Acquisitions.  Approximately $0.7 million of the increase was a result of the finalization of AMICAS purchase accounting.  We expect approximately $2.5 million of depreciation and amortization to be recorded in the fourth quarter of 2010, of which $1.8 million is intangible amortization related to the acquisitions of AMICAS, etrials and Confirma.
 
Sales and Marketing
 
Sales and marketing expense increased $3.3 million, or 133.8%, to $5.8 million in 2010 from $2.5 million in 2009, primarily as a result of the Significant Acquisitions. As a percentage of net sales, sales and marketing decreased by 1.8% to 12.8% as a result of our cost saving initiatives to bring operational rigor to a larger organization.  We expect that our quarterly sales and marketing expenses in the fourth quarter of 2010 will increase, when compared to the third quarter of 2010, as we invest and grow these functions to allow us to meet our 2011 net sales goals.  Also, our fourth quarter expenses will increase due to an increase in trade show activity compared to the third quarter of 2010.
 
Product Research and Development
 
Product research and development expense increased $2.9 million, or 109.0%, to $5.6 million in 2010 from $2.7 million in 2009 primarily due to the Significant Acquisitions.  As a percentage of net sales, product research and development decreased by 3.5% to 12.4% as a result of our cost saving initiatives to bring operational rigor to a larger organization.  We expect that our quarterly product research and development expenses in the fourth quarter of 2010 will increase, when compared to the third quarter of 2010, as we invest and grow these functions to allow us to meet our 2011 net sales goals.  
 
 
27

 
General and Administrative
 
General and administrative expense increased $2.4 million, or 67.1%, to $6.0 million in 2010 from $3.6 million in 2009, primarily due to the Significant Acquisitions.  As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses decreased by 8.0% to 13.4% as a result of our cost saving initiatives to bring operational rigor to a larger organization.  We expect that our quarterly general and administrative expenses as a percentage of total net sales in the fourth quarter of 2010 will trend similar to the third quarter of 2010.
 
Acquisition-Related Expenses
 
Acquisition-related expenses are costs incurred to effect business combinations, including banking, legal, accounting, valuation and other professional or consulting fees.  In 2010, we incurred $0.9 million of such expenses, primarily related to our insignificant acquisitions completed in the third quarter of 2010.  In 2009, we incurred $0.7 million of such expenses primarily related to our acquisitions of etrials and Confirma.
 
Restructuring and Other Expenses
 
Restructuring and other expenses consist primarily of severance to involuntarily terminated employees resulting from our restructuring initiatives and abandonment of non-cancelable building leases associated with restructuring activities.  In 2010, we incurred $1.2 million of such expenses primarily related to the exiting of the New Brighton, Massachusetts office as a part of our second quarter 2010 restructuring initiative.  In 2009, we incurred $2.0 million of such expenses, including $1.7 million related to the restructuring initiative announced concurrent with the acquisition of etrials and $0.3 million related to the abandonment of a portion of our leased space subsequent to the acquisition of Confirma.
 
Depreciation and Amortization
 
Depreciation and amortization expense increased $1.1 million, or 140.5 %, to $1.8 million in 2010 from $0.7 million in 2009, due to depreciation and amortization on fixed assets and intangible assets acquired from Significant Acquisitions. We expect approximately $1.9 million of depreciation and amortization to be recorded in the fourth quarter of 2010, of which $0.9 million is intangible amortization related to the acquisitions of AMICAS, etrials and Confirma.
 
Other Income (Expense), Net
 
Net other expense increased $5.8 million to $6.6 million in 2010 compared to $0.8 million of net expense in 2009.  The expense in 2010 includes $6.5 million of interest expense and amortization of issuance costs and note discount associated with our $200.0 million Notes issued to fund the AMICAS acquisition.  The expense in 2009 includes $0.8 million of interest expense and amortization of issuance costs and note discount associated with our $15.0 million note payable, which was repaid in the fourth quarter of 2009.  As we are amortizing the debt issuance costs and note discount using the effective interest method, we expect these costs to increase on a quarterly basis.
 
Income Tax Expense
 
In 2010, we recorded income tax expense resulting in an effective tax rate of 0.4% compared to (3.2)% income tax expense recorded in 2009.  Our effective tax rates in 2010 and 2009 differ significantly from statutory rates primarily due to recording a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets that are not more-likely-than-not to be realized.  Our expected effective income tax rate is volatile and may move up or down with changes in, among other items, operating income and the results of changes in tax law and regulations of the U.S. and the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate.
 
 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009
 
The following table sets forth selected, summarized, unaudited, consolidated financial data for the periods indicated, as well as comparative data showing increases and decreases between the periods.  All amounts, except percentages, are in thousands.
 
 
28

 
   
Nine Months Ended September 30,
   
Change
 
   
2010
   
%
  (1)   2009    
%
  (1)   $     %  
Net sales:
                                       
Software and other
  $ 28,888       30.7 %   $ 25,459       53.5 %   $ 3,429       13.5 %
Professional services
    16,203       17.2 %     6,630       13.9 %     9,573       144.4 %
Maintenance and EDI
    49,071       52.1 %     15,480       32.5 %     33,591       217.0 %
Total net sales
    94,162       100.0 %     47,569       100.0 %     46,593       97.9 %
Cost of sales:
                                               
Software and other
    7,324       25.4 %     2,710       10.6 %     4,614       170.3 %
Professional services
    11,406       70.4 %     3,927       59.2 %     7,479       190.5 %
Maintenance and EDI
    15,928       32.5 %     3,998       25.8 %     11,930       298.4 %
Depreciation, amortization and impairment
    8,510       9.0 %     2,172       4.6 %     6,338       291.8 %
Total cost of sales
    43,168       45.8 %     12,807       26.9 %     30,361       237.1 %
Total gross margin
    50,994       54.2 %     34,762       73.1 %     16,232       46.7 %
                                                 
Gross margin by net sales category (3)
                                               
Software and other
    21,564       74.6 %     22,749       89.4 %     (1,185 )     -5.2 %
Professional services
    4,797       29.6 %     2,703       40.8 %     2,094       77.5 %
Maintenance and EDI
    33,143       67.5 %     11,482       74.2 %     21,661       188.7 %
                                                 
Operating expenses:
                                               
Sales and marketing
    12,784       13.6 %     5,968       12.5 %     6,816       114.2 %
Product research and development
    14,629       15.5 %     7,503       15.8 %     7,126       95.0 %
General and administrative
    15,485       16.4 %     8,972       18.9 %     6,513       72.6 %
Acquisition-related expenses
    9,213       9.8 %     997       2.1 %     8,216    
NM
  (2)
Restructuring and other expenses
    4,696       5.0 %     1,974       4.1 %     2,722       137.9 %
Depreciation and amortization
    4,837       5.1 %     1,849       3.9 %     2,988       161.6 %
Total operating costs and expenses
    61,644       65.5 %     27,263       57.3 %     34,381       126.1 %
Operating income (loss)
    (10,650 )     -11.3 %     7,499       15.8 %     (18,149 )     -242.0 %
Other income (expense), net
    (10,816 )     -11.5 %     (5,075 )     -10.7 %     (5,741 )     113.1 %
Income (loss) before income taxes
    (21,466 )     -22.8 %     2,424       5.1 %     (23,890 )  
NM
   (2)
Income tax expense
    93       0.1 %     72       0.2 %     21       29.2 %
Net income (loss)
    (21,559 )     -22.9 %     2,352       4.9 %     (23,911 )  
NM
   (2)
Less: preferred stock dividends
    17,510       18.6 %           0.0 %     17,510    
NM
  (2)
Net income (loss) available to common shareholders
  $ (39,069 )     -41.5 %   $ 2,352       4.9 %   $ (41,421 )  
NM
   (2)
 
 
(1) Percentages are of total net sales, except for cost of sales and gross margin, which are based upon related net sales.
   
 
(2) NM denotes percentage is not meaningful.
   
 
(3) Depreciation, amortization and impairment expenses are excluded from these gross margin calculations.
 
Net Sales
 
Software and Other Sales.  Total software and other sales in 2010 were $28.9 million, an increase of $3.4 million, or 13.5%, from $25.5 million in 2009, primarily due to sales arising from the Significant Acquisitions.
 
Professional Service Sales.  Total professional service sales in 2010 were $16.2 million, an increase of $9.6 million, or 144.4%, from $6.6 million in 2009, primarily due to sales arising from the Significant Acquisitions.  
 
Maintenance and EDI Sales.  Total maintenance and EDI sales in 2010 were $49.1 million, an increase of $33.6 million, or 217.0%, from $15.5 million in 2009, primarily due to sales arising from the Significant Acquisitions.  
 
Gross Margin
 
Gross Margin – Software and Other Sales. Gross margin on software and other sales was $21.5 million in 2010, a decrease of $1.2 million, or 5.2%, from $22.7 million in 2009.  Gross margin as a percentage of software and other sales decreased to 74.6% in 2010 from 89.4% in 2009, due to an increase in hardware sales, which are at lower margin than software only sales, as a result of the acquisition of AMICAS.  Hardware sales were 17% of software and other sales in 2010 compared to 7% in 2009.
 
Gross Margin – Professional Service Sales. Gross margin on professional service sales was $4.8 million in 2010, an increase of $2.1 million, or 77.5%, from $2.7 million in 2009.  Gross margin as a percentage of professional service sales, decreased to 29.6% in 2010 from 40.8% in 2009, primarily due to lower utilization of our professional services personnel in 2010 when compared to 2009.  
 
 
29

 
Gross Margin – Maintenance and EDI Sales. Gross margin on maintenance and EDI sales was $33.1 million in 2010, an increase of $21.6 million, or 188.7%, from $11.5 million in 2009.  Gross margin as a percentage of maintenance and EDI sales, decreased to 67.5% in 2010 from 74.2% in 2009, primarily due to the acquisition of AMICAS.  AMICAS gross margins on maintenance and EDI sales are typically lower than our historical margins since they include more third party maintenance costs.  Further, EDI margins are typically lower than that of maintenance.
 
Depreciation, Amortization and Impairment.  Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense increased $6.3 million, or 291.8%, to $8.5 million in 2010 from $2.2 million in 2009, primarily due to the Significant Acquisitions.  The 2010 expense also includes an impairment to purchased software of $2.3 million as a result of decisions made related to overlapping products.  
 
 
Sales and Marketing
 
Sales and marketing expense increased $6.8 million, or 114.2%, to $12.8 million in 2010 from $6.0 million in 2009, primarily due to the Significant Acquisitions.
 
Product Research and Development
 
Product research and development expense increased $7.1 million, or 95.0%, to $14.6 million in 2010 from $7.5 million in 2009 primarily due to the Significant Acquisitions.  
 
General and Administrative
 
General and administrative expense increased $6.5 million, or 72.6%, to $15.5 million in 2010 from $9.0 million in 2009, primarily due to the Significant Acquisitions and fulfilling a pledge of $1.0 million to a donor directed charitable trust in the second quarter of 2010.  As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses decreased by 2.5% to 16.4% as a result of our cost saving initiatives to bring operational rigor to a larger organization.  
 
Acquisition-Related Expenses
 
Acquisition-related expenses are costs incurred to effect business combinations, including banking, legal, accounting, valuation and other professional or consulting fees.  In 2010, we incurred $9.2 million of such expenses as a result of our acquisition of AMICAS as well as the completion of 3 insignificant acquisitions.  In 2009, we incurred $1.0 million of such expenses primarily related to our acquisitions of etrials and Confirma as well as the completion of 2 insignificant acquisitions.
 
Restructuring and Other Expenses
 
Restructuring and other expenses consist primarily of severance to involuntarily terminated employees and relocation of certain employees resulting from our restructuring initiatives and abandonment of non-cancelable building leases associated with restructuring activities.  In 2010, we incurred $4.7 million of such expenses primarily related to the reorganization of our business concurrent with our acquisition of AMICAS.  In 2009, we incurred $1.8 million of such expenses, with $1.5 million primarily related to the restructuring initiative announced concurrent with the acquisition of etrials and $0.3 million related to the abandonment of a portion of our leased space subsequent to the acquisition of Confirma.
 
Depreciation and Amortization
 
Depreciation and amortization expense increased $3.0 million, or 161.6 %, to $4.8 million in 2010 from $1.8 million in 2009, due to depreciation and amortization on fixed assets and intangible assets acquired from the Significant Acquisitions.
 
Other Income (Expense), Net
 
Net other expense was $10.8 million in 2010 compared to $5.1 million of net expense in 2009.  The expense in 2010 includes $10.9 million of interest expense and amortization of issuance costs and note discount associated with our $200.0 million in Notes issued to fund the AMICAS acquisition.  The expense in 2009 includes an impairment charge of $3.6 million on an equity investment and $2.3 million of interest expense and amortization of issuance costs and note discount associated with our $15.0 million note payable, which was repaid in the fourth quarter of 2009.  The 2009 expenses were offset by a gain of $0.5 million on the sale of certain patents and $0.3 million in foreign exchange gains.
 
 
30

 
Income Tax Expense
 
In 2010, we recorded income tax expense resulting in an effective tax rate of (0.4)% compared to 3.0% income tax expense recorded in 2009.  Our effective tax rates in 2010 and 2009 differ significantly from statutory rates primarily due to recording a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets that are not more-likely-than-not to be realized.  Our expected effective income tax rate is volatile and may move up or down with changes in, among other items, operating income and the results of changes in tax law and regulations of the U.S. and the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate.
 
Liquidity and Capital Resources
 
Our cash and cash equivalents were $40.0 million at September 30, 2010, an increase of approximately $20.4 million, or 103.9%, from our balance of $19.6 million at December 31, 2009.  In addition, our working capital was $26.2 million at September 30, 2010, an increase of $8.0 million from our working capital of $18.2 million at December 31, 2009.
 
On April 28, 2010, we completed our acquisition of AMICAS through the issuance of $200.0 million of Notes, cash already available at the two companies and proceeds of $41.8 million from the issuance of preferred and common stock.
 
The net increase in cash and cash equivalents during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 of $2.1 million and $20.3 million, respectively, is attributed to the following factors:
   
 
   
 
 
   
Three Months Ended
September 30, 2010
   
Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2010
 
   
(amounts in millions)
 
Cash received from (paid for):
           
Issuance of debt and equity
  $     $ 236.3  
Acquisitions
    (2.5 )     (212.7 )
Restructuring initiatives
    (1.6 )     (3.0 )
Acquisition related costs
    (1.4 )     (8.5 )
Debt and equity issuance costs
    (0.1 )     (9.0 )
Property and equipment purchases
    (0.1 )     (0.9 )
Other non-operating cash flows
    (0.2 )      
Core business operations
    8.0       18.1  
Increase in cash
  $ 2.1     $ 20.3  
 
Operating Cash Flows
 
Cash provided by operating activities was $6.7 million in 2010, compared to cash provided by operating activities of $4.5 million in 2009.  The net loss in 2010 of $21.6 million includes non-cash expenses of $16.3 million and interest expense from our Notes of $10.0 million, which is not payable until November 2010.  In addition, the timing between the recording of acquisition-related and restructuring costs and payments thereof impacted operating cash flows.  
 
In 2010, we paid $8.5 million of acquisition-related costs, and as of September 30, 2010, we had $0.7 million of payments remaining.  In 2010, we paid $3.0 million in termination benefits, relocation expenses and contract exit costs related to our restructuring initiatives.  As of September 30, 2010, we had $2.5 million of payments remaining associated with these initiatives.  On November 1, 2010, we made our first interest payment on the $200.0 million of Notes totaling $11.9 million.
 
Investing Cash Flows
 
Cash used in investing activities was $213.6 million in 2010, including $3.9 million paid for insignificant acquisitions, $0.9 million paid for purchases of property, equipment and leasehold improvements and $208.8 million of cash consideration paid, net of cash acquired, for our acquisition of AMICAS.  In November 2010, we completed an insignificant acquisition of assets for total cash consideration of $4.0 million, including $0.8 million held in escrow.
 
 
31

 
Financing Cash Flows
 
In April 2010, we issued 41,750 shares of preferred stock and 7,515,000 shares of common stock for $41.8 million of proceeds received.  The preferred stock dividends accumulate at a rate of 15% (which compounds annually), but the timing of its payment is fully at our discretion.  We used the proceeds from the issuance of the preferred and common stock to partially fund our acquisition of AMICAS.
 
In April 2010, we also issued $200.0 million of senior secured Notes.  In order to complete the stock and debt issuances, we paid $9.0 million in issuance costs in 2010.  We anticipate we will pay an additional $0.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2010 associated with the registration of the Notes and common stock.
 
Contractual Obligations
 
Total outstanding commitments as of September 30, 2010 (in thousands), were as follows:
 
          Payment due by period  
         
Less than
               
More than
 
Contractual Obligations
 
Total
   
1 Year
 
1 – 3 Years
 
3 – 5 Years
   
5 Years
 
Operating leases
  $ 13,605     $ 3,786     $ 4,930     $ 1,759     $ 3,130  
Capital leases (including interest)
    84       68       16              
Notes payable (including interest)
    317,500       23,500       47,000       247,000        
Total
  $ 331,189     $ 27,354     $ 51,946     $ 248,759     $ 3,130  
 
The above obligations include lease payments, net of contractually committed sub-lease income of $0.2 million, $0.4 million, zero and zero in the respective periods indicated, involving facilities that we use and those we have either ceased to use or previously abandoned.  
 
Except for restricted cash of $0.6 million (primarily letters-of-credit related to three of our leased facilities) and a $0.9 million guarantee to a lender on behalf of a customer of ours at September 30, 2010, we do not have any other significant long-term obligations, contractual obligations, lines of credit, standby letters of credit, guarantees, standby repurchase obligations or other commercial commitments.
 
General
 
We believe our current cash and cash equivalent balances will be sufficient to meet our operating, financing and capital requirements through at least the next 12 months, including interest payments due under the Notes.  However, any projections of future cash inflows and outflows are subject to uncertainty.  In the event that it is necessary to raise additional capital to meet our short term or long term liquidity needs, such capital may be raised through additional debt, equity offerings or sale of certain assets.  If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-related or debt securities, such securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of our common stock.  Furthermore, because of the low trading price of our common stock, the number of shares of any new equity or equity-related securities that may be issued may result in significant dilution to existing shareholders.  In addition, the issuance of debt securities could increase the liquidity risk or perceived liquidity risk that we face.  We cannot, however, be certain that additional financing, or funds from asset sales, will be available on acceptable terms.  If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, we will likely not be able to take advantage of opportunities, develop or enhance services or products or respond to competitive pressures.  Any projections of future cash inflows and outflows are subject to uncertainty.  In particular, our uses of cash in 2010 and beyond will depend on a variety of factors such as the costs to implement our business strategy, the amount of cash that we are required to devote to defend and address any regulatory proceedings, and potential merger and acquisition activities.  For a more detailed description of risks and uncertainties that may affect our liquidity, see Item 1A., “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 as updated in our Forms 10-Q filed during 2010, including herein.
 
 
32

 
Material Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
 
We have no material off balance sheet arrangements.
 
Critical Accounting Policies
 
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.  The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires our management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  On an ongoing basis, our management evaluates these estimates.  We base our estimates and judgments on our experience, our current knowledge (including terms of existing contracts), our beliefs of what could occur in the future, our observation of trends in the industry, information provided by our customers and information available from other sources.  Actual results may differ materially from these estimates.
 
We have identified the following accounting policies and estimates as those that we believe are most critical to our financial condition and results of operations and that require management’s most subjective and complex judgments in estimating the effect of inherent uncertainties: revenue recognition, allowance for sales returns and doubtful accounts,  other long-lived assets, goodwill and other intangible asset valuation, investments, share-based compensation expense, income taxes, guarantees and loss contingencies.  There have been no significant changes in the quarterly period ended September 30, 2010 in our method of application of these critical accounting policies.  For a complete description of our critical accounting policies, please refer to Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Policies” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
 
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 
Interest Rate Risk
 
Our cash and cash equivalents are exposed to financial market risk due to fluctuations in interest rates, which may affect our interest income.  As of September 30, 2010, our cash and cash equivalents included money market funds and short term deposits totaling $40.0 million, and earned interest at a weighted average rate of approximately 0.2%.  The value of the principal amounts is equal to the fair value for these instruments.  Due to the relative short-term nature of our investment portfolio, our interest income is vulnerable to changes in short-term interest rates.  At current investment levels, our results of operations would vary by approximately $0.4 million on an annual basis for every 100 basis point change in our weighted average short-term interest rate.  We do not use our portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes.
 
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
 
We have sales and expenses in Canada, China and Europe that are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar and, as a result, have exposure to foreign currency exchange risk.  In the event our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk increases to levels that we do not deem acceptable, we may choose to hedge those exposures.  We did not enter into any derivative financial instruments to hedge such exposures in 2010 or 2009.
 
Controls and Procedures
 
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
 
We evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2010, as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.  This evaluation was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer.  Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that, as of  September 30, 2010, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure (1) that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and (2) information required to be disclosed by us in our reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
 
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
 
There were no changes with respect to our internal control over financial reporting that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting in the quarterly period ended September 30, 2010.
 
 
33

 
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
 
Legal Proceedings
 
On June 1, 2009, Merge Healthcare was served with a Summons and Complaint in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, State of Wisconsin, captioned William C. Mortimore and David M. Nosay v. Merge Technologies Inc. n/k/a Merge Healthcare Inc. [sic], Case Number 09CV008356, Case Code 30301.  The case arises from our termination of Mortimore’s and Nosay’s employment and our subsequent refusal to indemnify them with respect to litigation related to their service as officers of Merge.  The Complaint alleges that we breached their employment agreements, unreasonably refused their requests for indemnification and breached other covenants of good faith and fair dealing.  The Complaint requests an order that they are entitled to indemnification under Wisconsin Statute Section 180.0851(2), seeks unspecified monetary damages and includes a demand for a jury trial.  Discovery in this case is on-going.  We have retained litigation counsel and intend to continue to vigorously defend this action.
 
In January, 2010, a purported stockholder class action complaint was filed in the Superior Court of Suffolk County, Massachusetts in connection with AMICAS’ proposed acquisition by Thoma Bravo, LLC (the “Thoma Bravo Merger”), entitled Progress Associates, on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated, v. AMICAS, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 10-0174.  In March, 2010, because AMICAS had terminated the Thoma Bravo Merger and agreed to be acquired by Merge, the Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims as moot.  Subsequently, counsel for the plaintiffs filed an application for approximately $5 million of attorneys fees for its work on this case, which fee petition AMICAS has opposed.  A court hearing on the fee petition was held on August 4, 2010, but the court did not set a date for the issuance of a ruling.  AMICAS has retained litigation counsel, has tendered defense of this matter to its appropriate insurers and intends to continue to vigorously defend the fee petition.
 
In August, 2010, Merge Healthcare was served with a Summons and Complaint in the Northern District of Texas, captioned Ralph S. Janvey (Receiver), in his capacity as court-appointed receiver for Stanford International Bank, Ltd., et al. v. Merge Healthcare, Inc.  The Receiver alleges that Merge was a recipient of a fraudulent conveyance in conjunction with a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Robert Stanford and Stanford International Bank, Ltd. (SIBL).  Merge is not alleged to have participated in the Ponzi scheme, but to have been a recipient of a fraudulent conveyance.  The Receiver’s claims seem to arise from the failed acquisition of Emageon, Inc. (Emageon) by Health Systems Solutions, Inc. (HSS) in February 2009.  The Receiver seeks to recover the break up fee paid by HSS that was financed by SIBL as a result of that failed acquisition.  Merge’s involvement arises from subsequent acquisitions by Merge.  Specifically, several months after the Emageon-HSS transaction was terminated, AMICAS acquired 100% of the stock of Emageon.  Thereafter, Merge acquired 100% of the stock of AMICAS.  The Complaint requests recovery of the $9 million payment to Emageon, plus interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees, as a fraudulent conveyance.  Discussions with the Receiver are on-going.  We have retained litigation counsel and intend to vigorously defend this action.
 
In addition to the matters discussed above, we are, from time to time, parties to legal proceedings, lawsuits and other claims incident to our business activities.  Such matters may include, among other things, assertions of contract breach or intellectual property infringement, claims for indemnity arising in the course of our business and claims by persons whose employment has been terminated.  Such matters are subject to many uncertainties and outcomes are not predictable with assurance.  Consequently, we are unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of monetary liability, amounts which may be covered by insurance or recoverable from third parties, or the financial impact with respect to these matters as of the date of this report.
 
Risk Factors
 
Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and the market price for our common stock.  Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 and Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2010,  include a detailed discussion of these factors and these factors have not changed materially from those included in the Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, other than as set forth below.
 
If our new and existing products, including product upgrades, and services do not achieve and maintain sufficient market acceptance, our business, financial condition, cash flows, revenues, and operating results will suffer.
 
The success of our business depends and will continue to depend in large part on the market acceptance of:
 
  Our existing products and services;
   
  Our new products and services,; and
   
  Enhancements to existing products, support and services.
 
There can be no assurance that customers will accept any of these products, product upgrades, support or services. In addition, even if customers accept these products and services initially, we cannot assure you that they will continue to purchase our products and services at levels that are consistent with, or higher than, past quarters.  Customers may significantly reduce their relationships with us or choose not to expand their relationship with us. In addition, any pricing strategy that we implement for any of our products, product upgrades, or services may not be economically viable or acceptable to our target markets. Failure to achieve or to sustain significant penetration in our target markets with respect to any of these products, product upgrades, or services could have a material adverse effect on our business.
 
 
34

 
Achieving and sustaining market acceptance for these products, product upgrades and services is likely to require substantial marketing and service efforts and the expenditure of significant funds to create awareness and demand by participants in the healthcare industry. In addition, deployment of new or newly integrated products or product upgrades may require the use of additional resources for training our existing sales force and customer service personnel and for hiring and training additional sales and customer service personnel. There can be no assurance that the revenue opportunities for new products, product upgrades and services will justify the amounts that we spend for their development, marketing and rollout.
 
If we are unable to sell new and next-generation software products to healthcare providers that are in the market for healthcare information and/or image management systems, such inability will likely have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, operating results, cash flows and financial condition. If anticipated software sales and services do not materialize, or if we lose customers or experience significant declines in orders from customers, our revenues would decrease over time due to the combined effects of attrition of existing customers and a shortfall in new client additions.
 
See also the discussions in Part I, Item 2, “Liquidity and Capital Resources” and Part I, Item 4, “Controls and Procedures” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
 
Exhibits
 
(a)  Exhibits
 
See Exhibit Index
 
 
35

      
SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
Registrant:
 
     
 
MERGE HEALTHCARE INCORPORATED
 
       
November 8, 2010
By:
/s/ Jeffery A. Surges
 
   
Jeffery A. Surges
 
   
Chief Executive Officer
 
   
(principal executive officer)
 
 
November 8, 2010
By:
/s/ Steven M. Oreskovich
 
   
Steven M. Oreskovich
 
   
Chief Financial Officer
 
   
(principal financial officer and principal accounting officer)
 
 
36

 
EXHIBIT INDEX
 
  3.1
Amendment to the Amended Certificate of Incorporation (A)
10.1
Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as July 30, 2010, by and between Registrant and Merrick Healthcare Solutions, LLC (B)
10.2
2005 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, of the Registrant, conformed through the Second Amendment (C)
Certificate of Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Certificate of Chief Financial Officer (principal accounting officer) Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Certificate of Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and Chief Financial Officer (principal accounting officer) Pursuant to Section 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 

 
 (A)
Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated September 30, 2010.
 (B)
Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated July 30, 2010.
 (C)
Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholder and Proxy Statement dated August 12, 2010.
 

 
37