18/F, Tower A, Global Trade Center

36 North Third Ring Road East, Dongcheng District

Beijing 100013

People’s Republic of China

(86 10) 5903-6688

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

National Registered Agents, Inc.

875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 501

New York, New York 10001

(888) 336-3926

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement

 

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.   o

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   o     

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   o     

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earliest effective registration statement for the same offering.   o     

 

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

	•	leading market position and successful track record;
	•	doctors with extensive cancer treatment experience developed and supported by our network;
	•	market-oriented management of centers;
	•	successful track record of new center development and acquisitions; and
	•	strong and experienced management team.

	•	continue to develop new radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers;
	•	increase marketing efforts to drive growth in patient cases at our existing centers;
	•	establish specialty cancer hospitals;
	•	introduce advanced cancer treatment options and diagnostic technology in our network; and
	•	complement our development of new centers with selected acquisitions.

	•	we may encounter difficulties in successfully opening new centers or renewing agreements for existing centers due to the limited number of suitable hospital partners and their potential ability to finance the purchase of medical equipment directly;
	•	we have historically derived a significant portion of our revenues from centers located at a limited number of our hospital partners and regions;
	•	we conduct our business in a heavily regulated industry;
	•	any failure by our hospital partners to make contracted payments to us or any disputes over, or significant delays in receiving, such payments could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition; and
	•	our business may be harmed by technological and therapeutic changes or by shifts in doctors’ or patients’ preferences for alternative treatments.

	•	Shenzhen Aohua Medical Services Co., Ltd., our wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in the PRC that engages in the provision of radiotherapy and diagnostic center management services to hospitals in the PRC;
	•	Shenzhen Aohua Medical Leasing and Services Co., Ltd., our wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in the PRC that engages in the provision of radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment leasing services to hospitals in the PRC;
	•	Medstar (Shanghai) Leasing Co., Ltd., our wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in the PRC that engages in the sale of medical equipment and the provision of radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment leasing and management services to hospitals in the PRC;
	•	CMS Hospital Management Co., Ltd., our wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in the PRC that engages in the provision of radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment management services to hospitals in the PRC; and
	•	Beijing Xing Heng Feng Medical Technology Co., Ltd., our wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in the PRC that engages in the provision of radiotherapy and diagnostic equipment management services to hospitals in the PRC.

	•	“ADRs” are to the American depositary receipts, which, if issued, evidence our ADSs;

	•	“ADSs” are to our American depositary shares, each of which represents three ordinary shares;

	•	“China” and the “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purposes of this prospectus only, Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau;
	•	“ordinary shares” are to our ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share;
	•	“PRC subsidiaries” are to our subsidiaries incorporated in the People’s Republic of China, including Aohua Medical, Aohua Leasing, Shanghai Medstar, CMS Hospital Management Co., Ltd., or CMS Hospital Management, and Xing Heng Feng Medical;
	•	“RMB” and “Renminbi” are to the legal currency of China;
	•	“US$” and “U.S. dollars” are to the legal currency of the United States;
	•	“we,” “us,” “our company” and “our” are to Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited, its predecessor entities and its consolidated subsidiaries; and
	•	“£” is to the legal currency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

THE OFFERING

 

Price per ADS		We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between US$9.00 and US$11.00 per ADS.

 

ADS offered by us		12,000,000 ADSs

 

The ADSs		Each ADS represents three ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share. The ADSs may be evidenced by an ADR.

		The depositary will be the holder of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs and you will have the rights of an ADS holder as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and owners and beneficial owners of ADSs from time to time.
		You may surrender your ADSs to the depositary to withdraw the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. The depositary will charge you a fee for such an exchange.
		We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement for any reason without your consent. If an amendment becomes effective, you will be bound by the deposit agreement as amended if you continue to hold your ADSs.
		To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the section in this prospectus entitled “Description of American Depositary Shares.” We also encourage you to read the deposit agreement, which is an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.

Over-allotment option		We and the selling shareholders have granted the underwriters an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,800,000 additional ADSs representing 5,400,000 ordinary shares

 

Ordinary shares outstanding immediately after the offering		147,455,500 ordinary shares (or             ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise the option to purchase additional ADSs in full), excluding ordinary shares reserved for issuance under our 2008 share incentive plan.

 

ADSs outstanding immediately after the offering		12,000,000 ADSs (or 13,800,000 ADSs if the underwriters exercise the option to purchase additional ADSs in full).

 

Use of proceeds		We estimate that we will receive net proceeds from this offering of approximately US$108.3 million, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. This estimate is based upon an assumed initial public offering price of US$10.00 per ADS, the midpoint of the range shown on the front cover of this prospectus. We intend to use a portion of the net proceeds we receive from this offering for the following purposes:

		• approximately US$50 million to US$60 million to expand our network of centers;

		• approximately US$20 million to US$25 million to develop our Chang’an CMS International Cancer Center; and
		• approximately US$25 million to US$30 million to develop our Beijing Proton Medical Center.

							Concord
							Medical
		Predecessor					(Successor)				Combined				Concord Medical (Successor)
		Period from					Period from
		January 1,					September 10,
		2007 to					2007 to				Year Ended
		October 30,					December 31,				December 31,				Year Ended								Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2007					2007				2007				December 31, 2008								2008				2009
							RMB				RMB				RMB				US$
		RMB																					RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands, except share, per share and per ADS data)
Summary Consolidated Statements of Operations Data
Revenues, net of business tax, value-added tax and related surcharges:
Lease and management services			63,082					13,001				76,083				155,061				22,716				94,296				184,937				27,092
Management services			4,340					982				5,322				12,677				1,857				7,519				20,096				2,944
Other, net			—					—				—				4,051				593				178				624				91
Total net revenues			67,422					13,983				81,405				171,789				25,166				101,993				205,657				30,127
Cost of revenues:
Lease and management services			(20,396	)				(1,908	)			(22,304	)			(25,046	)			(3,669	)			(14,671	)			(42,144	)			(6,174	)
Amortization of acquired intangibles			—					(2,002	)			(2,002	)			(20,497	)			(3,003	)			(13,671	)			(20,388	)			(2,987	)
Management services			(20	)				(4	)			(24	)			(54	)			(8	)			(19	)			(9	)			(1	)
Total cost of revenues			(20,416	)				(3,914	)			(24,330	)			(45,597	)			(6,680	)			(28,361	)			(62,541	)			(9,162	)
Gross profit			47,006					10,069				57,075				126,192				18,486				73,632				143,116				20,965
Operating expenses:
Selling expenses			(1,601	)				(757	)			(2,358	)			(5,497	)			(805	)			(3,275	)			(4,463	)			(654	)
General and administrative expenses (1)			(8,467	)				(57,171	)			(65,638	)			(18,869	)			(2,764	)			(12,468	)			(19,687	)			(2,884	)
Operating income (loss)			36,938					(47,859	)			(10,921	)			101,826				14,917				57,889				118,966				17,427
Other (loss) income			(2,494	)				(649	)			(3,143	)			578				84				(5,262	)			(4,275	)			(626	)
(Loss) income before income taxes			34,444					(48,508	)			(14,064	)			102,404				15,001				52,627				114,691				16,801
Income tax (expense) benefit			(15,014	)				182				(14,832	)			(23,335	)			(3,418	)			(12,611	)			(25,734	)			(3,770	)
Net (loss) income			19,430					(48,326	)			(28,896	)			79,069				11,583				40,016				88,957				13,031
Accretion of Series A contingently redeemable convertible preferred shares			—					—				—				(270,343	)			(39,604	)			(262,286	)			(23,851	)			(3,494	)
Accretion of Series B contingently redeemable convertible preferred shares			—					—				—				(304,763	)			(44,646	)			—				(38,383	)			(5,623	)
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders			19,430					(48,326	)			(28,896	)			(496,037	)			(72,667	)			(222,270	)			26,723				3,914
Earning (loss) per share — basic and diluted (2)			0.39					(0.97	)			(0.58	)			(8.63	)			(1.26	)			(3.67	)			0.38				0.06
Earning (loss) per ADS — basic and diluted			1.17					(2.91	)			(1.74	)			(25.89	)			(3.78	)			(11.01	)			1.14				0.18
Shares used in computation — basic and diluted (2)			50,000,000					50,000,000				50,000,000				57,481,400				57,481,000				60,621,700				70,428,100				70,428,100
ADSs used in computation — basic and diluted			16,666,667					16,666,667				16,666,667				19,160,467				19,160,467				20,207,233				23,476,033				23,476,033

(1)		Our general and administrative expenses include share-based compensation expenses related to certain share options granted in 2007 that amounted to RMB49.5 million, RMB4.2 million (US$0.6 million) and RMB4.2 million in 2007, 2008 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2008, respectively. We did not recognize any share-based compensation expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2009.

(2)		On November 17, 2009, we effected a share split whereby all of our issued and outstanding 704,281 ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.01 per share were split into 70,428,100 ordinary shares of US$0.0001 par value per share and the number of our authorized ordinary shares was increased from 4,500,000 to 450,000,000. The share split has been retroactively reflected in this prospectus so that share numbers, per share price and par value data are presented as if the share split had occurred from our inception.

		Actual																				Pro Forma as
		As of December 31,												As of September 30,								Adjusted as of
		2007				2008				2008				2009								September 30, 2009 (1)
		RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				US$				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet Data
Cash			39,792				353,991				51,858				285,703				41,854				1,025,117				150,174
Total current assets			66,135				492,978				72,219				466,487				68,338				1,205,901				176,658
Property, plant and equipment, net			54,703				349,121				51,144				557,433				81,661				557,433				81,661
Goodwill			259,282				300,163				43,972				300,163				43,972				300,163				43,972
Acquired intangible assets, net			129,998				181,838				26,638				161,450				23,652				161,450				23,652
Total assets			543,023				1,514,395				221,850				1,673,254				245,122				2,412,668				353,442
Long-term bank borrowings, current portion			—				39,840				5,836				44,880				6,575				44,880				6,575
Long-term bank borrowings, non-current portion			—				52,120				7,636				104,912				15,369				104,912				15,369
Series A contingently redeemable convertible preferred shares			—				254,358				37,262				269,017				39,410				—				—
Series B contingently redeemable convertible preferred shares			—				411,101				60,224				434,036				63,584				—				—
Total shareholders’ equity			394,878				565,020				82,772				591,582				86,663
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity			543,023				1,514,395				221,850				1,673,254				245,122				2,412,668				353,442

(1)		Pro forma as adjusted summary consolidated balance sheet data take into account (i) the automatic conversion of all our outstanding contingently redeemable convertible preferred shares into 41,027,400 of our ordinary shares immediately upon the completion of this offering and (ii) the issuance and sale of 36,000,000 ordinary shares in the form of ADSs by us in this offering, assuming an initial public offering price of US$10.00 per ADS, the midpoint of the estimated range of the initial public offering price, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs and no other change to the number of ADSs sold by us as set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Assuming the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus remains the same, and after deduction of underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, a US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of US$10.00 per ADS would increase (decrease) each of cash, total current assets, total assets, total shareholders’ equity and total liabilities and shareholders’ equity by US$11.2 million.

		Predecessor					Concord Medical (Successor)
		Period					Period
		from					from
		January 1,					September 10,
		2007 to					2007 to												Nine Months Ended
		October 30,					December 31,				Year Ended								September 30,
		2007					2007				December 31, 2008								2008				2009
		RMB					RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Selected Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow Data
Net cash generated from operating activities			44,593					6,103				46,774				6,852				27,370				104,500				15,308
Net cash used in investing activities (1)			(50,452	)				(30,441	)			(376,371	)			(55,136	)			(300,692	)			(223,426	)			(32,731	)
Net cash generated from financing activities			6,020					63,225				649,494				95,147				278,407				50,829				7,448
Exchange rate effect on cash			—					138				(5,698	)			(834	)			(5,949	)			(191	)			(29	)
Net increase (decrease) in cash			161					39,025				314,199				46,029				(864	)			(68,288	)			(10,004	)

(1)		Net cash used in investing activities in 2008 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and 2009 includes cash used for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, of RMB231.5 million (US$33.9 million), RMB219.1 million and RMB21.5 million (US$3.2 million), respectively.

Concord

Medical

(Successor)

Combined

Concord Medical (Successor)

Predecessor

Period

Period

from

from January 1,

September 10,

2007 to

2007 to

Year Ended

Nine Months Ended

October 30,

December 31,

December 31,

Year Ended

September 30,

2007

2007

2007

December 31, 2008

2008

2009

RMB

RMB

RMB

RMB

US$

RMB

RMB

US$

(in thousands)

Non-GAAP Financial Data

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

54,844

4,753

59,597

144,167

21,120

85,188

174,455

25,556

(1)		Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net (loss) income plus interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation expenses and other adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA is used by management to evaluate our financial performance and determine the allocation of resources and provides the management with the ability to determine our return on capital expenditure relating to our purchase of medical equipment used in our network of centers and businesses acquired. Items that are eliminated from the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA are collectively managed by our senior executive officers, taking into consideration our strategic, business and financial goals. Depreciation and amortization are primarily managed by our chief executive officer, our chief operating officer and our chief financial officer. Share-based compensation expense is primarily managed by our chief executive officer and our financial officers. Interest expense and income, income tax expense or benefit and all other items eliminated from the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA are primarily managed by our chief executive officer, our financial controller and corporate vice president. In addition, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA will be a key metric analyzed in determining the amount of new debt financing that may be available to us and, therefore, we believe this measure provides investors with additional information about our ability to fund our growth through debt financing, if needed. Furthermore, Adjusted EBITDA eliminates the impact of items that we do not consider indicative of the performance of our network of centers. For example, depreciation and amortization expenses relating to the medical equipment used in our network of centers and acquired intangibles represented historical accrued expenditures that are not indicative of the operating performance of our network of centers during the periods presented. We believe investors will similarly use Adjusted EBITDA as one of the key metrics to evaluate our financial performance and to compare our current operating results with corresponding historical periods and with other companies in the healthcare services industry. The presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an indication that our future results will be unaffected by other charges and gains we consider to be outside the ordinary course of our business.
		The use of Adjusted EBITDA has certain limitations. Items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing our operating and financial performance. Depreciation and amortization expense, income tax expense, interest expense and interest income as well as share-based compensation expenses have been and will be incurred in our business and are not reflected in the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA. Each of these items should also be considered in the overall evaluation of our results. Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA does not consider capital expenditures and other investing activities and should not be considered as a measure of our liquidity. We compensate for these limitations by providing the relevant disclosure of our depreciation and amortization expense, interest expense and interest income, income tax expense, capital expenditures as well as share-based compensation expenses and other relevant items both in our reconciliations to the U.S. GAAP financial measures and in our consolidated financial statements, all of which should be considered when evaluating our performance. The term Adjusted EBITDA is not defined under U.S. GAAP, and Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income, operating income, operating performance or liquidity presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. When assessing our operating and financial performance, you should not consider this data in isolation or as a substitute for our net income, operating income or any other operating performance measure that is calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, our Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to Adjusted EBITDA or similarly titled measures utilized by other companies since such other companies may not calculate Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner as we do.

		The following table is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP:

							Concord
		Predecessor					Medical
		Period from					(Successor)				Combined				Concord Medical (Successor)
		January 1,					Period from
		2007 to					September 10, 2007 to				Year Ended
		October 30,					December 31,				December 31,				Year Ended								Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2007					2007				2007				December 31, 2008								2008				2009
		RMB					RMB				RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Net (loss) income			19,430					(48,326	)			(28,896	)			79,069				11,583				40,016				88,957				13,031
Interest expense, net			939					279				1,218				7,025				1,029				5,177				4,057				594
Income tax expense (benefit)			15,014					(182	)			14,832				23,335				3,418				12,611				25,734				3,770
Depreciation and amortization			17,906					3,086				20,992				38,126				5,585				23,084				55,489				8,129
Share-based compensation expenses			—					49,526				49,526				4,215				617				4,215				—				—
Other adjustments*			1,555					370				1,925				(7,603	)			(1,114	)			85				218				32
Adjusted EBITDA			54,844					4,753				59,597				144,167				21,120				85,188				174,455				25,556

		As of December 31,								As of September 30,
Operating Data (1)		2007				2008				2009
Number of primary medical equipment owned:
Linear accelerators			1				12				16	(2)
Head gamma knife systems			15				15				16
Body gamma knife systems			8				9				10
PET-CT scanners			—				3				7
MRI scanners			2				10				16
Others (3)			8				15				16
Total			34				64				81

		Year Ended December 31,								Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2007				2008				2009
Number of patient cases treated or diagnosed by our primary medical equipment:
Linear accelerators			697				4,678				8,554
Head gamma knife systems			8,493				9,455				7,767
Body gamma knife systems			2,635				3,057				2,706
PET-CT scanners			—				1,929				3,766
MRI scanners			11,830				31,827				57,972

		Predecessor					Concord Medical (Successor)				Combined				Concord Medical (Successor)
							Period from
		Period from					September 1,												Nine Months
		January 1, 2007					2007 to				Year Ended				Year Ended				Ended
		to October 30,					December 31,				December 31,				December 31,				September 30,
		2007					2007				2007				2008				2008				2009
		(in RMB thousands)
Total net revenues generated by our primary medical equipment under lease and management services arrangements:
Linear accelerators			3,206					877				4,083				40,506				21,588				60,183
Head gamma knife systems			40,408					8,731				49,139				65,365				47,096				51,673
Body gamma knife systems			13,537					2,565				16,102				20,071				12,225				18,204
PET-CT scanners			—					—				—				5,241				578				14,289
MRI scanners			2,899					437				3,336				15,123				7,515				27,618
Others (3)			3,032					391				3,423				8,755				5,294				12,970
Total net revenues — lease and management services			63,082					13,001				76,083				155,061				94,296				184,937

(1)		Excluding data from seven, eight and two centers under service-only agreements as of December 31, 2007, December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2009, respectively.

(2)		Including a MM50 intensity-modulated radiation therapy system.

(3)		Other primary medical equipment used includes computed tomography scanners, or CT scanners, and emission computed tomography scanners, or ECT scanners, for diagnostic imaging, electroencephalography for the diagnosis of epilepsy, thermotherapy to increase the efficacy of and for pain relief after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, high intensity focused ultrasound therapy for the treatment of cancer, stereotactic radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and refraction and tonometry for the diagnosis of ophthalmic conditions.

(1)		The aggregate purchase price of approximately £17.1 million (RMB238.7 million or US$35.0 million) for the purchase of China Medstar is comprised of the following:

		RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Goodwill			21,210				3,107
Current assets			77,053				11,287
Long-term receivable			9,397				1,377
Property, plant and equipment			217,965				31,931
Other intangible assets- customer relationships and operating leases			52,380				7,673
Deposit for property, plant and equipment			83,505				12,233
Deferred tax assets, non-current portion			23,089				3,382
Deferred tax liabilities, non-current portion			(12,529	)			(1,835	)
Liabilities assumed			(233,323	)			(34,180	)
Total consideration paid			238,747				34,975

		The preliminary purchase price allocation and preliminary intangible asset valuations described above were based on valuation work determined by us with the assistance of American Appraisal China Limited, an independent valuation firm. The valuation report utilizes and considers generally accepted valuation methodologies such as the income, market, cost and actual transaction of shares approach. We have incorporated certain assumptions which include projected cash flows and replacement costs.
		This adjustment of RMB5.6 million reflects an additional seven full months of amortization of the acquired intangibles recorded as a result of our acquisition of China Medstar on July 31, 2008 as if the acquisition had been consummated on January 1, 2008.
		This adjustment of RMB5.7 million reflects an additional reduction in depreciation expense as if the acquisition had been consummated on January 1, 2008 related to medical equipment because the assigned estimated fair values are lower than the net book values as at the acquisition date.
(2)		Reflects the adjustment to income tax expense based on the pro forma adjusting entries to depreciation expense and amortization expense discussed above.

 

Risks Related to Our Company

 

We may encounter difficulties in successfully opening new centers or renewing agreements for existing centers due to the limited number of suitable hospital partners and their potential ability to finance the purchase of medical equipment directly.

 

Our growth was driven by our ability to expand our network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers by primarily entering into new agreements with top-tier hospitals in China, which are 3A hospitals, the highest ranked hospitals by quality and size in China as determined in accordance with the standards of the MOH. The agreements that hospitals enter into with us and our competitors are typically long-term in nature with terms of up to 20 years. As a result, in any locality or at any given time, there may only be a limited number of top-tier hospitals that have not yet entered into long-term agreements with us or our competitors and with which we are able to enter into new agreements. In addition, quotas imposed by government authorities as to the number and type of certain medical equipment that can be purchased, such as head gamma knife systems or PET-CT scanners, will further limit the number of top-tier hospitals that we or our competitors can enter into agreements within a given period. See “— Risks Related to Our Industry — Healthcare administrative authorities in China currently set procurement quotas for certain types of medical equipment.” Due to the limited supply of suitable top-tier hospitals and increasing competition, we may not be able to enter into agreements with new hospital partners or renew agreements with existing hospital partners on terms as favorable as those that we have been able to obtain in the past, or at all. Agreements with our hospital partners for three of the centers in our network, which accounted for 10.0% of our total net revenues in the nine months ended September 30, 2009, will expire in 2010. Some of our competitors may have greater financial resources than us, which may provide them with an advantage in negotiating new agreements with hospitals, including our existing hospital partners. In addition, if adequate funding becomes available for hospitals to purchase medical equipment directly, hospitals may choose to purchase and manage radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging equipment on their own instead of entering into or renewing agreements with us or our competitors. If we are unable to compete effectively in entering into agreements with new hospital partners or to renew existing agreements on favorable terms, or at all, or if hospitals choose to purchase and manage their own medical equipment, our growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected. Finally, the development of new centers generally involves a ramp-up period during which time the operating efficiency of such centers may be lower than our established centers, which may negatively affect our profitability.

 

We have historically derived a significant portion of our revenues from centers located at a limited number of our hospital partners and regions in which we operate and our accounts receivable are also concentrated with a few hospital partners.

 

We have historically derived a large portion of our total net revenues from a limited number of our partner hospitals. For the period from January 1, 2007 to October 30, 2007, the period from September 10, 2007 to December 31, 2007, for the year ended December 31, 2008 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 and 2009, net revenues derived from our top five hospital partners amounted to approximately 61.6%, 64.7%, 37.8%, 42.2% and 34.1% of our total net revenues, respectively. For these same five periods, three, three, one, one and two of our hospital partners, respectively, accounted for more than 10.0% of our total net revenues, and our largest hospital partner accounted for 21.7%, 24.2%, 13.5%, 14.4% and 10.7% of our total net revenues during those periods, respectively. In addition, centers located in Beijing, Henan province and Guangdong province accounted for 26.1%, 11.0% and 8.0% of our total net revenues in 2008, respectively, and 21.9%, 10.6% and 9.0% of our total net revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, respectively. We may continue to experience such revenue concentration in the future. Due to the concentration of our revenues and dependence on a limited number of hospital partners, any one or more of the following events, among others, may cause material fluctuations or declines in our revenues and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects:

 

 

 

In addition, three of our hospital partners, including two of our top five hospital partners, accounted for 36.4% of our total accounts receivable as of September 30, 2009. Any significant delay in the payment of such accounts receivable could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

We conduct our business in a heavily regulated industry.

 

The operation of our network of centers is subject to various laws and regulations issued by a number of government agencies at the national and local levels. Such rules and regulations relate mainly to the procurement of large medical equipment, the pricing of medical services, the operation of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging equipment, the licensing and operation of medical institutions, the licensing of medical staff and the prohibition on non-profit civilian medical institutions from entering into cooperation agreements with third parties to set up for-profit centers that are not independent legal entities. Our growth prospects may be constrained by such rules and regulations, particularly those relating to the procurement of large medical equipment. See “Regulation of Our Industry” for a discussion of the regulations applicable to us and our business. Also, for a detailed discussion of the specific regulatory risks we face, see “— Risks Related to Our Industry.” If we or our hospital partners fail to comply with such applicable laws and regulations, we could be required to make significant changes to our business and operations or suffer fines or penalties, including the potential loss of our business licenses, the suspension from use of our medical equipment, and the suspension or cessation of operations at centers in our network. In addition, many of the agreements we have entered into with our hospital partners provide for termination in the event of major government policy changes that cause the agreements to become inexecutable. Our hospital partners may invoke such termination right to our disadvantage.

 

We depend on our hospital partners to recruit and retain qualified doctors and other medical professionals to ensure the high quality of treatment services provided in our network of centers.

 

Our success is dependent in part upon our hospital partners’ ability to recruit and retain doctors and other medical professionals and on our and our hospital partners’ ability to train and manage these medical professionals. Although we may help our hospital partners to identify and recruit suitable, qualified doctors and other medical professionals, almost all of these medical professionals are employed by our partner hospitals rather than by us. As a result, we may have little control over whether such medical professionals will continue to work in the centers in our network. In addition, there is a limited pool of qualified medical professionals with expertise and experience in radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging in China, and our hospital partners face competition for such qualified medical professionals from other public hospitals, private healthcare providers, research and academic institutions and other organizations. In the event that our hospital partners fail to recruit and retain a sufficient number of these medical professionals, the resulting shortage could adversely affect the operation of centers in our network and our growth prospects.

 

Any failure by our hospital partners to make contracted payments to us or any disputes over, or significant delays in receiving, such payments could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

 

Most of the centers in our network are established through long-term lease and management services arrangements entered into with our hospital partners. We also provide management services to certain radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers through service-only agreements. Payments for treatment and diagnostic imaging services provided in the centers in our network are typically collected by our hospital partners who then pass on to us our contracted percentage of such revenue net of specific operating expenses

on a periodic basis. Our total outstanding accounts receivable from our hospital partners were RMB92.8 million (US$13.6 million) and RMB119.1 million (US$17.5 million) as of December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2009, respectively. As of September 30, 2009, approximately 22.6% of our accounts receivable reported on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2008 were still outstanding. The average turnover days of the accounts receivable for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 were 117 days. Any failure by our hospital partners to pay us our contracted percentage, or any disputes over or significant delays in receiving such payments from our hospital partners, for any reason, could negatively impact our financial condition. Accordingly, any failure by us to maintain good working relationships with our hospital partners, or any dissatisfaction on the part of our hospital partners with our services, could negatively affect the operation of the centers and our ability to collect revenue, reduce the likelihood that our agreements with hospital partners will be renewed, damage our reputation and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

 

We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations through new acquisitions or joint ventures or to successfully realize the anticipated benefits of any such acquisition or joint venture.

 

We have historically complemented our organic development of new centers through the selective acquisition of complementary businesses or assets or the formation of joint ventures, and we may continue to do so in the future. For example, we recently experienced a significant growth in our business and increase in our results of operations as a result of our acquisition of China Medstar and other businesses. The identification of suitable acquisition targets or joint venture candidates can be difficult, time consuming and costly, and we may not be able to successfully capitalize on identified opportunities. We may not be able to continue to grow our business as anticipated if we are unable to successfully identify and complete potential acquisitions in the future. Even if we successfully complete an acquisition or establish a joint venture, we may not be able to successfully integrate the acquired businesses or assets or cooperate successfully with the joint venture partner. Integration of the acquired business or assets or cooperation with the joint venture partners can be expensive, time consuming and may strain our resources. Such integration or cooperation could also require significant attention from our management team, which may prevent key members of our management from focusing on other important aspects of our business.

 

In addition, we may be unable to successfully integrate or retain employees or management of the acquired businesses or assets or retain the acquired entity’s patients, suppliers or other partners. Consequently, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions or joint ventures. Furthermore, future acquisitions or joint ventures could result in potentially dilutive issuances of equity or equity-linked securities or the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities or expenses, or other charges, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may not be successful in negotiating the conversion of a few of our cooperation agreements with our partner hospitals into lease and management agreements due to regulatory changes.

 

Since the effectiveness in September 2000 of the Implementation Opinions on the Classified Management of Urban Medical Institutions , which was promulgated by the MOH, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development Reform Committee, or NDRC, non-profit civilian medical institutions are no longer permitted to enter into cooperation agreements or to continue to operate under existing cooperation agreements with third parties pursuant to which the parties jointly invest in or cooperate to set up for-profit centers or units that are not independent legal entities. However, according to the Opinions on Certain Issues Regarding Classified Management of Urban Medical Institutions issued in July 2001 by the same authorities, a non-profit civilian medical institution may, if lacking sufficient funds to purchase medical equipment outright, enter into a leasing agreement pursuant to which the medical institution leases medical equipment from its partner at market rates. To comply with these regulatory changes, we have transitioned most of our cooperation agreements with non-profit civilian hospitals to lease and management agreements. However, we are still negotiating the transition of our cooperation agreements relating to 13 of our centers located at eight of our partner hospitals, which centers’ combined revenues in 2008 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 constituted approximately 17.3% and 11.6% of our total net revenues during those two periods, respectively. Although neither we nor any of our hospital partners have incurred any penalties to date for continuing to operate under cooperation agreements at these centers, there can be no assurance that we will not incur penalties in the future or that we will be able to successfully negotiate the conversion of these agreements. If we are unable to successfully negotiate the conversion

of our cooperation agreements with these hospitals or if government authorities decide to assess penalties against either us or our hospital partners or to suspend the operation of these centers before we are able to complete the transition, our business, financial condition and results of operation could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We are not aware of any similar restriction on cooperation agreements imposed on military hospitals, which are hospitals owned and regulated by the military but are otherwise the same as other government-owned civilian hospitals open to the public, by military healthcare administrative authorities. Accordingly, we have maintained our cooperation agreements with nine military hospitals as of September 30, 2009. However, as military hospitals are also government-owned, if military hospitals are required by military healthcare administrative authorities to transition away from cooperation agreements in the future, we will have to negotiate a similar conversion of the agreements with our military hospital partners. If we are unable to successfully negotiate lease and management or other alternative agreements with our existing military hospital partners on terms not less favorable than those under our cooperation agreements, our business, financial condition and results of operation may be adversely affected.

 

We cannot assure you that government authorities will not interpret regulations differently from us to find that our lease and management agreements are still not in compliance with relevant regulations.

 

Based on the opinion of our PRC counsel, Jingtian & Gongcheng Attorneys At Law, we believe that our lease and management agreements with civilian public hospital partners, which terms continue to provide that our revenues from hospital-based centers are to be calculated based on contracted percentages of each center’s revenue net of specified operating expenses, are in compliance with the Implementation Opinions on the Classified Management of Urban Medical Institutions and the Opinions on Certain Issues Regarding Classified Management of Urban Medical Institutions . However, we and our PRC counsel cannot assure you that the MOH or other competent authorities will not interpret these regulations differently to find that our lease and management agreements are still not in compliance with such regulations, in which instance, such authorities could, among other things, declare our lease and management agreements to be void, order our civilian hospital partners to terminate such agreements with us, order our civilian hospitals partners to suspend or cease operation of the centers governed by such agreements, suspend the use of our medical equipment, or confiscate revenues generated under the noncompliant agreements. Furthermore, we may have to change our business model which may not be successful. If any of the above were to occur, our business, financial condition and results of operation could be materially and adversely affected.

 

There may be corrupt practices in the healthcare industry in China, which may place us at a competitive disadvantage if our competitors engage in such practices and may harm our reputation if our hospital partners and the medical personnel who work in our centers, over whom we have limited control, engage in such practices.

 

There may be corrupt practices in the healthcare industry in China. For example, in order to secure agreements with hospital partners or to increase direct sales of medical equipment or patient referrals, our competitors, other service providers or their personnel or equipment manufacturers may engage in corrupt practices in order to influence hospital personnel or other decision-makers in violation of the anti-corruption laws of China and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA. We have adopted a policy regarding compliance with the anti-corruption laws of China and the FCPA to prevent, detect and correct such corrupt practice. However, as competition persists and intensifies in our industry, we may lose potential hospital partners, patient referrals and other opportunities to the extent that our competitors engage in such practices or other illegal activities. In addition, our partner hospitals or the doctors or other medical personnel who work in our network of centers may engage in corrupt practices without our knowledge to procure the referral of patients to centers in our network. Although our policies prohibit such practices, we have limited control over the actions of our hospital partners or over the actions of the doctors and other medical personnel who work in our network of centers since they are not employed by us. If any of them were to engage in such illegal practices with respect to patient referrals or other matters, we or the centers in our network may be subject to sanctions or fines and our reputation could be adversely affected by any negative publicity stemming from such incidents.

We are planning to establish and operate specialty cancer hospitals that will be majority owned by us and are subject to significant risks.

 

As part of our growth strategy we plan to establish specialty cancer hospitals that will focus on providing radiotherapy services as well as diagnostic imaging services, chemotherapy and surgery. In addition, at the Beijing Proton Medical Center, one of our planned specialty cancer hospitals, we plan to offer proton beam therapy treatment services with which we have had no prior experience. Since we do not have experience in operating our own specialty cancer hospital, or in providing many of the services that we plan to offer in our specialty cancer hospitals, such as chemotherapy treatments, surgical procedures or proton beam therapy, we may not be able to provide as high a level of service quality for those treatment options as for the other treatments that are currently offered at our network of centers, which may result in damage to our reputation and our future growth prospects. In addition, we may not be successful in recruiting qualified medical professionals to effectively provide the services that we intend to offer in our specialty cancer hospitals. Furthermore, although our brand name is well known among referring doctors, patients are not currently familiar with our brand as we do not carry our own brand name in our network of centers under our existing agreements with our hospital partners. Therefore, when we establish our own specialty cancer hospitals under our brand name, we may not be able to immediately gain wide acceptance among patients and, thus, may be unable to attract a sufficient number of patients to our new hospitals.

 

We could also face increased exposure to liability claims at our specialty cancer hospitals, including claims for medical malpractice. We may need to obtain medical malpractice insurance and other types of insurance that we do not currently carry, each of which could increase our expenses and decrease our profitability. In addition, there can be no assurance that such insurance will be available at a reasonable price or that we will be able to maintain adequate levels of liability insurance coverage, if at all. In addition, our specialty cancer hospitals will also be required to obtain various quotas, permits and authorizations, which are currently the responsibility of our hospital partners under our existing agreements. See “— Risks Related to Our Industry — Healthcare administrative authorities in China currently set procurement quotas for certain types of medical equipment” and “— Risks Related to Our Industry — We or our hospital partners may be unable to obtain various permits and authorizations from regulatory authorities in China relating to our medical equipment, which could delay the installation or interrupt the operation of our equipment.”

 

Finally, if our plans change for any reason or the anticipated timetable or costs of development change for our specialty cancer hospitals, our business and future prospects may be negatively impacted. We currently expect to obtain bank loans of approximately RMB190.0 million (US$27.8 million) in 2010 to fund the development of our specialty cancer hospitals. We may not be able to obtain such loans on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Furthermore, such loans would increase our interest expenses and could subject us to various covenants that may, among other things, restrict our ability to pay dividends or to obtain additional financing. If we are not able to obtain these bank loans, we may not be able to complete the planned specialty cancer hospitals on our expected timeline, or at all. There can be no assurance that the planned specialty cancer hospitals will be completed or that, if completed, they will achieve sufficient patient cases to generate positive operating margins. In addition, as our currently planned specialty cancer hospitals are to be established through joint ventures with other parties, we also may not be successful in cooperating with such joint venture partners in operating our specialty cancer hospitals. See “— Risk Factors Related to Our Business — We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations through any new acquisitions or joint ventures, which we may not be able to successfully execute.”

 

We rely on the doctors and other medical professionals providing services in our network of centers to make proper clinical decisions and we rely on our hospital partners to maintain proper control over the clinical aspects of the operation of our network of centers.

 

We rely on the doctors and other medical professionals who work in our network to make proper clinical decisions regarding the diagnosis and treatment of their patients. Although we develop treatment protocols for doctors, provide periodic training for medical professionals in our network of centers on proper treatment procedures and techniques and host seminars and conferences to facilitate consultation among doctors providing services in our network of centers, we ultimately rely on our hospital partners to maintain proper control over the clinical activities of each center and over the doctors and other medical professionals who work in such centers. Any incorrect clinical decisions on the part of doctors and other medical professionals or any failure by

our hospital partners to properly manage the clinical activities of each center may result in unsatisfactory treatment outcomes, patient injury or possibly death. Although part of the liability for any such incidents may rest with our partner hospitals and the doctors and other medical professionals they employ, we may be made a party to any such liability claim which, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, could result in significant legal defense costs for us, harm our reputation, and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The centers in our network have experienced claims as to a limited number of medical disputes since they commenced operations. As of September 30, 2009, three centers in our network agreed to pay an aggregate amount of approximately RMB100,000 (US$14,649) to settle such claims. Any expenses resulting from such liability claims are generally required to be accounted for as expenses of the relevant center, which could reduce our revenue derived from such center. We do not carry malpractice or other liability insurance at many of the centers in our network, and at those centers that do carry such insurance, it may not be sufficient to cover any potential liability that may result from such claims. For our specialty cancer hospitals that are currently under development, we will likely face direct liability claims for any such incidents.

 

Any failures or defects of the medical equipment in our network of centers or any failure of the medical personnel who work at the centers in our network to properly operate our medical equipment could subject us to liability claims and we may not have sufficient insurance to cover any potential liability.

 

Our business exposes us to liability risks that are inherent in the operation of complex medical equipment, which may contain defects or experience failures. We rely to a large degree on equipment manufacturers to provide technical training to the medical technicians who work in our network of centers on the proper operation of our complex medical systems. If such medical technicians are not properly and adequately trained by the equipment manufacturers or by us, they may misuse or ineffectively use the complex medical equipment in our network of centers. These medical technicians may also make errors in the operation of the complex medical equipment even if they are properly trained. Any medical equipment defects or failures or any failure of the medical personnel who work in the centers to properly operate the medical equipment could result in unsatisfactory treatment outcomes, patient injury or possibly death. Although the liability for any such incidents rests with the equipment manufacturers or the medical technicians, we may be made a party to any such liability claim which, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, could result in significant legal defense costs for us, harm our reputation, and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any expenses resulting from such liability claims may be accounted for as expenses of the center, which could reduce our revenue derived from such center. We do not carry product liability insurance at any of the centers in our network.

 

Any downtime for maintenance and repair of our medical equipment could lead to business interruptions that could be expensive and harmful to our reputation and to our business.

 

Significant downtime associated with the maintenance and repair of medical equipment used in our network of centers would result in the inability of the centers to provide radiotherapy treatment or diagnostic imaging services to patients in a timely manner. We primarily rely on equipment manufacturers or third party service companies for maintenance and repair services. The failure of manufacturers or third party service companies to provide timely repairs on our equipment could interrupt the operation of centers in our network for extended periods of time. Such extended downtime could result in lost revenues for us and our partner hospitals, dissatisfaction on the part of patients and our partner hospitals and damage to the reputation of the centers in our network, our partner hospitals and our company.

 

We rely on a limited number of equipment manufacturers.

 

Much of the medical equipment used in our centers is highly complex and is produced by a limited number of equipment manufacturers in the global marketplace. These equipment manufacturers provide training on the proper operation of our medical equipment to the medical personnel who work in the centers in our network as well as maintenance and repair services for such equipment. Any disruption in the supply of the medical equipment or services from these manufacturers may delay the development of new centers or negatively affect the operation of existing centers and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our executive officers and other key personnel, and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

 

We depend on key members of our management team, which includes Mr. Jianyu Yang, a director and our chief executive officer and president, Dr. Zheng Cheng, a co-chairman of our board of directors and our chief operating officer, Mr. Steve Sun, a co-chairman of our board of directors and our chief financial officer, Mr. Jing Zhang, a director and our executive president, Mr. Yaw Kong Yap, a director and our financial controller, and Mr. Boxun Zhang, our corporate vice president, as well as other key personnel for the continued growth of our business. The loss of any of these members of our management team or other key employees could delay the implementation of our business strategy and adversely affect our operations. Our future success will also depend in large part on our continued ability to attract and retain highly qualified management personnel. The process of hiring suitable, qualified personnel is often lengthy and such talented and highly qualified management personnel is often in short supply in China. If our recruitment and retention efforts are unsuccessful in the future, it may be more difficult for us to execute our business strategy. Although none of the key members of our management team is nearing retirement age in the near future and we are not aware of any key members of our management team or other key personnel planning to retire or leave us, if one or more of such personnel are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to replace them readily, if at all. Consequently, our business may be severely disrupted, and we may incur additional expenses to recruit and retain new officers. In addition, we do not maintain key employee insurance. We have entered into employment agreements and confidentiality agreements with all of the key members of our management team and other key personnel. However, if any disputes arise between any of our key members of our management team or other key personnel and us, we cannot assure you, in light of uncertainties associated with the PRC legal system, the extent to which any of these agreements could be enforced in China, where all key members of our management team and other key personnel reside and hold some of their assets. See “— Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could have a material adverse effect on us.”

 

Our reported earnings could decline if we recognize impairment losses on intangible assets and goodwill relating to the OMS reorganization and other acquisitions.

 

As a result of the OMS reorganization in October 2007 and our acquisitions of China Medstar and other businesses in 2008, we have recorded goodwill as well as certain acquired intangibles, which intangibles are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives. In addition, we may continue to selectively acquire complementary businesses in the future that may result in increases in recorded goodwill and acquired intangibles. Such goodwill is tested for impairment by us annually or more frequently if an event occurs or a circumstance develops that would require more frequent assessments. Examples of such events or circumstances include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in the legal or business climate, an adverse regulatory action or unanticipated competition. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies — Goodwill; — Acquired Intangible Assets, net.” In the future, we could recognize impairment losses on the intangible assets and goodwill, which could result in a charge to our reported results of operations and cause our reported earnings to decline.

 

We do not have insurance coverage for some of our medical equipment and do not carry any business interruption insurance.

 

We do not have insurance for six units of our medical equipment, which are electroencephalography and thermotherapy equipment from which centers we derived less than 1.0% of our total revenues in 2008 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2009. Damage to, or the loss of, such uninsured equipment due to natural disasters, such as fires, floods or earthquakes, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation. In addition, the operations in our network of centers may be particularly vulnerable to natural disasters that disrupt transportation since many patients travel long distances to reach such centers. Also, we do not have any business interruption insurance. Any business disruption could result in substantial expenses and diversion of resources and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, the strong earthquake that struck Sichuan Province in May 2008 resulted in the suspension of operations at three of our centers in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan Province, for approximately one month due to the diversion of hospital resources toward the treatment of earthquake victims.

Most of our radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging equipment contains radioactive materials or emits radiation during operation.

 

Most of the radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging equipment in our network of centers, including gamma knife systems, proton beam therapy systems, linear accelerators and PET-CT systems, contain radioactive materials or emit radiation during operation. Radiation and radioactive materials are extremely hazardous unless properly managed and contained. Any accident or malfunction that results in radiation contamination could cause significant harm to human beings and could subject us to significant legal expenses and result in harm to our reputation. Although equipment manufacturers and our hospital partners and their staff may bear some or all of the liability and costs associated with any accidents or malfunctions, if we are found to be liable in any way we may also face severe fines, legal reparations and possible suspension of our operating permits, all of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Also, certain of our medical equipment require the periodic replacement of their radioactive source materials. We do not directly oversee the handling of radioactive materials during the replacement or reloading process or during the disposal process, and any failure on the part of our hospital partners to handle or dispose of such radioactive materials in accordance with PRC laws and regulations may have an adverse effect on the operation of such centers.

 

Any change in the regulations governing the use of medical data in China, which are still in development, could adversely affect our ability to use our medical data and could potentially subject us to liability for our past use of such medical data.

 

The centers in our network collect and store medical data from radiotherapy treatments for purposes of analysis, use in training doctors providing services in our network and improving the effectiveness of the treatments provided in our network of centers. In addition, doctors in our network utilize such medical data to conduct clinical research. We do not make any such medical data public and only keep such medical data for our internal use and for research purposes by doctors upon the approval of our medical affairs department and our hospital partners. Chinese regulations governing the use of such medical data are still in development but currently do not impose any restrictions on the internal use of such data by us as long as we have the permission of our hospital partners who have ownership of such data. Any change in the regulations governing the use of such medical data could adversely affect our ability to use such medical data and could subject us to liability for past use of such data, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial results.

 

Our directors, executive officers and significant shareholders have substantial influence over our company and their interests may not be aligned with the interests of our other shareholders.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, our directors, executive officers and significant shareholders beneficially owned approximately 89.0% of our outstanding share capital prior to this offering and will beneficially own approximately 67.2% of our outstanding share capital upon completion of this offering, assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option. As such, they have substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our ADSs. These actions may be taken even if they are opposed by our other shareholders, including those who purchase ADSs in this offering.

 

Our articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could adversely affect the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

 

Our third amended and restated articles of association will become effective immediately upon the completion of this offering. Our new articles of association limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the

qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADS or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or to make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors issues preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs may be adversely affected.

 

We may be unable to establish and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, and as a result we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

 

Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources with which to address our internal controls and procedures. In connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements for the period from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008, our independent registered public accounting firm communicated to us a material weakness and certain significant and other deficiencies in our internal control procedures, which could adversely affect our ability to initiate, authorize, record, process and report financial data reliably in accordance with U.S. GAAP. As a result, there is more than a remote likelihood that a more than inconsequential misstatement of our consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected. Specifically, the material weakness identified consists of an ineffective control environment over financial reporting due to (i) an insufficient number of financial reporting personnel with an appropriate level of knowledge, experience and training; (ii) insufficient controls around the establishment and maintenance of an oversight function and communication of internal controls, policies and procedures to support our financial reporting obligations; and (iii) a lack of a comprehensive set of internal control policies and procedures and related controls to monitor the operating effectiveness of these controls. The significant deficiencies identified consist of (i) a lack of a timely formal review process for outstanding accounts receivable; (ii) a lack of a process to document investment proposals and lack of a formal policy for equipment impairment assessment; and (iii) a lack of controls over agreements and contracts with our hospital partners. We are in the process of remediating such material weakness and significant and other deficiencies. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.” However, the remedial measures that we have taken or intend to take may not fully address such material weakness and significant and other deficiencies, and additional material weakness and significant and other deficiencies, in our internal control over financial reporting may be identified in the future.

 

Upon the completion of this offering, we will become a public company in the United States subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, will require that we include a management assessment of, and a report by our independent registered public accounting firm on, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2010. During the assessment process that we will undertake for compliance with Section 404, we may identify material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the deadline imposed by Section 404, and our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. In addition, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may determine that our internal controls over financial reporting is not effective and may issue an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could increase the risk of material misstatements in our financial statements and cause failure to meet our financial and other reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and lead to a significant decline in the trading price of our ADSs.

 

In addition, unlike most companies, our internal controls over financial reporting will need to be designed to cover a significant number of our hospital partners located in cities throughout China due to the fact that we are heavily dependent on timely and accurate receipt of key financial information from our hospital partners so we can complete our financial reporting process. We may identify control deficiencies as a result of the assessment process that we will undertake to comply with Section 404, including but not limited to internal audit resources and formalized and documented closing and reporting processes. We plan to remediate control deficiencies identified in

time to meet the deadline imposed by the requirements of Section 404 but we may be unable to do so. Our failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial reporting processes, which in turn could harm our business and negatively impact the trading price of our ADSs.

 

We may require additional funding to finance our operations, which financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all, and if we are able to raise funds, the value of your investment in us may be negatively impacted.

 

Our business operations may require expenditures that exceed our available capital resources. We currently expect to obtain bank loans of approximately RMB190.0 million (US$27.8 million) in 2010 to fund the development of our specialty cancer hospitals. Although we currently do not expect that we will require funding in addition to these bank loans to finance our future growth, to the extent that our funding requirements exceed our financial resources, we will be required to seek additional financing or to defer planned expenditures. There can be no assurance that we can obtain these bank loans or additional funds on terms acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, our ability to raise additional funds in the future is subject to a variety of uncertainties, including, but not limited to:

 

 

Furthermore, if we raise additional funds through equity or equity-linked financings, your equity interest in our company may be diluted. Alternatively, if we raise additional funds by incurring debt obligations, we may be subject to various covenants under the relevant debt instruments that may, among other things, restrict our ability to pay dividends or obtain additional financing. Servicing such debt obligations could also be burdensome to our operations. If we fail to service such debt obligations or are unable to comply with any of these covenants, we could be in default under such debt obligations and our liquidity and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We have granted security interests over certain of our medical equipment in order to secure bank borrowings. Any failure to satisfy our obligations under such borrowings could lead to the forced sale of such equipment.

 

In order to secure bank loans in an aggregate amount of RMB112.8 million (US$16.5 million) and RMB179.8 million (US$26.3 million) as of December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2009, respectively, we have granted security interests in equipment with a net carrying value of RMB81.6 million (US$12.0 million) and RMB217.6 million (US$31.9 million), respectively, representing 23.4% and 39.0% of the net value of our net property, plant and equipment of RMB349.1 million (US$51.1 million) and RMB557.4 million (US$81.7 million), respectively. Any failure on our part to satisfy our obligations under these loans could lead to the forced sale of our medical equipment that secure these loans, the suspension of the operation of the centers in which such medical equipment is used, or otherwise damage our relationship with our hospital partners and our reputation in the medical community, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. We may grant additional security interests in our equipment in order to secure future bank borrowings, including the bank borrowings of approximately RMB190.0 million (US$27.8 million) that we expect to obtain in 2010 to fund the development of our specialty cancer hospitals.

 

Our business may be adversely affected by fluctuations in the value of the Renminbi as a significant portion of our capital expenditures relates to the purchase of medical equipment priced in U.S. dollars.

 

A significant portion of our capital expenditures relates to the purchase of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging equipment from manufacturers outside of China. As the price of such equipment is denominated almost exclusively in U.S. dollars, any depreciation in the value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar could cause a significant increase our capital expenditures, reduce the profitability of our network of centers and have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we grant employee share options, restricted shares or other equity incentives in the future, our net income could be adversely affected.

 

We adopted our 2008 share incentive plan on October 16, 2008, which was subsequently amended on November 17, 2009. We are required to account for share-based compensation in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Statement No. 123(R), Share-Based Payment, which requires a company to recognize, as an expense, the fair value of share options and other equity incentives to employees based on the fair value of equity awards on the date of the grant, with the compensation expense recognized over the period in which the recipient is required to provide service in exchange for the equity award. Subject to the approval of our board of directors, we expect to issue options to purchase 130,300 shares under our share incentive plan to Denny Lee, our independent director who is expected to join our board upon commencement of trading of our ADSs on the NYSE. However, we granted share options in 2007, before adopting our 2008 share incentive plan, to certain executive officers that were subsequently exercised in 2008. As a result, we have incurred share-based compensation expenses of approximately RMB49.5 million for the period from September 10, 2007 to December 31, 2007 and RMB4.2 million (US$0.6 million) in 2008 related to such options, which resulted in us incurring a net loss for the period from September 10, 2007 to December 31, 2007 of RMB48.3 million. If we grant more options, restricted shares or other equity incentives in the future, we could incur significant compensation charges and our results of operations could be adversely affected. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies” and Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus for a more detailed presentation of accounting for our share-based compensation plan.

 

We are a Cayman Islands company and, because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is more limited under Cayman Islands law than that under U.S. law, you may have less protection for your shareholder rights than you would under U.S. law.

 

Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, the Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. In addition, some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands.

 

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as shareholders of a U.S. public company.

 

You may have difficulty enforcing judgments obtained against us.

 

We are a Cayman Islands company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in the PRC. In addition, most of our directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons. It may also be difficult for you to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors, most of whom are not residents in the United States and the substantial majority of whose assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state and it is uncertain whether such Cayman Islands or PRC courts would be competent to hear original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or the PRC against us or such persons predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state. See “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”

We are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.

 

We are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements of the NYSE by virtue of being a foreign private issuer. We are required to provide a brief description of the significant differences between our corporate governance practices and the corporate governance practices required to be followed by U.S. domestic companies under the NYSE rules. The standards applicable to us are considerably different than the standards applied to U.S. domestic issuers. The significantly different standards applicable to us do not require us to:

 

 

We intend to rely on all such exemptions provided by the NYSE to a foreign private issuer, except that we will establish a compensation committee, seek shareholder approval for the implementation of share incentive plans and for the increase in the number of shares available to be granted under share incentive plans and adopt and disclose corporate governance guidelines and a code of business conduct and ethics for directors, officers and employees. As a result, you may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.

 

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to United States Holders.

 

We do not expect to be considered a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ending December 31, 2009. However, we must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC and we cannot assure you that we will not be a PFIC for our taxable year ending December 31, 2009 or any future taxable year. A non-U.S. corporation will be considered a PFIC for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. The market value of our assets may be determined in large part by the market price of our ADSs and ordinary shares, which is likely to fluctuate after this offering. In addition, the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in this offering. If we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which United States Holders (as defined in “Taxation — United States Federal Income Taxation”) hold ADSs or ordinary shares, certain adverse United States federal income tax consequences could apply to such United States Holders. See “Taxation — United States Federal Income Taxation — Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

Risks Related to Our Industry

 

Healthcare administrative authorities in China currently set procurement quotas for certain types of medical equipment.

 

The procurement, installation and operation of large medical equipment in China are regulated by the Rules on Procurement and Use of Large Medical Equipment issued on December 31, 2004 by the MOH, the NDRC, and the Ministry of Finance. Pursuant to these rules, quotas for large medical equipment are set by the NDRC and the MOH or the relevant provincial healthcare administrative authorities, and hospitals must obtain a large medical equipment procurement license prior to the procurement of any such equipment. For medical equipment classified as Class A large medical equipment, which includes gamma knife systems, proton beam therapy systems and PET-CT scanners, procurement planning and approval are conducted by the MOH and the NDRC and large medical equipment procurement licenses are issued by the MOH. For medical equipment classified as Class B large medical equipment, which includes linear accelerators and MRI and CT scanners, procurement planning and approval are conducted by the relevant provincial healthcare administrative authorities with ratification by the MOH and the large medical equipment procurement licenses are issued by the relevant provincial healthcare administrative authorities. These rules apply to all public and private civilian medical institutions, whether non-profit or for-profit. Although these rules do not directly apply to military hospitals in China, which are hospitals owned and regulated by the military but are otherwise the same as other government-owned civilian hospitals open to the public, they are used as a reference by the healthcare administrative authority of the general logistics department of the PRC People’s Liberation Army, or the PLA, in approving the procurement of such medical equipment. The procurement regulations stipulate that from 2007 to 2010, the issuance of procurement licenses for no more than 60 head gamma knife systems shall be approved nationwide. Of these 60 systems, 37 have already been allocated as of the date of this prospectus, out of which four have been allocated to our hospital partners. In addition, procurement regulations stipulate that from 2008 to 2010, the total number of PET-CT large medical equipment procurement licenses issued in China cannot exceed 38. Of these 38 systems, 26 have already been allocated as of the date of this prospectus, out of which none has been allocated to our hospital partners since all of our partner hospitals where our PET-CT scanners are located are military hospitals as of the date of this prospectus. There is currently no guidance as to the total number of Class A large medical equipment procurement licenses that may be issued for other types of Class A large medical equipment that the centers in our network operate. In addition, many provincial administrative authorities do not provide the general public with information on their procurement planning and quotas for Class B large medical equipment procurement licenses, if any. Although we do not expect the current number of procurement licenses available to have a significant impact on our existing expansion plan until the end of 2010, any unexpected change as to the number of procurement licenses currently available as a result of any change in government policy, increases in competition and the number of applicants for the procurement licenses or other factors, or any failure of our hospital partners to obtain such licenses as expected, could all adversely affect our existing expansion plan resulting in a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the limitation on the number of procurement licenses available and any adverse change to such procurement licenses available in the future may affect our expansion plan after 2010, which could have a material adverse effect on our future prospects.

 

In addition, for most of the medical equipment that we intend to install and operate in our specialty cancer hospitals, we will need to obtain large medical equipment procurement licenses from the MOH or provincial level healthcare administrative authorities. Such licenses might not be obtained in a timely manner or at all, which could delay or prevent the opening of our specialty cancer hospitals, and could have a material adverse effect on our growth strategy and results of operations. See “— Risks Related to Our Business — We are planning to establish and operate specialty cancer hospitals that are majority owned by us and are subject to significant risks.”

 

Certain of our hospital partners have not received large medical equipment procurement licenses or interim procurement permits for some of the medical equipment in our network of centers which could result in fines or the suspension from use of such medical equipment.

 

The quota requirement for large medical equipment procurement became effective in March 2005. A medical institution that houses equipment purchased prior to that time is required to retroactively apply for and obtain a large medical equipment procurement license. If a medical institution is unable to obtain a procurement license as a result

of a lack of procurement quotas for such medical equipment allocated to the region in which the medical institution is located, an interim procurement permit for large medical equipment must be obtained in lieu thereof. As of the date of this prospectus, of the 73 units of medical equipment in the centers in our network that are subject to large medical equipment procurement quota requirements, 41 were issued with a procurement license, three were issued with an interim procurement permit subsequent to the implementation of the quota requirement, 21 were issued with procurement permits or authorizations by competent regulatory authorities prior to the implementation of the quota requirement but have not received new procurement licenses or interim procurement permits under the quota requirements that became effective in 2005, and eight, which accounted for approximately 8.4% and 7.2% of our total net revenues in 2008 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, respectively, have not yet been issued with any procurement license or permit. Although our hospital partners have applied to the competent regulatory authorities for procurement licenses for these last 29 centers, we cannot assure you that they will be successful. If our hospital partners fail to receive either a procurement license or an interim procurement permit, the centers in our network operating such medical equipment may be required to discontinue operations and may be deprived of the revenue derived from the operation of such equipment or assessed a fine, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

 

Based on the opinion of our PRC counsel, Jingtian & Gongcheng Attorneys At Law, we believe that the 21 units of equipment, for which procurement permits or authorizations were obtained from the regulatory authorities prior to the implementation of the quota requirement but no new procurement licenses or interim procurement permits under the 2005 quota requirements have been issued, are unlikely to face fines or other penalties from such regulatory authorities, although we cannot be certain. These 21 units of equipment accounted for approximately 28.6% and 19.6% of our total net revenues in 2008 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, respectively. In addition, for the three units of medical equipment that were issued with interim procurement permits subsequent to the implementation of the quota requirement, the relevant regulations require that hospitals pay taxes derived from the use of equipment covered by such interim permits, which may increase the operating costs of the centers in our network that operate such equipment. Also, upon the expiration of the useful life of medical equipment issued with interim procurement permits, hospitals are not permitted to replace such medical equipment with a newer model, in which case we may not be able to continue or renew our agreements with such hospital partners with interim procurement permits for medical equipment reaching the end of its life unless they are able to obtain a new procurement license.

 

Pricing for the services provided by our network of centers may be adversely affected by reductions in treatment fees set by the Chinese government.

 

Centers in our network are primarily located in non-profit civilian and military hospitals in China. The medical service fees charged by these non-profit hospitals are subject to price ceilings set by the relevant provincial or regional price control authorities and healthcare administrative authorities in accordance with the Opinion Concerning the Reform of Medical Service Pricing Management issued on July 20, 2000 by the NDRC and the MOH. See “Regulation of Our Industry.” These price ceilings can be adjusted by those authorities downwards or upwards from time to time. For example, in 2006, treatment fees for the head gamma knife in one of the centers in our network decreased by approximately 30% and in 2007, and treatment fees for the body gamma knife in one of the centers in our network decreased by approximately 25%. However, overall, the average medical service fees for each of the treatments and diagnostic imaging services provided across our network of centers have remained stable since 2007. The relevant price control authorities and healthcare administrative authorities provide notices to hospitals, who in turn provide immediate notice to us, as to any change in the pricing ceiling for medical services. The timing between when notices are provided by the relevant price control authorities and healthcare administrative authorities and the effective date of such pricing change varies in different cities and regions as well as the relevant medical services in question, but typically ranges from one to three months. If treatment fees for the services provided by the centers in our network are reduced by the government, our contracted percentage of each center’s revenue net of specified operating expenses may decrease, hospitals may be discouraged from entering into or renewing their agreements with us, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our business may be harmed by technological and therapeutic changes or by shifts in doctors’ or patients’ preferences for alternative treatments.

 

The treatment of cancer patients is subject to potentially revolutionary technological and therapeutic changes. Future technological developments could render our equipment and the services provided in our network of centers obsolete. We may incur significant costs in replacing or modifying equipment in which we have already made a substantial investment prior to the end of its anticipated useful life. In addition, there may be significant advances in other cancer treatment methods, such as chemotherapy, surgery, biological therapy, or in cancer prevention techniques, which could reduce demand or even eliminate the need for the radiotherapy services that we provide. Also, patients and doctors may choose alternative cancer therapies over radiotherapy due to any number of reasons. Any shifts in doctors’ or patients’ preferences for other cancer therapies over radiotherapy may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The technology used in some of our radiotherapy equipment, particularly our body gamma knife and our proton beam therapy system, has been in use for a limited period of time and the international medical community has not yet developed a large quantity of peer-reviewed literature that supports their safe and effective use.

 

The technology in some of our radiotherapy equipment, particularly the body gamma knife system and the proton beam therapy system, has been in use for a limited period of time, and the international medical community has not yet developed a large quantity of peer-reviewed literature that supports their safe and effective use. As a result, such technology may not continue to gain acceptance by doctors and patients in China or may lose any acceptance such technology has previously gained if negative information were to emerge concerning their effectiveness or safety. As our agreements with manufacturers do not directly address such contingencies, we cannot assure you that equipment manufacturers would allow us to return their equipment or to otherwise reimburse us for any losses that we may suffer under all such circumstances. Since each unit of our medical equipment represents a significant investment, any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

 

Our business may be adversely affected by impending healthcare reforms in China.

 

In January 2009, the Chinese government approved in principle a healthcare reform plan to address the affordability of healthcare services, the rural healthcare system and healthcare service quality in China. In March, 2009, the Chinese government published the healthcare reform plan for 2009 to 2010, which broadly addressed medical insurance coverage, essential medicines, provision of basic healthcare services and reform of public hospitals. The published healthcare reform plan also called for additional government spending on healthcare over the next three years of RMB850.0 billion to support the reform plan. Many details related to the implementation of the healthcare reform plan are not yet clear. Any policy changes that, for example, reduce treatment fees or provide more funding for hospitals to purchase their own equipment, may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Some details of the implementation of the healthcare reform that have been published, including a policy drafted jointly by five ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, NDRC and MOH, providing general principles and guidelines for government subsidies and investments in the public healthcare system, a policy statement allowing doctors to practice in up to three hospital within the same province, and the release of a list of 307 essential drugs whose prices are subject to central government guidelines and provincial government tenders. The distribution of these drugs is expected to encompass all government-owned healthcare facilities by 2020.

 

In addition, the government has implemented a pilot plan as to the new rural healthcare insurance program whereby patients are required to pay hospitals only a portion of their medical expenses upfront and hospitals are required to seek payment of the balance from the government. Any resulting disputes or late or delinquent reimbursement payments may affect the collection of revenue at our network of centers and could increase our accounts receivables days.

We or our hospital partners may be unable to obtain various permits and authorizations from regulatory authorities in China relating to our medical equipment, which could delay the installation or interrupt the operation of our equipment.

 

For our hospital-based centers, our hospital partners are required to obtain a radiation safety permit from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, or MEP, and a radiotherapy permit from the competent healthcare administrative authorities in order to operate the medical equipment in our network of centers that contains radioactive materials or emit radiation during operation. Our hospital partners are also required to obtain a radiation worker permit from the competent provincial healthcare administrative authorities for each medical technician who operates such equipment. Any failure on the part of our hospital partners to obtain approvals or renewals of these permits from the MEP or the competent healthcare administrative authorities could delay the installation, or interrupt the operation, of our medical equipment, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

 

Each of our planned specialty cancer hospitals that will be majority owned by us will be required to obtain a radiation safety permit from the MEP and a radiotherapy permit as well as a medical institution practicing license and radiation worker permits for our staff from the relevant provincial healthcare administrative authorities. Any failure on our part to obtain approvals or renewals of these permits could delay the opening, or interrupt the operation, of our specialty cancer hospitals, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. For more information on risks related to our planned specialty cancer hospitals, see “— Risks Related to Our Business — We are planning to establish and operate specialty cancer hospitals that are majority owned by us and are subject to significant risks.”

 

If the government and public insurers in the PRC do not continue to provide sufficient coverage and reimbursement for the radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging services provided by our network of centers, our revenues could be adversely affected.

 

Although self payments account for a high percentage of total medical expenses in China, approximately 20.4% of total medical expenses were sourced from direct payments by the government and approximately 34.5% of total medical expenses were sourced from government-directed public medical insurance schemes, commercial insurance plans and employers in 2007, according to the MOH. For public servants and others covered by 1989 Administrative Measure on Public Health Service and the 1997 Circular of Reimbursement Coverage of Large Medical Equipment of Public Health Service , the government currently either fully or partially reimburses medical expenses for certain approved cancer diagnosis and radiotherapy treatment services, including treatments utilizing linear accelerators and diagnostic imaging services utilizing CT and MRI scanners. However, gamma knife treatments and PET scans are currently not eligible for reimbursement under this plan. Urban residents in China are covered by one of two urban public medical insurance schemes and rural residents are covered under a new rural healthcare insurance program launched in 2003. The urban employees basic medical insurance scheme, which covers employed urban residents, partially reimburses urban workers for treatments utilizing linear accelerators and gamma knife systems and diagnostic imaging services utilizing CT and MRI scanners, with reimbursement levels varying from province to province. For urban non-workers and rural residents, the types of cancer diagnosis and radiotherapy treatments that are covered are generally set with reference to the policy for urban employees in the same region of the country, but the reimbursement levels for covered medical expenses for urban non-workers and rural residents, which vary widely from region to region and treatment to treatment, are generally lower than those for urban employees in the same region. See “Regulation of Our Industry — Medical Insurance Coverage” for more information. We cannot assure you that the current coverage or reimbursement levels for cancer diagnosis or radiotherapy treatments will persist. If the national or provincial authorities in China decide to reduce the coverage or reimbursement levels for the radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging services provided by our network of centers, patients may opt for or be forced to resort to other forms of cancer therapy and our business, financial condition and results of operation could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

 

Adverse changes in political, economic and other policies of the Chinese government could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could materially and adversely affect the growth of our business and our competitive position.

 

All of our business operations are conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects are affected significantly by economic, political and legal developments in China. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including:

 

 

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth in the past 30 years, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The Chinese economy has also experienced certain adverse effects due to the recent global financial crisis. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us.

 

The Chinese economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy. Although in recent years the Chinese government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of sound corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of the productive assets in China is still owned by the Chinese government. The continued control of these assets and other aspects of the national economy by the Chinese government could materially and adversely affect our business. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over Chinese economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

 

Any adverse change in the economic conditions or government policies in China could have a material adverse effect on overall economic growth and the level of healthcare investments and expenditures in China, which in turn could lead to a reduction in demand for our products and consequently have a material adverse effect on our businesses.