RISK FACTORS

FINANCIAL AND GENERAL BUSINESS RISKS

Our subsidiary the Naples Women’s Center, currently our only source of income, has achieved profitability and incurred losses in the past and may not be able to achieve profitability in the future.

Even though our subsidiary the Naples Women’s Center (“NWC”) was established in 1996, it is subject to many of the risks inherent in the practice of medicine. We cannot give any assurance that NWC’s operations will continue as currently intended and no assurance can be given that we can continue to receive reimbursement from third party payers. Further, changes in Healthcare regulations in the coming years may negatively impact our operations. NWC realized segment income from operations for the year ended December 31, 2015, but incurred segment losses in the year ended December 31, 2014 and nine months ended September 30, 2016. We expect to hire approximately five additional new physicians over the next two to five years, which will result in increased costs and expenses, which may result in future operating losses.

We may never be able to implement our proposed online personal medical information and archiving system and as such, an investment in us at this stage of our business is extremely risky.

The HealthLynked Network is in the developmental stages and we currently anticipate launching the network sometime during the first six months of 2017. However, we cannot guarantee how long it will take us to develop our technology. In addition, we cannot predict whether physicians and patients will adopt our technology, or even if they do, the timing of such adoption. Further, it is possible that other competitors will greater resources could enter the market and make it more difficult for us to attract or keep customers. Consequently, at this phase of our development, our future is speculative and depends on the proper execution of our business model.

No assurance can be given that we will be able to timely repay the amounts due on the Convertible Notes.

At the present time, no assurance can be given that we will earn sufficient revenues or secure the necessary financing, if needed, to timely pay the amounts owed under the Convertible Notes. The Secured Note is secured by substantially all of our assets, including, but not limited to, receivables of NWC, machinery, equipment, contracts rights, and letters of credits. If we fail to timely repay the amounts owed under the Secured Note, a default may allow the lender under the relevant instruments to accelerate the related debt and to exercise their remedies under these agreements, which will typically include the right to declare the principal amount of that debt, together with accrued and unpaid interest and other related amounts, immediately due and payable, to exercise any remedies the lender may have to foreclose on assets that are subject to liens securing that debt. As of December 31, 2016, $566,003 in principal and interest was outstanding under the Secured Note and $54,425 in principal and interest was outstanding under the Fee Note. We expect to repay the Convertible Notes from outside funding sources, including but not limited to amounts available upon the exercise of the Put Right granted to us under the Investment Agreement, sales of our equity, loans from related parties and others, or to satisfy the Convertible Notes through the issuance of shares upon conversion pursuant to the terms of the Convertible Notes. No assurances can be given that we will be able to access sufficient outside capital in a timely fashion in order to repay the Convertible Notes before they mature. In order to access cash available under the Investment Agreement or satisfy the Convertible Notes through the issuance of shares upon conversion, our common stock must be listed on a recognized stock exchange or market and the shares underlying the arrangement must be subject to an effective registration statement. If we are unable to meet these requirements, we will not have access to funds under this arrangement.

We have substantial future capital needs and our ability to continue as a going concern depends upon our ability to raise additional capital and achieve profitable operations.

We currently anticipate that our available cash resources will be sufficient to meet our presently anticipated working capital requirements through the first quarter of 2017. However, we anticipate that we will need an additional $750,000 in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2017 to properly execute our business plan. We may also need to raise additional funds in order to support more rapid expansion, develop new or enhanced services and products, hire employees, respond to competitive pressures, acquire technologies or respond to unanticipated requirements. Management's plans include attempting to improve our profitability and our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet our operating needs on a timely basis, obtaining additional working capital funds through equity and debt financing arrangements, and restructuring on-going operations to eliminate inefficiencies to increase our cash balances. However, there can be no assurance that these plans and arrangements will be sufficient to fund our ongoing capital expenditures, working capital, and other requirements. Management intends to make every effort to identify and develop sources of funds. The outcome of these matters cannot be predicted at this time. There can be no assurance that any additional financings will be available to the Company on satisfactory terms and conditions, if at all. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to develop or enhance our services and products, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. Further, we may seek to raise additional funds through the issuance of equity securities, in which case, the percentage ownership of our shareholders will be reduced and holders may experience additional dilution in net book value per share.

Our future success depends on our ability to execute our business plan by fully developing our online medical records platform and recruiting physicians and patients to adopt and use the system. However, there is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully implement our business plan.

Our operations to date have been limited to the medical services provided by the NWC. The online medical records platform we seek to provide through the HealthLynked Network is in the early stages of development and as such, we have not yet demonstrated our ability to successfully develop or market this platform. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not entered into any agreements with third party doctors or patients to use our system for their medical records and there is no assurance that we will be able to enter into such agreements in the future.

We may not be able to effectively control and manage our growth.

Our strategy envisions a period of potentially rapid growth in our physician network over the next five years based on aggressively increasing our marketing efforts. We intend to rely on the efforts of our newly engaged Chief Commercial Officer to attempt to enroll over 2,000 new physicians by December 2017 with that level of growth doubling every year over the next five years. We currently maintain a small in house programming, IT, administrative and sales personnel. The capacity to service the online medical records platform and our expected growth may impose a significant burden on our future planned administrative and operational resources. The growth of our business may require significant investments of capital and increased demands on our management, workforce and facilities. We will be required to substantially expand our administrative and operational resources and attract, train, manage and retain qualified employees, management and other personnel. Failure to do so, or to satisfy such increased demands would interrupt or have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The departure or loss of Dr. Michael Dent could disrupt our business.

We depend heavily on the continued efforts of Dr. Michael Dent, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Dr. Dent is essential to our strategic vision and day-to-day operations and would be difficult to replace. While we have entered into a four-year written employment contract with Dr. Dent effective July 1, 2016, we cannot be certain that Dr. Dent will continue with us for any particular period of time. The departure or loss of Dr. Dent, or the inability to hire and retain a qualified replacement, could negatively impact our ability to manage our business.

The departure or loss of Robert Horel, our Chief Commercial Officer, could disrupt our business.

We depend heavily on the continued efforts of Robert Horel, our Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Horel’s expertise and contacts are essential to our sales strategy and would be difficult to replace. While we have entered into a written employment contract with Mr. Horel effective November 28, 2016, we cannot be certain that Mr. Horel will continue with us for any particular period of time. The departure or loss of Mr. Horel, or the inability to hire and retain a qualified replacement, could negatively impact our ability to manage our business.

George O’Leary may devote only a portion of his business time to us, which could materially and adversely affect us and our business .

Mr. O’Leary, our Chief Financial Officer, has entered into a two-year consultancy agreement with us effective July 1, 2016. However, under the terms of such agreement, he is not required to work exclusively for us and does not devote all of his time to our operations. Presently, Mr. O’Leary allocates only a portion of his time to the operation of our business. As Mr. O’Leary is currently providing consulting services elsewhere in addition to serving as our Chief Financial Officer, he is able to commit to us only up to twenty-five hours a week but is not obligated to devote any particular amount of time to our business or affairs.

The healthcare industry is highly regulated, and government authorities may determine that we have failed to comply with applicable laws, rules or regulations.

The healthcare industry, healthcare information technology, the online medical records platform services that we provide and the physicians’ medical practices we engage in through NWC are subject to extensive and complex federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations, compliance with which imposes substantial costs on us. Of particular importance are the provisions summarized as follows:

In addition, we believe that our business, including the business conducted through NWC, will continue to be subject to increasing regulation, the scope and effect of which we cannot predict.

We may in the future become the subject of regulatory or other investigations or proceedings, and our interpretations of applicable laws, rules and regulations may be challenged. For example, regulatory authorities or other parties may assert that our arrangements with the physicians using the HealthLynked Network constitute fee splitting and seek to invalidate these arrangements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the trading price of our common stock. Regulatory authorities or other parties also could assert that our relationships violate the anti-kickback, fee splitting or self-referral laws and regulations. Such investigations, proceedings and challenges could result in substantial defense costs to us and a diversion of management’s time and attention. In addition, violations of these laws are punishable by monetary fines, civil and criminal penalties, exclusion from participation in government-sponsored healthcare programs, and forfeiture of amounts collected in violation of such laws and regulations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our overall business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the trading price of our common stock.

Federal and state laws that protect the privacy and security of protected health information may increase our costs and limit our ability to collect and use that information and subject us to penalties if we are unable to fully comply with such laws.

Numerous federal and state laws and regulations govern the collection, dissemination, use, security and confidentiality of individually identifiable health information. These laws include:

Through the HealthLynked Network, we collect and maintain protected health information in paper and electronic format. New protected health information standards, whether implemented pursuant to HIPAA, HITECH, congressional action or otherwise, could have a significant effect on the manner in which we handle healthcare-related data and communicate with third parties, and compliance with these standards could impose significant costs on us, or limit our ability to offer certain services, thereby negatively impacting the business opportunities available to us.

In addition, if we do not comply with existing or new laws and regulations related to protected health information, we could be subject to remedies that include monetary fines, civil or administrative penalties, civil damage awards or criminal sanctions.

RISKS RELATED TO THE HEALTHLYNKED NETWORK

The market for Internet-based personal medical information and record archiving systems may not develop substantially further or develop more slowly than we expect, harming the growth of our business.

It is uncertain whether personal medical information and record archiving systems will achieve and sustain the high levels of demand and market acceptance we anticipate. Further, even though we expect NWC patients and physicians to use the HealthLynked Network, our success will depend, to a substantial extent, on the willingness of unaffiliated patients, physicians and hospitals to use our services. Some patients, physicians and hospitals may be reluctant or unwilling to use our services, because they may have concerns regarding the risks associated with the security and reliability, among other things, of the technology model associated with these services. If our target users do not believe our systems are secure and reliable, then the market for these services may not expand as much or develop as quickly as we expect, either of which would significantly adversely affect our business, financial condition, or operating results.

If we do not continue to innovate and provide services that are useful to our target users, we may not remain competitive, and our revenues and operating results could suffer.

Our success depends on our ability to keep pace with technological developments, satisfy increasingly sophisticated client requirements, and obtain market acceptance. Our competitors are constantly developing products and services that may become more efficient or appealing to our clients and users. As a result, we will be required to invest significant resources in research and development in order to enhance our existing services and introduce new high-quality services that clients and users will want, while offering these services at competitive prices.

If we are unable to predict user preferences or industry changes, or if we are unable to modify our services on a timely or cost-effective basis, we may lose clients and target users. Our operating results would also suffer if our innovations are not responsive to the needs of our clients and users, are not appropriately timed with market opportunity, or are not effectively brought to market. As technology continues to develop, our competitors may be able to offer results that are, or that are perceived to be, substantially similar to or better than those generated by our services. This may force us to compete on additional service attributes and to expend significant resources in order to remain competitive.

Failure to manage our rapid growth effectively could increase our expenses, decrease our revenue, and prevent us from implementing our business strategy.

To manage our anticipated future growth effectively, we will need to enhance our information technology infrastructure and financial and accounting systems and controls, as well as manage expanded operations in geographically distributed locations. We also must engage and retain a significant number of qualified professional services personnel, software engineers, technical personnel, and management personnel. Failure to manage our rapid growth effectively could lead us to over-invest or under-invest in technology and operations; result in weaknesses in our infrastructure, systems, or controls; give rise to operational mistakes, losses, or loss of productivity or business opportunities; reduce client or user satisfaction; limit our ability to respond to competitive pressures; and could also result in loss of employees and reduced productivity of remaining employees. Our growth could require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources and management attention from other projects, such as the development of new or enhanced services. If our management is unable to effectively manage our growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, our revenue could decline or may grow more slowly than expected, and we may be unable to implement our business strategy

We may be unable to adequately protect, and we may incur significant costs in enforcing, our intellectual property and other proprietary rights.

Our success depends in part on our ability to enforce our intellectual property and other proprietary rights. We expect to rely upon a combination of copyright, trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition laws, as well as license and access agreements and other contractual provisions, to protect these rights.

Our attempts to protect our intellectual property through copyright, patent, and trademark registration may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. While we intend to submit patent applications covering our integrated technology during 2017, the scope of issued patents, if any, may be insufficient to prevent competitors from providing products and services similar to ours, our patents may be successfully challenged, and we may not be able to obtain additional meaningful patent protection in the future. There can be no assurance that our patent registration efforts will be successful.

Our expected agreements with clients, users, vendors and strategic partners will limit their use of, and allow us to retain our rights in, our intellectual property and proprietary information. Further, we anticipate that these agreements will grant us ownership of intellectual property created in the performance of those agreements to the extent that it relates to the provision of our services. In addition, we require certain of our employees and consultants to enter into confidentiality, non-competition, and assignment of inventions agreements. We also require certain of our vendors and strategic partners to agree to contract provisions regarding confidentiality and non-competition. However, no assurance can be given that these agreements will not be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. Further, no assurance can be given that these agreements will be effective in preventing the unauthorized access to, or use of, our proprietary information or the reverse engineering of our technology. Agreement terms that address non-competition are difficult to enforce in many jurisdictions and may not be enforceable in any particular case. In any event, these agreements do not prevent our competitors from independently developing technology or authoring clinical information that is substantially equivalent or superior to our technology or the information we distribute.

To the extent that our intellectual property and other proprietary rights are not adequately protected, third parties might gain access to our proprietary information, develop and market products or services similar to ours, or use trademarks similar to ours, each of which could materially harm our business. Existing U.S. federal and state intellectual property laws offer only limited protection. In addition, if we resort to legal proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights or to determine the validity and scope of the intellectual property or other proprietary rights of others, the proceedings could be burdensome and expensive, even if we were to prevail. Any litigation that may be necessary in the future could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, or financial condition.

In addition, our platforms incorporate “open source” software components that are licensed to us under various public domain licenses. While we believe that we have complied with our obligations under the various applicable licenses for open source software that we use, open source license terms are often ambiguous, and there is little or no legal precedent governing the interpretation of many of the terms of certain of these licenses. Therefore, the potential impact of such terms on our business is somewhat unknown. For example, some open source licenses require that those using the associated code disclose modifications made to that code and such modifications be licensed to third parties at no cost. We monitor our use of open source software in an effort to avoid uses in a manner that would require us to disclose or grant licenses under our proprietary source code. However, there can be no assurance that such efforts will be successful, and such use could inadvertently occur.

We may be sued by third parties for alleged infringement of their proprietary rights.

The software and Internet industries are characterized by the existence of a large number of patents, trademarks, and copyrights and by frequent litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We may receive in the future communications from third parties claiming that we, our technology, or components thereof, infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. We may not be able to withstand such third-party claims against our technology, and we could lose the right to use third-party technologies that are the subject of such claims. Any intellectual property claims, whether with or without merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to resolve, divert management attention from executing our business plan, and require us to pay monetary damages or enter into royalty or licensing agreements. Although we intend that many of our third-party service providers will be obligated to indemnify us if their products infringe the rights of others, such indemnification may not be effective or adequate to protect us or the indemnifying party may be unable to uphold its contractual obligations.

Moreover, any settlement or adverse judgment resulting from such a claim could require us to pay substantial amounts of money or obtain a license to continue to use the technology or information that is the subject of the claim, or otherwise restrict or prohibit our use of the technology or information. There can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain a license on commercially reasonable terms, if at all, from third parties asserting an infringement claim; that we would be able to develop alternative technology on a timely basis, if at all; that we would be able to obtain a license to use a suitable alternative technology or information to permit us to continue offering, and our clients to continue using, our affected services; or that we would not need to change our product and design plans, which could require us to redesign affected products or services or delay new offerings. Accordingly, an adverse determination could prevent us from implementing our strategy or offering our services and products, as currently contemplated.

We may not be able to properly safeguard the information on the HealthLynked Network.

Information security risks have generally increased in recent years because of new technologies and the increased activities of perpetrators of cyber-attacks resulting in the theft of protected health, business or financial information. A failure in, or a breach of our information systems as a result of cyber attacks could disrupt our business, result in the release or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, damage our reputation, and increase our administrative expenses. Although we plan to have robust information security procedures and other safeguards in place, as cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to enhance our information security measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities. Any of these disruptions or breaches of security could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our employees may not take all appropriate measures to secure and protect confidential information in their possession.

Each of our employees is advised that they are responsible for the security of the information in our systems and to ensure that private information is kept confidential. Should an employee not follow appropriate security measures, including those that have been put in place to prevent cyber threats or attacks, the improper release of protected health information could result. The release of such information could have a material adverse effect our reputation and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

RISKS RELATED TO THE PROVISION OF MEDICAL SERVICES BY NWC

Continuing unfavorable economic conditions could have an adverse effect on our business.

Although economic conditions in the United States have gradually improved, the number of unemployed and under-employed workers remains significant and economic growth has been slow. The percentage of our patient services provided through NWC that are being reimbursed under government-sponsored healthcare programs could increase if economic conditions do not improve or if they deteriorate and possibly lower patient volumes. These conditions could also lead to additional increases in the number of unemployed and under-employed workers and a decline in the number of private employers that offer healthcare insurance coverage to their employees. Employers that do offer healthcare coverage may increase the required contributions from employees to pay for their coverage and increase patient responsibility amounts. As a consequence, the number of patients who participate in government-sponsored programs or are uninsured could increase. In addition, due to the rising costs of managed care premiums and patient responsibility amounts, coupled with the current economic environment, NWC may experience increased bad debt due to patients’ inability to pay for certain services. Further, it is too early to determine whether the Affordable Care Act will increase or decrease the number of our patients with private healthcare insurance, obtained either through employers or the recently established insurance exchanges. Payments received from government-sponsored programs are substantially less than payments received from private healthcare insurance programs (managed care and other third-party payors). In addition, payments under the recently established health care exchanges may be less than payments from private healthcare insurance programs. A payor mix shift from private healthcare insurance programs to government payors may result in an increase in NWC’s estimated provision for contractual adjustments and uncollectible amounts and a corresponding decrease in our net patient service revenue. Further increases in the government component of our payor mix at the expense of other third-party payors could result in a significant reduction in our average reimbursement rates.

Any state budgetary constraints could have an adverse effect on our reimbursement from Medicaid programs .

As a result of slow economic growth and volatile economic conditions, many states are continuing to collect less revenue than they did in prior years and as a consequence are facing budget shortfalls and underfunded pension and other obligations. Although the shortfalls for the more recent budgetary years have declined, they are still significant by historical standards. The financial condition in Florida or other states in which we may in the future could lead to reduced or delayed funding for Medicaid programs and, in turn, reduced or delayed reimbursement for physician services, which could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

The Affordable Care Act may have a significant effect on our business.

The Affordable Care Act contains a number of provisions that could affect us over the next several years. These provisions include the establishment of health insurance exchanges to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans, expanding Medicaid eligibility, subsidizing insurance premiums and creating requirements and incentives for businesses to provide healthcare benefits. Other provisions contain changes to healthcare fraud and abuse laws and expand the scope of the FCA.

The Affordable Care Act contains numerous other measures that could affect us. For example, payment modifiers are being developed that will differentiate payments to physicians under federal healthcare programs based on quality and cost of care. In addition, other provisions authorize voluntary demonstration projects relating to the bundling of payments for episodes of hospital care and the sharing of cost savings achieved under the Medicare program.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued a final rule under the Affordable Care Act that is intended to allow physicians, hospitals and other health care providers to coordinate care for Medicare beneficiaries through Accountable Care Organizations (“ACOs”). ACOs are entities consisting of healthcare providers and suppliers organized to deliver services to Medicare beneficiaries and eligible to receive a share of any cost savings the entity can achieve by delivering services to those beneficiaries at a cost below a set baseline and based upon established quality of care standards. We will continue to evaluate the impact of the ACO regulations on our business and operations.

Many of the Affordable Care Act’s most significant reforms, such as the establishment of state-based and federally facilitated insurance exchanges that provide a marketplace for eligible individuals and small employers to purchase health care insurance, became effective relatively recently. On October 1, 2013, individuals began enrolling in health care insurance plans offered under these state-based and federally-facilitated insurance exchanges, notwithstanding significant technical issues in accessing and enrolling in the federal online exchange. Such issues may have delayed or reduced the purchase of health care insurance by uninsured persons. In order to be covered on the effective date of January 1, 2014 individuals were required to enroll and pay their first premium by December 24, 2013, however, extensions have been, and may continue to be granted on a case by case basis depending on specific circumstances. Uninsured persons who do not enroll in health care insurance plans by March 31, 2014 will be required to pay a penalty to the Internal Revenue Service, unless a hardship exception applies. The patient responsibility costs related to health care plans obtained through the insurance exchanges may be high, and we may experience increased bad debt due to NWC’s patients’ inability to pay for certain services.

The Affordable Care Act also allows states to expand their Medicaid programs through an increase in the Medicaid eligibility income limit from a state’s current eligibility levels to 133% of the federal poverty level. It remains unclear to what extent states will expand their Medicaid programs by raising the income limit to 133% of the federal poverty level. As a result of these and other uncertainties, we cannot predict whether there will be more uninsured patients in 2014 than anticipated when the Affordable Care Act was enacted.

The Affordable Care Act also remains subject to continuing legislative scrutiny, including efforts by Congress to amend or repeal a number of its provisions as well as administrative actions delaying the effectiveness of key provisions. As a result, we cannot predict with any assurance the ultimate effect of the Affordable Care Act on our Company, nor can we provide any assurance that its provisions will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Government-funded programs or private insurers may limit, reduce or make retroactive adjustments to reimbursement amounts or rates.

A portion of the net patient service revenue derived from services rendered through NWC is from payments made by Medicare and Medicaid and other government-sponsored or funded healthcare programs (the “GHC Programs”) . These government-funded programs, as well as private insurers, have taken and may continue to take steps, including a movement toward increased use of managed care organizations, value-based purchasing, and new patient care models to control the cost, eligibility for, use and delivery of healthcare services as a result of budgetary constraints and cost containment pressures due to unfavorable economic conditions, rising healthcare costs and for other reasons. These government-funded programs and private insurers may attempt other measures to control costs, including bundling of services and denial of, or reduction in, reimbursement for certain services and treatments. As a result, payments from government programs or private payors may decrease significantly. Also, any adjustment in Medicare reimbursement rates may have a detrimental impact on our reimbursement rates not only for Medicare patients, but also because Medicaid and other third-party payors often base their reimbursement rates on a percentage of Medicare rates. Our business may also be materially affected by limitations on, or reductions in, reimbursement amounts or rates or elimination of coverage for certain individuals or treatments. Moreover, because government-funded programs generally provide for reimbursements on a fee-schedule basis rather than on a charge-related basis, we generally cannot increase our revenues from these programs by increasing the amount we charge for services rendered by NWC’s physicians. To the extent our costs increase, we may not be able to recover our increased costs from these programs, and cost containment measures and market changes in non-government-funded insurance plans have generally restricted our ability to recover, or shift to non-governmental payors, these increased costs. In addition, funds we receive from third-party payors are subject to audit with respect to the proper billing for physician and ancillary services and, accordingly, our revenue from these programs may be adjusted retroactively. Any retroactive adjustments to our reimbursement amounts could have a material effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the trading price of our common stock.

We may become subject to billing investigations by federal and state government authorities.

Federal and state laws, rules and regulations impose substantial penalties, including criminal and civil fines, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs and imprisonment, on entities or individuals (including any individual corporate officers or physicians deemed responsible) that fraudulently or wrongfully bill government-funded programs or other third-party payors for healthcare services. CMS issued a final rule requiring states to implement a Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractor (“RAC”) program effective January 1, 2012. States are required to contract with one or more eligible Medicaid RACs to review Medicaid claims for any overpayments or underpayments, and to recoup overpayments from providers on behalf of the state. In addition, federal laws, along with a growing number of state laws, allow a private person to bring a civil action in the name of the government for false billing violations. We believe that audits, inquiries and investigations from government agencies will occur from time to time in the ordinary course of NWC’s operations, which could result in substantial defense costs to us and a diversion of management’s time and attention. We cannot predict whether any future audits, inquiries or investigations, or the public disclosure of such matters, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the trading price of our common stock.

We may not appropriately record or document the services provided by our physicians.

We must appropriately record and document the services our doctors provide to seek reimbursement for their services from third-party payors. If our physicians do not appropriately document, or where applicable, code for their services, we could be subjected to administrative, regulatory, civil, or criminal investigations or sanctions and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

We may not be able to successfully recruit and retain qualified physicians .

As part of our business plan, we may acquire other medical practices as we see fit to further develop, test and deploy the HealthLynked Network into new strategic regional areas throughout the country. We compete with many types of healthcare providers, including teaching, research and government institutions, hospitals and health systems and other practice groups, for the services of qualified doctors. We may not be able to continue to recruit new physicians or renew contracts with existing physicians on acceptable terms. If we do not do so, our ability to service execute our business plan may be adversely affected. Our founder, Dr. Michael Dent, retired in 2016 from seeing patients. We are in the process of replacing him with an experienced physician who is qualified to perform surgeries. If we are unable to replace Dr. Dent, or to find a physician who can perform the same types of procedures, including surgeries, it could have a material adverse effect on the operations of NWC.

A significant number of NWC physicians could leave our practice and we may be unable to enforce the non-competition covenants of departed employees.

We have entered into employment agreements with the current NWC physicians. Certain of our employment agreements can be terminated without cause by any party upon prior written notice. In addition, substantially all of our physicians have agreed not to compete with us within a specified geographic area for a certain period after termination of employment. The law governing non-compete agreements and other forms of restrictive covenants varies from state to state. Although we believe that the non-competition and other restrictive covenants applicable to our affiliated physicians are reasonable in scope and duration and therefore enforceable under applicable state law, courts and arbitrators in some states are reluctant to strictly enforce non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants against physicians. Our physicians may leave our practices for a variety of reasons, including providing services for other types of healthcare providers, such as teaching, research and government institutions, hospitals and health systems and other practice groups. If a substantial number of our physicians leave our practices or we are unable to enforce the non-competition covenants in the employment agreements, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially, and adversely affected. We cannot predict whether a court or arbitration panel would enforce these covenants in any particular case.

We may be subject to medical malpractice and other lawsuits not covered by insurance.

Our business entails an inherent risk of claims of medical malpractice against our affiliated physicians and us. We may also be subject to other lawsuits which may involve large claims and significant defense costs. Although we currently maintain liability insurance coverage intended to cover professional liability and other claims, there can be no assurance that our insurance coverage will be adequate to cover liabilities arising out of claims asserted against us. Liabilities in excess of our insurance coverage, including coverage for professional liability and other claims, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the trading price of our common stock. See “Description of Our Business-Professional and General Liability Coverage.”

We may not be able to collect reimbursements for our services from third-party payors in a timely manner.

A significant portion of our net patient service revenue is derived from reimbursements from various third-party payors, including GHC Programs , private insurance plans and managed care plans, for services provided by NWC physicians. We are responsible for submitting reimbursement requests to these payors and collecting the reimbursements, and we assume the financial risks relating to uncollectible and delayed reimbursements. In the current healthcare environment, payors continue their efforts to control expenditures for healthcare, including revisions to coverage and reimbursement policies. Due to the nature of our business and our participation in government-funded and private reimbursement programs, we are involved from time to time in inquiries, reviews, audits and investigations by governmental agencies and private payors of our business practices, including assessments of our compliance with coding, billing and documentation requirements. We may be required to repay these agencies or private payors if a finding is made that we were incorrectly reimbursed, or we may be subjected to pre-payment reviews, which can be time-consuming and result in non-payment or delayed payment for the services we provide. We may also experience difficulties in collecting reimbursements because third-party payors may seek to reduce or delay reimbursements to which we are entitled for services that our affiliated physicians have provided. In addition, GHC Programs may deny our application to become a participating provider that could prevent us from providing services to patients or prohibit us from billing for such services. If we are not reimbursed fully and in a timely manner for such services or there is a finding that we were incorrectly reimbursed, our revenue, cash flows and financial condition could be materially, adversely affected.

Certain federal and state laws may limit our effectiveness at collecting monies owed to us from patients.

We utilize third parties to collect from patients any co-payments and other payments for services that are provided by NWC physicians. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act restricts the methods that third-party collection companies may use to contact and seek payment from consumer debtors regarding past due accounts. State laws vary with respect to debt collection practices, although most state requirements are similar to those under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. T he Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act, is broader than the federal legislation, applying the regulations to “creditors” as well as “collectors,” whereas the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is applicable only to collectors. This prohibits creditors who are attempting to collect their own debts from engaging in behavior prohibited by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act. The Act has very specific guidelines regarding which actions debt collectors and creditors may engage in to collect unpaid debt. If our collection practices or those of our collection agencies are inconsistent with these standards, we may be subject to actual damages and penalties. These factors and events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to maintain effective and efficient information systems.

The profitability of our business, including the services provided by NWC, is dependent on uninterrupted performance of our information systems. Failure to maintain reliable information systems, disruptions in our existing information systems or the implementation of new systems could cause disruptions in our business operations, including errors and delays in billings and collections, disputes with patients and payors, violations of patient privacy and confidentiality requirements and other regulatory requirements, increased administrative expenses and other adverse consequences.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR ORGANIZATION

Our articles of incorporation authorize our board to create a new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock.

Our board of directors has the authority to fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of preferred stock. Our board of directors also has the authority to issue preferred stock without further stockholder approval. As a result, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that would grant to holders the preferred right to our assets upon liquidation, the right to receive dividend payments before dividends are distributed to the holders of common stock and the right to the redemption of the shares, together with a premium, prior to the redemption of our common stock. In addition, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that has greater voting power than our common stock or that is convertible into our common stock, which could decrease the relative voting power of our common stock or result in dilution to our existing stockholders.

Stockholder’s ability to influence corporate decisions may be limited because Michael Dent, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, currently owns a controlling percentage of our common stock.

Currently, Dr. Dent, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, beneficially owns approximately 76.5% of our outstanding common stock. As a result of this stock ownership, Dr. Dent can control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company on terms that other stockholders may desire. In addition, as the interests of Dr. Dent and our minority stockholders may not always be the same, this large concentration of voting power may lead to stockholder votes that are inconsistent with the best interests of our minority stockholders or the best interest of the Company as a whole.

If we fail to establish and maintain an effective system of internal control, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or to prevent fraud. Any inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could harm our reputation and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock.

Effective internal control is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, we may not be able to manage our business as effectively as we would if an effective control environment existed, and our business and reputation with investors may be harmed. As a result, our small size and any current internal control deficiencies may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operation and access to capital. We have not performed an in-depth analysis to determine if historical un-discovered failures of internal controls exist, and may in the future discover areas of our internal control that need improvement.

We are not currently required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, and are therefore not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose. Upon becoming a public company, we will be required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which will require our management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, we will not be required to make our first assessment of our internal control over financial reporting until the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC. To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we will need to implement additional financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures and hire accounting, finance and legal staff.

Further, our independent registered public accounting firm is not yet required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, and will not be required to do so for as long as we are an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the provisions of the JOBS Act. Please read “Summary—Emerging Growth Company Status.”

Public company compliance may make it more difficult to attract and retain officers and directors.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and new rules subsequently implemented by the SEC have required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. As a public company, we expect these new rules and regulations to increase our compliance costs and to make certain activities more time consuming and costly. As a public company, we also expect that these new rules and regulations may make it more difficult and expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance in the future and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers.