Management’s Initial Response to Seeking Alpha October 11, 2015
Nobilis’ Management has reviewed the inflammatory and slanderous anonymous blogger’s posting on the crowd funded tabloid Seeking Alpha and has prepared the following brief response to that posting’s most outrageous innuendo. While the Company does not make a habit of responding to bloggers or commenters in other investors forums, least of all anonymous ones, it is making an exception in this case because of the clear harm done to the Company’s shareholders, which was the obvious intent of this blogger and those colluding with him or her to manipulate our Company’s stock price for their self- interested gain.
1. The So-Called Accounting Red-Flags are Simply Red-Herrings.
Each allegation implying that there is financial impropriety at the Company is belied by the facts as detailed in the Company’s corporate disclosure.
FACT: There are no auditor issues. The Company’s prior auditor, the regional firm Calvetti Ferguson and Wagner, resigned at the Company’s request to make way for Crowe Horwath, a nationally-recognized accounting firm, to assume the role. This change was a continuous subject of discussion with our institutional investors. The 8-K announcing the resignation, as required by law, clearly stated that Calvetti’s resignation was not the result of any dispute with the Company. Additionally, Calvetti continues to work with the Company on internal controls auditor – a fact omitted by the anonymous blogger in order to mislead the investing public.
FACT: There are no personnel troubles at CFO. Four of the Company’s last five CFOs remain engaged with the Company, in the various roles of Chairman, Executive Vice President of Finance, Tax Counsel, and as the current CFO. The changes were made as the Company quickly outgrew the expertise of each successive CFO. It is thus outrageous for the anonymous blogger to imply that the change in CFO was to somehow hide information. Every CFO is available to assist the new auditors with any questions they may have and are prepared to stand behind their accounting – another fact omitted by the anonymous blogger in order to mislead the investing public.
FACT: There are no accounts receivable issues with Accurascope-branded procedures. The anonymous blogger misconstrues and misunderstands the way that Accurascope-branded procedures are billed. Such procedures are billed under several codes depending on the unique surgery selected by the physician for a given patient. The fact is that a “brand” is not the same as a “CPT code”. The anonymous blogger is using a false distinction to mislead investors – our revenues bear this out. Further, the collectability of accounts receivable owed to now-bankrupt companies is utterly irrelevant to the collectability of Nobilis’ accounts receivable. The reasons behind Victory Healthcare’s inability to collect accounts receivable is related to historical issues at Victory that are in no way, shape or form related to Nobilis – yet another fact omitted by the anonymous blogger in order to mislead the investing public.
2. Our “Questionable Marketing” is Unquestionably Appropriate and Unquestionably Successful.