athenahealth, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2012 Results

athenahealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN) (the “Company,” “we,” or “athenahealth”), a leading provider of cloud-based electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and care coordination services to medical groups and health systems, today announced financial and operational results for the fourth quarter and full year 2012. The Company will conduct a conference call tomorrow, Friday, February 8, 2013, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results and management’s outlook for future financial and operational performance.

Total revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2012, was $116.3 million, compared to $92.5 million in the same period last year, an increase of 26%. Full year 2012 revenue was $422.3 million, compared to full year 2011 revenue of $324.1 million, an increase of 30%.

“2012 was a pivotal year for athenahealth. We delivered strong top and bottom line performance and made marked progress on our mission to be medical care givers' most trusted service,” said Jonathan Bush, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “While information liquidity in health care is mostly an abstract concept, our effort to build a sustainable, market-based national health information backbone is slowly gaining traction. Our information services cover the life cycle of a claim, the chart, the patient relationship and the hospital admission, but they are still small. We have the right model and together with our nearly 40,000 forward-thinking providers who are tapped into our cloud-based network, we are slowly connecting the synapses of health care.”

For the three months ended December 31, 2012, Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin was 63.4%, down from 64.2% in the same period last year, as the Company continues to invest in its newest service offering, athenaCoordinator^®. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA increased 31%, to $27.1 million, or 23.3% of total revenue, from Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA of $20.7 million, or 22.4% of total revenue, in the same period last year. For the three months ended December 31, 2012, GAAP net income was $5.9 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, compared to $5.3 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, in the same period last year. Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income was $10.8 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, up from $9.3 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, in the same period last year. See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

“The athenahealth team delivered another great year. We achieved our revenue growth goal of 30% for the 13th year in a row and continued our efforts to improve operational efficiencies across each of our service offerings,” said Tim Adams, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. “Our investments in growth and innovation are a sign of our commitment to our 30% growth target and to our vision of becoming an information backbone that helps health care work as it should.”

For the year ended December 31, 2012, Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin was 62.6%, down from 63.8% for full year 2011. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA grew to $90.9 million, or 21.5% of total revenue from Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA for 2011 of $70.6 million, or 21.8% of total revenue. For full year 2012, GAAP net income was $18.7 million, or $0.50 per diluted share. Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income for the year was $37.2 million, or $1.00 per diluted share. See "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.

Key metrics and milestones in the fourth quarter and full year 2012 included the following:

• $2.5 billion in collections posted to client accounts in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to $2.0 billion in the same quarter of 2011
• $9.2 billion in collections posted to client accounts in all of 2012, compared to $7.3 billion in all of 2011
• 36.4 average client Days in Accounts Receivable (DAR) in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to 38.9 average client DAR in the same quarter of 2011
• 39,752 active medical providers using athenaCollector^® at December 31, 2012, 28,011 of whom were physicians, compared to 32,740 providers and 23,210 physicians at December 31, 2011
• 10,926 active medical providers using athenaClinicals^® at December 31, 2012, 7,949 of whom were physicians, compared to 6,525 providers and 4,662 physicians at December 31, 2011
• 14,065 active medical providers using athenaCommunicator^® at December 31, 2012, 10,153 of whom were physicians, compared to 5,830 providers and 4,098 physicians at December 31, 2011

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, and available-for-sale investments of $193.1 million. The Company does not have any outstanding debt obligations.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In the Company’s earnings releases, conference calls, slide presentations, and webcasts, the Company may use or discuss non-GAAP financial measures, as defined by SEC Regulation G. The GAAP financial measure most directly comparable to each non-GAAP financial measure used or discussed, and a reconciliation of the differences between each non-GAAP financial measure and the comparable GAAP financial measure, are included in this press release after the consolidated financial statements. The Company’s earnings press releases containing such non-GAAP reconciliations can be found on the Investors section of the Company’s web site at http://www.athenahealth.com.

Conference Call Information

To participate in the Company’s live conference call and webcast, please dial 800-447-0521 (or 847-413-3238 for international calls) using conference code No. 34078406, or visit the Investors section of the Company’s web site at www.athenahealth.com. A replay will be available for one week following the conference call at 888-843-7419 (and 630-652-3042 for international calls) using conference code No. 34078406. A webcast replay will also be archived on the Company’s website.

About athenahealth

athenahealth is a leading provider of cloud-based Best in KLAS electronic health record (EHR), practice management, care coordination services to medical groups and health systems. athenahealth's mission is to be the most trusted service to medical care givers, helping them do well, doing the right thing. For more information, please visit http://www.athenahealth.com/ or call (888) 652-8200.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements reflecting management’s expectations for future financial and operational performance and operating expenditures, expected growth, and business outlook; statements regarding the benefits of the Company’s service offerings; statements regarding changes in the health care industry, including an increased emphasis on coordinated care and health information exchange, and the Company’s positioning in regard to those changes; and statements found under the Company’s “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Comparable GAAP Measures” section of this release. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and uncertainties include, among other things: the Company’s fluctuating operating results; the Company’s variable sales and implementation cycles, which may result in fluctuations in its quarterly results; risks associated with the acquisition and integration of companies and new technologies to achieve expected synergies; risks associated with its expectations regarding its ability to maintain profitability; the impact of increased sales and marketing expenditures, including whether increased expansion in revenues is attained and whether impact on margins and profitability is longer term than expected; changes in tax rates or exposure to additional tax liabilities; the highly competitive industry in which the Company operates and the relative immaturity of the market for its service offerings; and the evolving and complex governmental and regulatory compliance environment in which the Company and its clients operate. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by the Company, please see the disclosures contained in its public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available on the Investors section of the Company’s website at http://www.athenahealth.com and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin

Set forth below is a presentation of the Company’s “Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Profit” and “Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin,” which represents Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Profit as a percentage of total revenue.

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA

Set forth below is a reconciliation of the Company’s “Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA” and “Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA Margin,” which represents Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of total revenue.

Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income

Set forth below is a reconciliation of the Company’s “Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income” and “Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income Margin,” which represents Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income as a percentage of total revenue.

Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income

Set forth below is a reconciliation of the Company’s “Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income” and “Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income per Diluted Share.”

Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP. However, management believes that, in order to properly understand the Company’s short-term and long-term financial and operational trends, investors may wish to consider the impact of certain non-cash or non-recurring items, when used as a supplement to financial performance measures in accordance with GAAP. These items result from facts and circumstances that vary in frequency and impact on continuing operations. Management also uses results of operations before such items to evaluate the operating performance of the Company and compare it against past periods, make operating decisions, and serve as a basis for strategic planning. These non-GAAP financial measures provide management with additional means to understand and evaluate the operating results and trends in the Company’s ongoing business by eliminating certain non-cash expenses and other items that management believes might otherwise make comparisons of the Company’s ongoing business with prior periods more difficult, obscure trends in ongoing operations, or reduce management’s ability to make useful forecasts. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide additional means of evaluating period-over-period operating performance. In addition, management understands that some investors and financial analysts find this information helpful in analyzing the Company’s financial and operational performance and comparing this performance to its peers and competitors.

Management defines “Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Profit” as total revenue, less direct operating expense, plus (1) stock-based compensation expense allocated to direct operating expense and (2) amortization of purchased intangibles, and “Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Margin” as Non-GAAP Adjusted Gross Profit as a percentage of total revenue. Management considers these non-GAAP financial measures to be important indicators of the Company’s operational strength and performance of its business and a good measure of its historical operating trends. Moreover, management believes that these measures enable investors and financial analysts to closely monitor and understand changes in the Company’s ability to generate income from ongoing business operations.

Management defines “Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA” as the sum of GAAP net income before provision for income taxes, total other (income) expense, stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, and amortization of purchased intangibles and “Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA Margin” as Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of total revenue. Management defines “Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income” as the sum of GAAP net income before provision for income taxes, total other (income) expense, stock-based compensation expense, amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation related to software development, and amortization of purchased intangibles, and “Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income Margin” as Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income as a percentage of total revenue. Management defines “Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income” as the sum of GAAP net income before loss on interest rate derivative contract, stock-based compensation expense, amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation related to software development, amortization of purchased intangibles, and any tax impact related to these items, and “Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income per Diluted Share” as Non-GAAP Adjusted Net Income divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding. Management considers all of these non-GAAP financial measures to be important indicators of the Company’s operational strength and performance of its business and a good measure of its historical operating trends, in particular the extent to which ongoing operations impact the Company’s overall financial performance.

Management excludes each of the items identified below from the applicable non-GAAP financial measure referenced above for the reasons set forth with respect to that excluded item:

• Stock-based compensation expense and amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation related to software development — excluded because these are non-cash expenditures that management does not consider part of ongoing operating results when assessing the performance of the Company’s business, and also because the total amount of the expenditure is partially outside of the Company’s control because it is based on factors such as stock price, volatility, and interest rates, which may be unrelated to the Company’s performance during the period in which the expense is incurred.
• Amortization of purchased intangibles — purchased intangibles are amortized over their estimated useful life and generally cannot be changed or influenced by management after the acquisition. Accordingly, this item is not considered by management in making operating decisions. Thus, including such charge does not accurately reflect the performance of the Company’s ongoing operations for the period in which such charge is incurred.
• Gains and losses on interest rate derivative contract — excluded because, until they are realized, to the extent these gains or losses impact a period presented, management does not believe that they reflect the underlying performance of ongoing business operations for such period.