EX-99.1 15 g87450exv99w1.htm EX-99.1 AMENDED & RESTATED AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER EX-99.1 AMENDED & RESTATED AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
 

Exhibit 99.1

WebMD Corporation

Amended and Restated Audit Committee Charter

As Adopted on February 27, 2004

A.  Purpose and Role

1.   General. The Audit Committee (the “Committee”) has been established by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of WebMD Corporation (the “Corporation”) to oversee:

    the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Corporation,
 
    the audits of the Corporation’s financial statements, and
 
    related matters, including administration of the Corporation’s Code of Business Conduct;
 
    with such oversight responsibilities being delegated by the Board to the Committee to the full extent contemplated by the requirements applicable to audit committees of companies listed for quotation on the NASDAQ NMS under applicable law and under the listing standards of The NASDAQ Stock Market.

2.   Oversight Role. The Committee’s role is one of oversight, recognizing that the Corporation’s management is responsible for preparing the Corporation’s financial statements and that the independent auditors are responsible for auditing those financial statements. In carrying out its oversight responsibilities, the Committee is not providing any expert or professional certification as to the Corporation’s financial statements or the independent auditor’s work.
 
3.   Reporting Relationships; Retention Authority. The Corporation’s independent auditors shall report directly to the Committee and the Committee shall have the sole authority to appoint and terminate such independent auditors and to approve the amount of their compensation and shall have the authority to cause its payment by the Corporation. The Corporation’s internal audit

 


 

    function shall also report directly to the Committee. The Committee shall have the sole authority to appoint and terminate any outside parties retained by the Corporation to provide internal audit services and to approve the amount of their compensation and shall have the authority to cause its payment by the Corporation.

B.  Composition

1.   Members. The Committee shall consist of as many members as the Board shall determine, but in any event not fewer than three members. Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board in accordance with the By-laws of the Corporation. Committee members shall serve until the earliest of their resignation or their replacement or removal by the Board in accordance with this Charter and the By-laws of the Corporation.
 
2.   Qualifications. Each member of the Committee shall, in the judgment of the Board, meet the following requirements (the “Independence Requirements”):

    all independence requirements, under applicable law, for members of audit committees of companies listed for quotation on the NASDAQ NMS;
 
    all applicable independence requirements of The NASDAQ Stock Market for members of audit committees of companies listed for quotation on the NASDAQ NMS; and
 
    being free from any relationship that, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment as a member of the Committee.

    In addition, the following additional requirements (together with the Independence Requirements, the “Qualification Requirements”) shall also apply:

    each member of the Committee shall, in the judgment of the Board, meet the basic financial literacy requirements, under applicable law, for members of audit committees of companies listed for quotation on the NASDAQ NMS;
 
    each member of the Committee shall, in the judgment of the Board, meet the basic financial literacy requirements under applicable listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock Market for members of audit committees of companies listed for quotation on the NASDAQ NMS;
 
    each member of the Committee must not have participated in the preparation of the financial statements of the Corporation (or any

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      subsidiary of the Corporation) at any time during the three years prior to appointment as a member of the Committee;
 
    at least one member of the Committee shall, in the judgment of the Board, have previous employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or any other comparable experience or background which results in the individual’s financial sophistication, including being or having been a chief executive officer, chief financial officer, or other senior officer with financial oversight responsibilities (which member may be the one who is also an “audit committee financial expert” under applicable rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission); and
 
    at least one member of the Committee shall, in the judgment of the Board, be an “audit committee financial expert” under the applicable rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    In the event that the Board determines that a member ceases to meet the Qualification Requirements applicable to individual members, the Board shall consider the removal and replacement of such member; provided, however, that the Board may, if necessary or appropriate in its judgment, appoint or retain Committee members in reliance on any available exceptions to any of the Qualification Requirements for the time period such exceptions are available. A failure by one or more Committee members to meet any of the Qualification Requirements (or of there to be an “audit committee financial expert” or a Committee member meeting other qualifications required one or more Committee members) shall not invalidate decisions made, or actions taken, by the Committee.
 
3.   Chair. A Chair of the Committee may be appointed by the Board or the Committee.
 
4.   Removal and Replacement. The members of the Committee may be removed or replaced, and any vacancies on the Committee shall be filled, by the Board in accordance with the By-laws of the Corporation.

C.  Operations

1.   Meetings. The Committee shall determine the schedule and frequency of the Committee meetings, provided that the Committee shall meet at least four times per year. Minutes of these meetings shall be kept and filed with the Secretary of the Corporation.
 
2.   Agenda; Reports. The Committee shall determine the agenda for its meetings. The Committee may invite other Board members, members of management and others to attend meetings and provide pertinent information and reports, as it deems necessary; provided, however, that the Committee

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    members shall meet regularly with appropriate representatives of the Corporation’s independent auditors without any members of management present. Nothing in this Charter shall be construed to restrict the reliance by any member of the Committee, to the full extent permitted by law, on information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Committee by any of the Corporation’s officers or employees, or other committees of the Board, or by any other person selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Corporation or the Committee as to matters the Committee member reasonably believes are within such other person’s professional or expert competence.
 
3.   Report to Board. The Committee shall report its actions and recommendations to the Board at the next Board meeting after each Committee meeting or, if so determined by the Committee, by distribution to the members of the Board of the minutes of a meeting, a unanimous written consent or other relevant documents.

D.  Authority and Responsibilities Delegated to the Committee

1.   The Committee shall assess the adequacy of this Charter and the procedures developed by the Committee to implement this Charter on at least an annual basis and shall submit any proposed amendments to this Charter that the Committee recommends be made to the Board for its approval.
 
2.   The Committee shall review with corporate management and the independent auditors:

    the unaudited quarterly financial results prior to the release of earnings and/or the quarterly financial statements prior to filing or distribution;
 
    the audited financial results for the year and the proposed footnotes to the financial statements prior to filing or distribution, including disclosures of related party transactions;
 
    all major accounting policy matters involved in the preparation of interim and annual financial reports and any deviations from prior practice; and
 
    the application of significant accounting and auditing policies, including new pronouncements, to the Corporation’s financial reports.

3.   In consultation with corporate management, the independent auditors, and the internal auditors, the Committee shall review the Corporation’s accounting procedures, internal controls, financial reporting processes and disclosure controls and procedures, and shall take such action with respect to any of those matters as the Committee may determine to be necessary or appropriate. The Committee shall annually obtain and review a report from

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    the independent auditors, which shall be delivered prior to and within 90 days of the filing of the audit report with the SEC, which sets forth:

    All critical accounting policies and practices used by the Corporation,

    All alternative accounting treatments of financial information within GAAP related to material items that have been discussed with management, including the ramifications of the use of such alternative treatments and disclosures and the treatment preferred by the accounting firm, and

    Other material written communications between the accounting firm and management.

4.   The Committee shall oversee the work of the independent auditors and evaluate their performance at least annually and shall receive and review:

    a report by the independent auditor describing the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the independent auditing firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm, and any steps taken to deal with any such issues; and

    any other required reports from the independent auditor.

5.   At least annually, the Committee shall consider the independence of the independent auditor, including whether the provision by the independent auditor of permitted non-audit services is compatible with independence, and obtain and review a report from, and discuss with, the independent auditor describing all relationships between the auditor and the Corporation.
 
6.   The Committee shall pre-approve, to the extent required by applicable law, all audit engagements and any permitted non-audit engagements and the related fees and terms with the independent auditors. The Committee may establish policies and procedures for the engagement of the independent auditor to provide permitted non-audit services. The Committee shall review with management and the independent auditors, at a time when the annual audit plan is being developed, the plan’s timing, scope, staffing, locations, foreseeable issues, priorities and procedures, and the engagement team.
 
7.   The Committee shall review with the independent auditors, on completion of the annual audit, their experience, any restrictions on their work, cooperation received, significant disagreements with corporate management, their findings and their recommendations. The Committee shall oversee the resolution of any disagreements between corporate management and the independent auditors. The Committee shall discuss with the independent

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    auditors those matters required to be communicated to audit committees by the independent accountants in accordance with law and with professional standards applicable to the independent accountants.
 
8.   The Committee shall recommend to the Board, based on the reviews performed by the Committee, whether the annual financial statements should be included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 
9.   The Committee shall oversee the Corporation’s internal auditing program, shall receive regular reports from the Corporation’s internal auditors regarding the results of their procedures and shall receive corporate management’s response and follow-up to those reports. The Committee shall evaluate the Corporation’s internal auditors, including any outside parties retained by the Corporation to provide internal audit services.
 
10.   The Committee shall review the Corporation’s policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management, and review contingent liabilities and risks that may be material to the Corporation and major legislative and regulatory developments which could materially impact the Corporation’s contingent liabilities and risks.
 
11.   The Committee shall review and monitor any programs or procedures that the Corporation has instituted to correct any control deficiencies noted by the independent auditors or the internal auditors in their reviews.
 
12.   The Committee shall oversee and confirm the rotation, in accordance with applicable law, of the lead audit partner of the independent auditors.
 
13.   The Committee shall establish policies with respect to hiring by the Corporation of current or former employees of its independent auditors.
 
14.   The Committee shall administer the Corporation’s Code of Business Conduct. in accordance with its terms, shall construe all terms, provisions, conditions and limitations of the Code and shall make factual determinations required for the administration of the Code and, in connection with such administration shall:

    establish procedures for (a) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Corporation regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters and (b) the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Corporation of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters; and

    review with management proposed related party transactions (as such term is used in Item 404 of SEC Regulation S-K) and approve any such transactions the Committee determines to be appropriate for the Corporation to enter into.

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15.   The Committee shall annually prepare a report to stockholders as required to be included in the Corporation’s annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

     The foregoing list is not intended to be exhaustive, and the Committee shall, in addition, have such powers as may be necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the objectives set forth in this Charter or as may, from time to time, be delegated by the Board. The adoption of this Amended and Restated Charter shall not be construed to reduce any power or authority previously delegated to the Committee by the Board.

     The Committee shall have the power to delegate its authority to subcommittees or individual members of the Committee as it deems appropriate, to the full extent permitted under applicable law and applicable listing standards of The NASDAQ Stock Market; provided, however, that any decision made pursuant to the foregoing delegation of authority with respect to the Committee authority under Paragraph 6 of this Section D shall be presented to the Committee at its next regularly-scheduled meeting. In addition, the Committee shall have the power to delegate its authority to other members of the Board who meet the Independence Requirements as it deems appropriate, to the full extent permitted by applicable law and the listing standards of The NASDAQ Stock Market applicable to the Corporation; provided, however, that in no event may it delegate its authority to such other members of the Board under Paragraphs 1 through 8 or Paragraph 15 of this Section D. The Committee shall have the power to delegate its authority under Paragraph 14 of this Section D with respect to administration of the Corporation’s Code of Business Conduct to the General Counsel of the Corporation, except with respect to the authority to amend the Code and to grant waivers to Corporation’s directors, executive officers and senior financial officers.

     The Committee shall have the power to conduct or authorize investigations into any matters within the scope of its responsibilities. The Committee shall have the power to retain consultants, accountants and other outside advisors to advise and assist it in any manner it deems appropriate. The Committee may also retain outside legal counsel, as it deems appropriate. The Committee shall have the sole authority to retain and terminate such consultants, accountants, advisors and counsel and to review and approve their fees and other retention terms and shall have the authority to cause the payment of such fees by the Corporation.

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