Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

NOTE 2:                SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

The Company’s accounts include those of all its wholly-owned subsidiaries and have been prepared in conformity with (i) accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America; and (ii) the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.  All significant intercompany accounts and transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated in consolidation.

ESTIMATES IN FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and footnotes thereto.  Significant estimates incorporated in our financial statements include the recorded allowance for doubtful accounts, the estimate of the appropriate amortization period of our intangible assets, the evaluation of whether our intangible assets have suffered any impairment, the allocation of revenues under multiple-element customer contracts, royalty-based patent liabilities, the value of derivatives associated with debt issued by the Company and the valuation of any corresponding discount to the issuance of our debt.  Actual results may differ from those estimates.

RECLASSIFICATIONS

Certain reclassifications have been made in the 2014 financial statements to conform to the 2015 presentation.  These reclassifications did not have any effect on our net income/(loss) or shareholders’ deficit.

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION

The financial statements of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated in accordance with ASC 830-30, Foreign Currency Matters—Translation of Financial Statements. The reporting currency for the Company is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s subsidiaries, OmniComm Europe GmbH in Germany, OmniComm Spain S.L. in Spain and OmniComm Promasys B.V. in the Netherlands is the Euro. The functional currency of the Company's subsidiary, OmniComm Ltd. in the United Kingdom is the British Pound Sterling. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate in effect at each balance sheet date. Revenue and expense accounts of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated using an average rate of exchange during the period. Foreign currency translation adjustments are accumulated as a component of other comprehensive income/(loss) as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. Gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in foreign currencies are primarily related to intercompany accounts that have been determined to be temporary in nature and accordingly, are recorded directly to the statement of operations.  We record translation gains and losses in accumulated other comprehensive income as a component of stockholders’ equity. We recorded a translation loss of $122,528 for the year ended December 31, 2015 and a translation loss of $156,223 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

REVENUE RECOGNITION POLICY

The Company derives revenues from software licenses and services of its EDC products and services which can be purchased on a stand-alone basis. License revenues are derived principally from the sale of term licenses for the following software products offered by the Company: TrialMaster, TrialOne, Promasys and eClinical Suite (the “EDC Software”). Service revenues are derived principally from the Company's delivery of the hosted solutions of its TrialMaster and eClinical Suite software products, and consulting services and customer support, including training, for all of the Company's products.

The Company recognizes revenues when all of the following conditions are satisfied: (1) there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement; (2) the product or service has been provided to the customer; (3) the collection of fees is probable; and (4) the amount of fees to be paid by the customer is fixed or determinable.

The Company operates in one reportable segment which is the delivery of EDC Software and services to clinical trial sponsors.  The Company segregates its revenues based on the activity cycle used to generate its revenues.  Accordingly, revenues are currently generated through four main activities. These activities include hosted applications, licensing, professional services and maintenance-related services.

Hosted Application Revenues

The Company offers its TrialMaster and eClinical Suite software products as hosted application solutions delivered through a standard web-browser, with customer support and training services. To date, hosted applications revenues have been primarily related to TrialMaster.

Revenues resulting from TrialMaster and eClinical Suite application hosting services consist of three components of services for each clinical trial: the first component is comprised of application set up, including design of electronic case report forms and edit checks, installation and server configuration of the system.  The second component involves application hosting and related support services as well as billable change orders which consist of amounts billed to customers for functionality changes made. The third stage involves services required to close out, or lock, the database for the clinical trial.

Fees charged and costs incurred for the trial system design, set up and implementation are amortized and recognized ratably over the estimated hosting period.  Work performed outside the original scope of work is contracted for separately as an additional fee and is generally recognized ratably over the remaining term of the hosting period. Fees for the first and third stages of the service are billed based upon milestones.  Revenues earned upon completion of a contractual milestone are deferred and recognized over the estimated remaining hosting period.   Fees for application hosting and related services in the second stage are generally billed quarterly in advance.  Revenues resulting from hosting services for the eClinical Suite products consist of installation and server configuration, application hosting and related support services. Services for this offering are generally charged as a fixed fee payable on a quarterly or annual basis. Revenues are recognized ratably over the period of the service.

Licensing Revenues

The Company's software license revenues are earned from the sale of off-the-shelf software.  From time-to-time a client might require significant modification or customization subsequent to delivery to the customer.  The Company generally enters into software term licenses for its EDC Software products with its customers for 3 to 5 year periods, although customers have entered into both longer and shorter term license agreements.  These arrangements typically include multiple elements: software license, consulting services and customer support. The Company bills its customers in accordance with the terms of the underlying contract. Generally, the Company bills license fees in advance for each billing cycle of the license term which typically is either on a quarterly or annual basis. Payment terms are generally net 30 or net 45 days.

In the past the Company has sold perpetual licenses for EDC Software products in certain situations to existing customers with the option to purchase customer support, and may in the future do so for new customers based on customer requirements or market conditions. The Company has established vendor specific objective evidence of fair value for the customer support. Accordingly, license revenues are recognized upon delivery of the software and when all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Customer support revenues are recognized ratably over the term of the underlying support arrangement.  The Company generates customer support and maintenance revenues from its perpetual license customer base.

Professional Services

The Company may also enter into arrangements to provide consulting services separate from a license arrangement. In these situations, revenue is recognized on a time-and-materials basis. Professional services can be deemed to be as essential to the functionality of the software at inception and typically are for initial trial configuration, implementation planning, loading of software, building simple interfaces and running test data and documentation of procedures.  Subsequent additions or extensions to license terms do not generally include additional professional services.

Maintenance Revenues

Maintenance includes telephone-based help desk support and software maintenance. The Company generally bundles customer support with the software license for the entire term of the arrangement. As a result, the Company generally recognizes revenues for both maintenance and software licenses ratably over the term of the software license and support arrangement. The Company allocates the revenues recognized for these arrangements to the different elements based on management's estimate of the relative fair value of each element.  The Company generally invoices each of the elements based on separately quoted amounts and thus has a fairly accurate estimate of the relative fair values of each of the invoiced revenue elements.

The fees associated with each business activity for the years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively are:

	For the year ended
Revenue activity	December 31, 2015		December 31, 2014
Set-up fees	$	6,649,762	$	4,814,378
Change orders		846,464		467,815
Maintenance		5,107,764		4,374,245
Software licenses		3,975,549		3,404,655
Professional services		3,145,883		2,605,010
Hosting		985,415		795,147
Total	$	20,710,837	$	16,461,250

COST OF REVENUES

Cost of revenues primarily consists of costs related to hosting, maintaining and supporting the Company’s application suite and delivering professional services and support. These costs include salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation for the Company’s professional services staff. Cost of revenues also includes outside service provider cost.  Cost of revenues is expensed as incurred.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid, short-term investments with maturities of 90 days or less.  The carrying amount reported in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets approximates fair value.

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

Accounts receivable are judged as to collectability by management and an allowance for bad debts is established as necessary. The allowance is based on an evaluation of the collectability of accounts receivable and prior bad debt experience.  The Company had recorded an allowance for uncollectible accounts receivable of $116,834 and $186,085 as of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

The following table summarizes activity in the Company's allowance for doubtful accounts for the years presented.

	December 31, 2015			December 31, 2014
Beginning of period	$	186,085		$	65,341
Bad debt expense		14,939			147,543
Write-offs		(84,190	)		(26,875	)
Exchange rate impact		-0-			76
End of period	$	116,834		$	186,085

CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISK

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash are deposited with major financial institutions and, at times, such balances with any one financial institution may be in excess of FDIC-insured limits. As of December 31, 2015, $308,513 was deposited in excess of FDIC-insured limits.  Management believes the risk in these situations to be minimal.

Except as follows, the Company has no significant off balance sheet risk or credit risk concentrations. Financial instruments that subject the Company to potential credit risks are principally cash equivalents and accounts receivable. Concentrated credit risk with respect to accounts receivable is limited to creditworthy customers. The Company's customers are principally located in the United States and Europe.   The Company is directly affected by the overall financial condition of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries and management believes that credit risk exists and that any credit risk the Company faces has been adequately reserved for as of December 31, 2015.  The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts based on accounts past due according to contractual terms and historical collection experience. Actual losses when incurred are charged to the allowance. The Company's losses related to collection of accounts receivable have consistently been within management's expectations.  As of December 31, 2015, the Company believes no additional credit risk exists beyond the amounts provided for in our allowance for uncollectible accounts.  The Company evaluates its allowance for uncollectable accounts on a monthly basis based on a specific review of receivable aging and the period that any receivables are beyond the standard payment terms. The Company does not require collateral from its customers in order to mitigate credit risk.

One customer accounted for 16% of our revenue during the year ended December 31, 2015 or approximately $3,237,000, respectively. One customer accounted for 15% of our revenues during the year ended December 31, 2014 or approximately $2,395,000.  The following table summarizes the number of customers who individually comprise greater than 10% of total revenue and/or total accounts receivable and their aggregate percentage of the Company's total revenue and gross accounts receivable for the years presented.

	Revenues				Accounts receivable
For the year ended	Number of customers		Percentage of total revenues		Number of customers		Percentage of accounts receivable
December 31, 2015		1		16%		3		42%
December 31, 2014		1		15%		1		18%

The table below provides revenues from European customers for the years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

European revenues
For the year ended
December 31, 2015				December 31, 2014
European revenues		% of Total revenues		European revenues		% of Total revenues
$	2,150,096		10%	$	2,383,252		15%

The Company serves all of its hosting customers from third-party web hosting facilities located in the United States. The Company does not control the operation of these facilities, and they are vulnerable to damage or interruption. The Company maintains redundant systems that can be used to provide service in the event the third-party web hosting facilities become unavailable, although in such circumstances, the Company's service may be interrupted during the transition.

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

Property and equipment are recorded at cost.  Additions and betterments are capitalized; maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred.  Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the asset’s estimated useful life, which is 5 years for leasehold improvements, computers, equipment and furniture and 3 years for software.  Gains or losses on disposal are charged to operations.

ASSET IMPAIRMENT

Acquisitions and Intangible Assets

We account for acquisitions in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”) and ASC 350, Intangibles- Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”). The acquisition method of accounting requires that assets acquired and liabilities assumed be recorded at their fair values on the date of a business acquisition. Our consolidated financial statements and results of operations reflect an acquired business from the completion date of an acquisition.

The judgments that we make in determining the estimated fair value assigned to each class of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as well as asset lives, can materially impact net income in periods following an asset acquisition. We generally use either the income, cost or market approach to aid in our conclusions of such fair values and asset lives. The income approach presumes that the value of an asset can be estimated by the net economic benefit to be received over the life of the asset, discounted to present value. The cost approach presumes that an investor would pay no more for an asset than its replacement or reproduction cost. The market approach estimates value based on what other participants in the market have paid for reasonably similar assets. Although each valuation approach is considered in valuing the assets acquired, the approach ultimately selected is based on the characteristics of the asset and the availability of information.

Long-lived Assets

We review long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Determining whether an impairment has occurred typically requires various estimates and assumptions, including determining which cash flows are directly related to the potentially impaired asset, the useful life over which cash flows will occur, their amount and the asset’s residual value, if any. In turn, measurement of an impairment loss requires a determination of fair value, which is based on the best information available. We use quoted market prices when available and independent appraisals and management estimates of future operating cash flows, as appropriate, to determine fair value.

DEFERRED REVENUE

Deferred revenue represents cash advances received in excess of revenue earned on on-going contracts.  Payment terms vary with each contract but may include an initial payment at the time the contract is executed, with future payments dependent upon the completion of certain contract phases or targeted milestones.  In the event of contract cancellation, the Company is generally entitled to payment for all work performed through the point of cancellation.  As of December 31, 2015, the Company had $9,247,777 in deferred revenues relating to contracts for services to be performed over periods ranging from 1 month to 5 years.  The Company had $7,054,614 in deferred revenues that are expected to be recognized in the next twelve fiscal months.

ADVERTISING

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred.  Advertising costs were $635,267 and $419,253 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively and are included under selling, general and administrative expenses on our consolidated financial statements.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES

Software development costs are included in R&D and are expensed as incurred.  ASC 985.20, Software Industry Costs of Software to Be Sold, Leased or Marketed, requires the capitalization of certain development costs of software to be sold once technological feasibility is established, which the Company defines as completion to the point of marketability.  The capitalized cost is then amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated product life.  To date, the period between achieving technological feasibility and the general availability of such software has been short and software development costs qualifying for capitalization have been immaterial.  Accordingly, the Company has not capitalized any software development costs under ASC 985.20.  During the years ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 we spent approximately $2,639,577 and $2,754,367 respectively, on R&D activities, which include costs associated with the development of our software products and services for our client’s projects and which are primarily comprised of salaries and related expenses for our software developers and consulting fees paid to third-party consultants.  R&D costs are primarily included under Salaries, benefits and related taxes in our Statement of Operations.

EMPLOYEE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLANS

The OmniComm Systems, Inc. 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2009 Plan”) was approved at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders on July 10, 2009.  The 2009 Plan provides for the issuance of up to 7.5 million shares to employees, directors and key consultants in accordance with the terms of the 2009 Plan documents.  The predecessor plan, the OmniComm Systems, Inc., 1998 Stock Incentive Plan (the “1998 Plan”) expired on December 31, 2008.  The 1998 Plan provided for the issuance of up to 12.5 million shares in accordance with the terms of the 1998 Plan document.  Each plan is more fully described in “Note 13, Employee Equity Incentive Plans.”  The Company accounts for its employee equity incentive plans under ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation which addresses the accounting for transactions in which an entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods or services, with a primary focus on transactions in which an entity obtains employee services in share-based payment transactions.

ASC 718 requires companies to estimate the fair value of share-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite service periods in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The Company currently uses the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine grant date fair value.

EARNINGS/(LOSS)  PER SHARE

The Company accounts for Earnings/(loss) Per Share using ASC 260 – Earnings per Share.  Unlike diluted earnings per share, basic earnings per share excludes any dilutive effects of options, warrants, and convertible securities.

INCOME TAXES

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance ASC 740, Income Taxes.  ASC 740 has as its basic objective the recognition of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities based upon all events that have been recognized in the financial statements as measured by the provisions of the enacted tax laws

Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the estimated amount to be realized.  Income tax expense represents the tax payable for the current period and the change during the period in the deferred tax assets and liabilities.

IMPACT OF NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

During fiscal 2015, we adopted the following new accounting pronouncements:

In May 2014, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, (“ASU 2014-09”). This ASU is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. This ASU was to be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption was not permitted. In August 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date”, (“ASU 2015-14”), which defers the effective date by one year while providing the option to adopt the standard on the original effective date. Accordingly, the Company may adopt the standard either in its first quarter of 2017 or its first quarter of 2018 and it can be adopted either retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or as a cumulative effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. Management is currently evaluating the timing for the adoption of ASU 2014-09, which transition approach to use and the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In August 2014, FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, “Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern”, (“ASU 2014-15”), which requires management to evaluate, in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period, whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued when applicable) and provide related disclosures. ASU 2014-15 is effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. We believe the adoption of this guidance will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2015, FASB issued ASU No. 2015-10, “Technical Corrections and Improvements”, (“ASU 2015-10”). This ASU covers a wide range of Topics in the Codification.  The amendments represent changes to clarify the Codification, correct unintended application of guidance, or make minor improvements to the Codification that are not expected to have a significant effect on current accounting practice or create a significant administrative cost to most entities. Additionally, some of the amendments will make the Codification easier to understand and easier to apply by eliminating inconsistencies, providing needed clarifications, and improving the presentation of guidance in the Codification. Transition guidance varies based on the amendments in this ASU. The amendments in this ASU that require transition guidance are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. All other amendments will be effective upon the issuance of this ASU. We are currently reviewing the provisions of this ASU to determine if there will be any impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

In September 2015, FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments”, (“ASU 2015-16”). This ASU requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The amendments in this Update require that the acquirer record, in the same period’s financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. For public business entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments should be applied prospectively to adjustments to provisional amounts that occur after the effective date of this Update with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued. For all other entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. The amendments should be applied prospectively to adjustments to provisional amounts that occur after the effective date of this Update with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not yet been made available for issuance. We are currently reviewing the provisions of this ASU to determine if there will be any impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

Accounting standards-setting organizations frequently issue new or revised accounting rules. We regularly review all new pronouncements to determine their impact, if any, on our financial statements.