2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies Policies

PRINCIPLES OF COMBINATION

Under Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X, Radnet, Inc. is permitted to file combined financial statements for individually significant unconsolidated joint ventures which are in the same line of business. The combined financial statements include the assets, liabilities, and operations of each member of the Group. The operating activities of each of these joint ventures are completely separate from one another and are in no way affiliated with one another. Accordingly there are no intercompany transactions and balances to be eliminated when combining each together.

USE OF ESTIMATES

The preparation of these financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. These estimates and assumptions affect various matters including the Group’s reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the combined balance sheets at the dates of the financial statements; disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements; and reported amounts of revenues and expenses in the combined statements of income during the reporting periods. These estimates involve judgments with respect to numerous factors that are difficult to predict and are beyond management’s control. As a result, actual amounts could materially differ from these estimates.

REVENUES

Combined service fee revenue, net of contractual allowances and discounts, consists of net patient fees received from various payers and patients themselves based mainly upon established contractual billing rates, less allowances for contractual adjustments and discounts. This service fee revenue is earned through providing the use of diagnostic imaging equipment and the provision of technical services as well as providing administration services such as clerical and administrative personnel, billing and collection, provision of medical and office supplies, secretarial, reception and transcription services, maintenance of medical records, and advertising, marketing and promotional activities.

The Group's combined service fee revenues are recorded during the period the services are provided based upon the estimated amounts due from the patients and third-party payers. Third-party payers include federal and state agencies (under the Medicare and Medicaid programs), managed care health plans, commercial insurance companies and employers. Estimates of contractual allowances under managed care health plans are based upon the payment terms specified in the related contractual agreements. Contractual payment terms in managed care agreements are generally based upon predetermined rates per discounted fee-for-service rates. We also record a provision for doubtful accounts (based primarily on historical collection experience) related to patients and copayment and deductible amounts for patients who have health care coverage with third-party payers.

The break-out of the Group’s combined service fee revenue, net of contractual allowances and discounts, is calculated based upon global payments received from consolidated imaging centers from dates of service from each respective period illustrated.

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

Substantially all of the Group’s accounts receivable are due under fee-for-service contracts from third party payors, such as insurance companies and government-sponsored healthcare programs, or directly from patients.  Services are generally provided pursuant to one-year contracts with healthcare providers. Receivables generally are collected within industry norms for third-party payors. The Group continuously monitors collections from payors and maintains an allowance for bad debts based upon specific payor collection issues that have been identified as well as historical collection experience.

PROVISION FOR BAD DEBTS

Although outcomes vary, the Group’s policy is to attempt to collect amounts due from patients, including co-payments and deductibles due from patients with insurance, at the time of service. The Group provides for an allowance against accounts receivable that could become uncollectible by establishing an allowance to reduce the carrying value of such receivables to their estimated net realizable value. The Group estimates this allowance based on the aging of accounts receivable by each type of payer over an 18-month look-back period, and other relevant factors. A significant portion of the provision for bad debt relates to co-payments and deductibles owed to the Group by patients with insurance. There are various factors that can impact collection trends, such as changes in the economy, which in turn have an impact on the increased burden of co-payments and deductibles to be made by patients with insurance. These factors continuously change and can have an impact on collection trends and the Group’s estimation process. The combined allowance for bad debts at December 31, 2012 and 2011 were $393,000 and $395,000 (unaudited), respectively.

CONCENTRATION OF CREDIT RISKS

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Group to credit risk are primarily cash equivalents and accounts receivable. Each joint venture places its cash and cash equivalents with one major financial institution. At times, the cash in the financial institution is temporarily in excess of the amount insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC. Substantially all accounts receivable are due under fee-for-service contracts from third party payors, such as insurance companies and government-sponsored healthcare programs, or directly from patients. Services are generally provided pursuant to one-year contracts with healthcare providers. Receivables generally are collected within industry norms for third-party payors. The Group continuously monitors collections from its clients and maintains an allowance for bad debts based upon any specific payor collection issues that are identified and historical experience.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

The Group considers all highly liquid investments that mature in three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents approximates their fair market value.

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

Property, furniture and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment are provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives, which range from 3 to 15 years. Leasehold improvements are amortized at the shorter of the related lease term or their estimated useful lives which range from 3 to 30 years.

GOODWILL

Combined goodwill of the Group at December 31, 2012 totaled $9.9 million. Goodwill is recorded by each member of the Group as a result of business combinations. Management of each member of the Group evaluates goodwill, at a minimum, on an annual basis and whenever events and changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.  Each member of the Group adopted the provisions of ASU 2011-08 effective January 1, 2011. Each member of the Group evaluated its respective share of the combined goodwill at October 1, 2012 for signs of impairment under the provisions of ASU 2011-08. By utilizing certain qualitative measures outlined in the guidance, each member determined that its respective share of the combined goodwill was not impaired.

INCOME TAXES

Each member of the Group is treated as a partnership for federal and state income tax purposes where all taxable income is allocated to the partners in accordance with the respective partnership agreement and so accordingly federal and state taxes on income are the responsibility of the Joint partners individually. Accordingly, no income tax provision is recorded by any joint ventures in the Group. Effective January 1, 2009, the Group adopted Accounting Standards Codification ASC 740, Income Taxes, formerly known as Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109 (FIN 48). ASC 740 requires the impact of a tax position to be recognized in the financial statements if that position is more-likely-than-not to be sustained by the taxing authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet the “more likely than not” threshold would be recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. Management of the Group is required to analyze all open tax years, as defined by the statute of limitations, for all major jurisdictions, which includes federal and certain states. Open tax years are those that are open for exam by taxing authorities, and include all returns subsequent to tax years ending after December 31, 2009, for federal returns and December 31, 2009, for Maryland returns. The Partnership has no examinations in process and has not been notified of any future examinations at this time. Management of the Group has reviewed all open tax years and major jurisdictions, and has concluded that the adoption of ASC 740 did not have a material effect on the Group’s financial position or its results of operations. There is no tax liability resulting from unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain-income tax positions taken or expected to be taken in future tax returns. The Group has recognized no interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions taken or
expected to be taken.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The combined balance sheets include the following financial instruments: cash and cash equivalents, receivables, trade accounts payable, capital leases, equipment notes payable and other liabilities. The Group considers the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, receivables, other current assets and current liabilities to approximate their fair value because of the relatively short period of time between the origination of these instruments and their expected realization or payment. Additionally, the Group considers the carrying amount of its equipment notes payable and capital lease obligations to approximate their fair value because the weighted average interest rate used to formulate the carrying amounts approximates current market rates.

RECENT ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

On January 1, 2012, the Group adopted ASU 2011-07, “Health Care Entities (Topic 954): Presentation and Disclosure of Patient Service Revenue, Provision for Bad Debts, and the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts for Certain Health Care Entities,” which requires health care entities to present the provision for doubtful accounts relating to patient service revenue as a deduction from patient service revenue in the statement of operations rather than as an operating expense. Additional disclosures relating to sources of patient revenue and the allowance for doubtful accounts related to patient accounts receivable are also required. Such additional disclosures are included in Note 2. The adoption of this ASU had no impact on the Group’s combined financial position, results of operations or cash flows, although it did change the financial statement presentation.

On January 1, 2012, each member of the Group adopted ASU 2011-08, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Goodwill for Impairment”, simplifying how a company is required to test goodwill for impairment. Companies will now have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If the company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary.

In July 2012, the FASB modified existing rules to allow entities to use a qualitative approach to test indefinite-lived intangible asset for impairment.  The revised standard allows an entity the option to first assess qualitatively whether it is more likely than not (that is, a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired.  An entity is not required to calculate the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset and perform the quantitative impairment test unless the entity determines that it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired.  This guidance will be effective for the Group in 2013.

In February 2013, the FASB issued new guidance which requires disclosure of information about significant reclassification adjustments from accumulated other comprehensive income in a single note or on the face of the financial statements.  This guidance will be effective for the Group in 2013.  Adoption of this standard, which is related to disclosure only, will not have an impact on the Group’s combined financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.