2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation — The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and include the operating results and financial condition of CareCloud, its wholly-owned subsidiaries; MAC, CPM, its majority-owned subsidiary MTBC Pvt. Ltd, CCH (since January 2020), Meridian Medical Management (since June 2020), medSR (since June 2021) and the subsidiary in Sri Lanka. The non-controlling interest of MTBC Pvt. Ltd. is inconsequential to the consolidated financial statements. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Segment Reporting — The Company views its operations as comprising two operating segments, Healthcare IT and Practice Management. The chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) monitors and reviews financial information at these segment levels for assessing operating results and the allocation of resources.

Use of Estimates — The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates and assumptions made by management include, but are not limited to: (1) impairment of long-lived assets, (2) depreciable lives of assets, (3) allowance for doubtful accounts, (4) contingent consideration, (5) estimates of variable consideration related to the contract asset, (6) fair value of identifiable purchased tangible and intangible assets, including determination of expected customer life, (7) stock-based compensation, and (8) estimating lease terms and incremental borrowing rates. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition — We derive revenue from five primary sources: (1) technology-enabled business solutions, (2) professional services, (3) printing and mailing services, (4) group purchasing services and (5) medical practice management services. All of our revenue arrangements are based on contracts with customers. Most of our contracts with customers contain single performance obligations, although certain contracts do contain multiple performance obligations where we perform more than one service for the same customer. We account for individual performance obligations separately if they are distinct within the context of the contract. For contracts where we provide multiple services such as where we perform multiple ancillary services, each service represents its own performance obligation. Selling or transaction prices are based on the contractual prices for each service at its stand-alone selling price.

A five-step approach is applied in the recognition of revenue under ASC 606: (1) identify the contract with a customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (5) recognize revenue when we satisfy a performance obligation.

Although we believe that our approach to estimates and judgments is reasonable, actual results could differ, and we may be exposed to increases or decreases in revenue that could be material. Our estimates of variable consideration may prove to be inaccurate, in which case we may have understated or overstated the revenue recognized in a reporting period. The amount of variable consideration recognized to date that remains subject to estimation is included within the contract asset within the consolidated balance sheet.

Payment of invoices is due as specified in the underlying customer agreement, typically 30 days from the invoice date, which occurs on the date of transfer of control of the services to the customer. Since payment terms are less than a year, we have elected the practical expedient and do not assess whether a customer contract has a significant financing component.

The Company’s revenue arrangements generally do not include a general right of refund for services provided (See Note 9, Revenue, for additional information).

Direct Operating Costs — Direct operating costs consist primarily of salaries and benefits related to personnel who provide services to clients and at our managed medical practices, claims processing costs, medical supplies at our managed practices and other direct costs related to the Company’s services. Costs associated with the implementation of new clients are expensed as incurred. The reported amounts of direct operating costs include allocated amounts for rent expense and overhead costs.

Selling and Marketing Expenses — Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation and benefits, travel and advertising expenses and are expensed as incurred. The Company incurred approximately $3.9 million and $2.1 million of advertising costs for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Research and Development Expenses — Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs incurred performing market research, analyzing proposed products and developing new products.

Internal-Use Software Costs — The Company capitalizes certain development costs incurred in connection with its internal-use software. Costs incurred in the preliminary stages of development are expensed as incurred. Once an application has reached the development stage, internal and external costs, if direct, are capitalized until the software is substantially complete and ready for its intended use. Capitalization ceases upon completion of all substantial testing. The Company also capitalizes costs related to specific upgrades and enhancements when it is probable that the expenditures will result in additional functionality. Capitalized costs are recorded as part of intangible assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Maintenance and training costs are expensed as incurred. Internal use software is amortized on a straight line basis over its estimated useful life, generally three years. Management evaluates the useful lives of these assets on an annual basis and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company capitalized approximately $7.6 million and $5.2 million, respectively, primarily consisting of salaries and payroll-related costs of employees and consultants who devoted time to the development of internal-use software projects.

Accounts Receivable — Accounts receivable are stated at their net realizable value. Accounts receivable are presented on the consolidated balance sheet net of an allowance for doubtful accounts, which is established based on reviews of the accounts receivable aging, an assessment of the customers’ history and current creditworthiness and the probability of collection. Accounts are written off when it is determined that collection of the outstanding balance is no longer probable.

The movement in the allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 was as follows:

 SCHEDULE OF ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS

Property and Equipment — Property and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets ranging from three to five years. Ordinary maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Depreciation for computers is calculated over three years, while the remaining assets (except leasehold improvements) are depreciated over five years. The Company amortizes leasehold improvements over the lesser of the lease term or the remaining economic life of those assets. Generally, the lease term is the base lease term plus certain renewal option periods for which renewal is reasonably certain and for which failure to exercise the renewal option would result in an economic penalty to the Company.

Intangible Assets — Intangible assets include customer relationships, covenants not-to-compete acquired in connection with acquisitions, software purchase and development costs and trademarks acquired. Amortization for intangible assets related to revenue cycle management is recorded primarily using the double declining balance method over three to four years. Amortization for intangible assets related to the group purchasing organization and practice management is recorded on a straight line basis over four and twelve years, respectively.

Evaluation of Long-Lived Assets — The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. If the sum of undiscounted expected future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset group, the Company will recognize an impairment loss based on the fair value of the asset.

There was no impairment of internal-use software costs, intangible assets or property and equipment during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, other than the impairment recorded on right-of-use (“ROU”) assets of approximately $68,000 and $298,000 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. In addition, during the year ended December 31, 2021 the Company recorded approximately $774,000 of impairment charges on a vendor contract.

Goodwill — Goodwill consists of the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets of businesses acquired. The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually as of October 31^st, referred to as the annual test date. Conditions that could trigger a more frequent impairment assessment include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change to the Company in certain agreements, significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results, loss of customer relationships, an economic downturn in customers’ industries, or increased competition. Impairment testing for goodwill is performed at the reporting-unit level. The Company has determined that its business consists of two operating segments and two reporting units. No impairment charges were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2021 or 2020.

Treasury Stock — Treasury stock is recorded at cost and represents shares repurchased by the Company. No shares were repurchased or issued from treasury stock during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Stock-Based Compensation — The Company recognizes compensation for all share-based payments granted based on the grant date fair value. Compensation expense is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The Company does not estimate forfeitures in recognizing the expense for share-based payments, as historical forfeiture rates have not been significant. For restricted stock units (“RSUs”) classified as equity, the market price of our common stock on the date of grant is used in recording the fair value of the award. For RSUs classified as a liability, the earned amount is marked to market based on the end-of-period common stock price.

Business Combinations — The Company accounts for business combinations under the provisions of ASC 805, Business Combinations, which requires that the acquisition method of accounting be used for all business combinations. Assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at the date of acquisition at their respective fair values. ASC 805 also specifies criteria that intangible assets acquired in a business combination must be recognized and reported apart from goodwill. Goodwill represents the excess purchase price over the fair value of the tangible net assets and intangible assets acquired in a business combination. Acquisition-related expenses are recognized separately from the business combinations and are expensed as incurred. If the business combination provides for contingent consideration, the Company records the contingent consideration at fair value at the acquisition date with changes in the fair value recorded through earnings.

Acquisition costs are expensed as incurred. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company incurred approximately $316,000 and $275,000, respectively, of professional fees related to the acquisitions discussed in Note 3, which are included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

Income Taxes — The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statements and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date.

The Company records net deferred tax assets to the extent that these assets will more likely than not be realized. All available positive and negative evidence is considered in making such a determination, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies, and results of recent operations. A valuation allowance would be recorded to reduce deferred income tax assets when it is determined that it is more likely than not that the Company would not be able to realize its deferred income tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount.

The Company records uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) the Company determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained based on the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company did not have any uncertain tax positions that required recognition. Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions are recognized in income tax expense. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company did not recognize any penalties or interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in its consolidated financial statements.

Dividends — Dividends are recorded when declared by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has declared monthly dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock through February 2022 and also declared a monthly dividend on the Series B Preferred Stock for stockholders of record February 28, 2022. Preferred Stock dividends are charged against paid in capital because the Company does not have sufficient retained earnings. The Company is prohibited from paying dividends on its common stock without the prior written consent of its lender, Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”).

Deferred Revenue — Deferred revenue primarily consists of payments received in advance of the revenue recognition criteria being met. Deferred revenue includes certain deferred implementation services fees that are recognized as revenue ratably over the longer of the life of the agreement or the estimated expected customer life, which is currently estimated to be three years. Deferred revenue that will be recognized during the succeeding 12-month period is recorded as current deferred revenue and the remaining portion is recorded as non-current. At the time of customer termination, any unrecognized service fees associated with implementation services are recognized as revenue.

Fair Value Measurements — ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, requires the disclosure of fair value information about financial instruments, whether or not recognized in the balance sheet, for which it is practicable to estimate that value. The Company follows a fair value measurement hierarchy to measure financial instruments. The fair value of the Company’s financial instruments is measured using inputs from the three levels of the fair value hierarchy as follows:

The Company’s contingent consideration is a Level 3 liability and is measured at fair value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has certain financial instruments that are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis. These financial instruments are subject to fair value adjustments only in certain circumstances and include cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, borrowings under term loans and line of credit, and notes payable. Due to the short term nature of these financial instruments and that the borrowings bear interest at prevailing market rates, the carrying value approximates the fair value.

Foreign Currency Translation — The financial statements of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated from their functional currency into U.S. dollars, the Company’s functional currency. All foreign currency assets and liabilities are translated at the period-end exchange rate, and all revenue and expenses are translated at transaction date exchange rates. The effects of translating the financial statements of the foreign subsidiaries into U.S. dollars are reported as a cumulative translation adjustment, a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity, except for transactions related to the intercompany receivable for which transaction adjustments are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations as they are not deemed to be permanently reinvested. Foreign currency transaction gains/losses are reported as a component of other income – net in the consolidated statements of operations and amounted to gains of approximately $16,000 and $14,000 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Loss on Lease Termination, Impairment and Unoccupied Lease Charges —Loss on lease termination represents the write-off of leasehold improvements as the result of early lease terminations. Impairment charges represent charges recorded for leased facilities no longer being used by the Company. Unoccupied lease charges represent the portion of lease and related costs for that portion of the space that is vacated and not being utilized by the Company. The Company is marketing the unused space for sub-lease. The Company was able to turn back to the landlord one of the unused facilities effective January 1, 2022.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements — From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and are adopted by us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, we believe that the impact of recently adopted and recently issued accounting pronouncements will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The guidance in Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13 replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology under current GAAP. The new impairment model requires immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur for most financial assets and certain other instruments. It will apply to all entities. For trade receivables, loans and held-to-maturity debt securities, entities will be required to estimate lifetime expected credit losses. This may result in the earlier recognition of credit losses. In November, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-10, which delays this standard’s effective date for SEC smaller reporting companies to the fiscal years beginning on or after December 15, 2022. The Company is in the process of determining if this update will have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This ASU simplifies accounting for income taxes to reduce complexity in the accounting standards. The amendments consist of the removal of certain exceptions to the general principles of ASC 740 and some additional simplifications. The amendments are not required to be implemented until 2021 for public entities. The Company adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2021. There was no impact on the consolidated financial statements as a result of this standard.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40). This ASU simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, including convertible instruments and contracts on an entity’s own equity. The amendments are not required to be implemented until 2022 for public entities. The Company is in the process of investigating if this update will have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805) – Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers. The amendments in this update require acquiring entities to apply Topic 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities in a business combination. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company is in the process of determining if this update will have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.