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Published on February 4, 2009
NEOGENOMICS,
INC.
12701
Commonwealth Drive, Suite 9
Fort
Myers, Florida 33913
February
4, 2009
VIA
EDGAR
United
States Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F.
Street, N.E.
Mail Stop
3561
Washington,
DC 20549
Attention: | John Reynolds, Assistant Director |
|
Jim
Lopez, Legal Branch Chief
|
|
Edwin
Kim
|
|
Re:
|
NeoGenomics,
Inc.
|
|
Registration
Statement on Form S-1 (the “Form
S-1”)
|
|
File
No. 333-155784
|
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Pursuant to the request of the staff
(the “Staff”)
of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”),
NeoGenomics, Inc. (the “Company”) has
attached a proposed revision to a risk factor appearing on page 15 of the
Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-155784) (the “Registration
Statement”) as Appendix A to this
letter (the “Revised
Risk Factor”). Following effectiveness of the Registration
Statement, the Company intends to promptly file a prospectus with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Prospectus”). The
Company intends to include the Revised Risk Factor in the
Prospectus.
We trust that this response
satisfactorily responds to your request. Should you require further information,
please contact our legal counsel Clayton E. Parker, Esq. at (305) 539-3306 or
Mark E. Fleisher, Esq. at (305) 539-3383.
Very
truly yours,
/s/ Jerome J.
Dvonch
Jerome
J. Dvonch
Principal
Accounting Officer
|
cc:
|
Clayton
E. Parker, Esq.
Mark
E. Fleisher, Esq.
|
February
4, 2009
Page
2
APPENDIX
A
Existing
federal laws governing Medicare and Medicaid, as well as some other state and
federal laws, also regulate certain aspects of the relationship between
healthcare providers, including clinical and anatomic laboratories, and their
referral sources, including physicians, hospitals and other laboratories.
Certain provisions of these laws, known as the "anti-kickback law" and the
“Stark Laws”, contain extremely broad proscriptions. Violation of these laws may
result in criminal penalties, exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid, and
significant civil monetary penalties. We will seek to structure our
arrangements with physicians and other customers to be in compliance with the
anti-kickback, Stark and state laws, and to keep up-to-date on developments
concerning their application by various means, including consultation with legal
counsel. However, we are unable to predict how these laws will be
applied in the future and the arrangements into which we enter may become
subject to scrutiny thereunder.
Furthermore,
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”), and
other state laws contains provisions that affect the handling of claims and
other patient information that are, or have been, transmitted electronically and
regulate the general disclosure of patient records and patient health
information. These provisions, which address security and confidentiality of
patient information as well as the administrative aspects of claims handling,
have very broad applicability and they specifically apply to healthcare
providers, which include physicians and clinical laboratories. Although we
believe we have complied with the Standards, Security and Privacy rules under
HIPAA and state laws, an audit of our procedures and systems could find
deficiencies. Such deficiencies, if found, could have a material
adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial
condition and subject us to liability.
We Are Subject To Security Risks
Which Could Harm Our Operations
Despite
the implementation of various security measures by us, our infrastructure is
vulnerable to computer viruses, break-ins and similar disruptive problems caused
by our customers or others. Computer viruses, break-ins or other
security problems could lead to interruption, delays or cessation in service to
our customers. Further, such break-ins whether electronic or physical
could also potentially jeopardize the security of confidential information
stored in our computer systems of our customers and other parties connected
through us, which may deter potential customers and give rise to uncertain
liability to parties whose security or privacy has been infringed. A
significant security breach could result in loss of customers, damage to our
reputation, direct damages, costs of repair and detection, and other
expenses. The occurrence of any of the foregoing events could have a
material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial
condition.
We Are Controlled By Existing
Stockholders And Therefore Other Stockholders Will Not Be Able To Direct The
Company
Effective
voting control of the Company is held by a relatively small group of
stockholders. These stockholders effectively retain control of our
Board of Directors and determine all of our corporate actions. In addition,
the Company and stockholders owning and/or having the right to vote
11,737,417 shares, or approximately 36.6% of the Company’s voting shares
outstanding as of December 31, 2008 have executed a Shareholders’ Agreement
that, among other provisions, gives Aspen, our largest stockholder, the right to
elect three out of the seven directors authorized for our
Board, and nominate one mutually acceptable independent
director. Accordingly, it is anticipated that Aspen and other
parties to the Shareholders’ Agreement will continue to have the ability to
effectively elect a controlling number of the members of our Board of
Directors. Such concentration of ownership may also have the effect
of delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company.
No Foreseeable
Dividends
We do not
anticipate paying dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future. Rather, we plan to retain earnings, if any, for the operation
and expansion of our business.
There May Not Be A Viable Public
Market For Our Common Stock
We cannot
predict the extent to which investor interest in our Company will sustain an
active trading market for our common stock on the Over-The-Counter Bulletin
Board or any other stock market or how liquid any such market might remain. If
an active public market is not sustained, it may be difficult for our
stockholders to sell their shares of common stock at a price that is attractive
to them, or at all.