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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2001

Commission File Number 000-22217

AMSURG CORP.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(615) 665-1283
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, no par value
(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  

Yes [X] No [  ]

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  

[  ]

As of March 27, 2002, 20,216,957 shares of the Registrant’s common stock were outstanding. The aggregate market value of the shares of common stock of the Registrant held by nonaffiliates on March 27, 2002 (based upon the closing sale price of these shares as reported on the Nasdaq National Market as of March 27, 2002) was approximately $517,200,000. This calculation assumes that all shares of common stock beneficially held by executive officers and members of the Board of Directors of the Registrant are owned by “affiliates,” a status which each of the officers and directors individually may disclaim.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 17, 2002, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2001

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Part I

Item 1. Business

Our company was formed in 1992 for the purpose of developing, acquiring and operating practiced-based ambulatory surgery centers in partnerships with physician practice groups throughout the United States. An AmSurg surgery center is typically located adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity of the specialty medical practice of a physician group partner’s office. Each of the surgery centers provides a narrow range of high volume, lower-risk surgical procedures, generally in a single specialty, and has been designed with a cost structure that enables us to charge fees which we believe are generally less than those charged by hospitals and freestanding outpatient surgery centers for similar services performed on an outpatient basis. As of December 31, 2001, we owned a majority interest in 95 surgery centers in 27 states and the District of Columbia. As of December 31, 2001, we also had five centers under development and had executed letters of intent to develop one additional center.

We are a Tennessee corporation; our principal executive offices are located at 20 Burton Hills Boulevard, Nashville, Tennessee 37215, and our telephone number is 615-665-1283.

Risk Factors

The following factors affect our business and the industry in which we operate. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial may also have an adverse effect on us. If any of the matters discussed in the following risk factors were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects could be materially adversely affected.

We Depend on Payments from Third-Party Payors, Including Government Healthcare Programs, and These Payments May be Reduced, Even Though Our Costs May Increase. We are dependent upon private and governmental third-party sources of payment for the services provided to patients in our surgery centers. The amount of payment a surgery center receives for its services may be adversely affected by market and cost factors as well as other factors over which we have no control, including Medicare and Medicaid regulations and the cost containment and utilization decisions of third-party payors. We derived approximately 38% of our revenues in 2001 and 2000 from U.S. government healthcare programs, primarily Medicare. In addition, the market share growth of managed care has resulted in substantial competition among healthcare providers for inclusion in managed care contracting in some locations. Exclusion from participation in a managed care contract in a specific location can result in material reductions in patient volume and reimbursement to a practice-based ambulatory surgery center. We can give you no assurances that fixed fee schedules, capitated payment arrangements, exclusion from participation in managed care programs or other factors affecting payments for healthcare services over which we have no control will not have a material adverse effect on us.

Our Revenues May be Adversely Affected by Pending Changes in the System of Paying for Outpatient Surgical Procedures Under the Medicare Program. On June 12, 1998, the Department of Health and Human Services, or DHHS, published a proposed rule that would update the ratesetting methodology, payment rates, payment policies and the list of covered surgical procedures for ambulatory surgery centers. If implemented, the proposed rule would reduce the rates paid for certain ambulatory surgery center procedures reimbursed by Medicare, including a number of endoscopy and ophthalmology procedures performed at our centers. However, the Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 and the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, or BBRA and BIPA, respectively, made three changes affecting DHHS’ ability to implement a revised prospective payment system based on the June 1998 proposed rule. First, DHHS may not implement a revised prospective payment system before January 2002; second, if DHHS implements a new system based on the June 1998 proposed rule, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, must phase in the new rates over four years; and third, DHHS must use data based on a new ambulatory surgery center cost survey from 1999 or later in calculating new rates by January 2003. As of this filing date, CMS has not implemented the phase-in of rates, has not issued a new cost survey and has given no public guidance of its intentions.

We estimate that if full implementation of new rates based on the June 1998 proposed rule occurred in 2002, it would adversely affect our annual revenues by 4% based on our historical procedure mix. However, we believe, due

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to the four year phase-in of such rates, coupled with updated rates based on new cost data to be used in 2003 and cost efficiencies we expect to implement at both the center and corporate level, that our financial results will not be materially impacted by implementation of the proposed rule’s rates. There can be no assurance that the implementation of new rates will not adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects.

If We Fail to Comply With Applicable Laws and Regulations, We Could Suffer Penalties or Be Required to Make Significant Changes to Our Operations. We are subject to many laws and regulations at the federal, state and local government levels in the jurisdictions in which we operate. These laws and regulations require that our surgery centers and our operations meet various licensing, certification and other requirements, including those relating to:

	•		physician ownership of our surgery centers;
	•		certificate of need approvals and other regulations affecting construction, acquisition of centers, capital expenditures or the addition of services;
	•		the adequacy of medical care, equipment, personnel, operating policies and procedures;
	•		qualifications of medical and support personnel;
	•		maintenance and protection of records;
	•		billing for services by healthcare providers;
	•		privacy and security of healthcare information; and
	•		environmental protection.

If we fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could suffer civil or criminal penalties, including the loss of our licenses to operate and our ability to participate in Medicare, Medicaid and other government sponsored and third-party healthcare programs. In the future, different interpretations or enforcement of existing or new laws and regulations could subject our current practices to allegations of impropriety or illegality, or could require us to make changes in our facilities, equipment, personnel, services, capital expenditure programs and operating expenses. We can give you no assurances that current or future legislative initiatives or government regulation will not have a material adverse effect on us or reduce the demand for our services.

If a Federal or State Agency Asserts a Different Position or Enacts New Laws or Regulations Regarding Illegal Remuneration or Other Forms of Fraud and Abuse, We Could Suffer Penalties or Be Required to Make Significant Changes to Our Operations. A federal law, referred to as the anti-kickback statute, prohibits healthcare providers and others from soliciting, receiving, offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration with the intent of generating referrals or orders for services or items covered by a federal healthcare program. The anti-kickback statute is very broad in scope and many of its provisions have not been uniformly or definitively interpreted by case law or regulations. Violations of the anti-kickback statute may result in substantial civil or criminal penalties and exclusion from participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Exclusion from these programs would result in significant reductions in revenue and would have a material adverse effect on our business.

DHHS has published final safe harbor regulations that outline categories of activities that are protected from prosecution under the anti-kickback statute. Three of the safe harbors apply to business arrangements similar to those used in connection with our surgery centers: the “surgery centers,” “investment interest” and “personal services and management contracts” safe harbors. The structure of the limited partnerships and limited liability companies operating surgery centers, as well as our various business arrangements involving physician group practices, do not satisfy all of the requirements of any safe harbor. Nevertheless, a business arrangement that does not substantially comply with a safe harbor is not necessarily illegal under the anti-kickback statute.

In addition, many of the states in which we operate also have adopted laws, similar to the anti-kickback statute, that prohibit payments to physicians in exchange for referrals, some of which apply regardless of the source of payment for care. These statutes typically impose criminal and civil penalties as well as loss of license.

In addition to the anti-kickback statute, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, broadened the scope of the fraud and abuse laws by adding several criminal provisions for healthcare fraud offenses that apply to all health benefit programs. This act also created new enforcement mechanisms to combat fraud and abuse, including the Medicare Integrity Program and an incentive program under which individuals can receive up to $1,000 for providing information on Medicare fraud and abuse that leads to the recovery of at least $100 of

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Medicare funds. In addition, federal enforcement officials now have the ability to exclude from Medicare and Medicaid any investors, officers and managing employees associated with business entities that have committed healthcare fraud. It also establishes a new violation for the payment of inducements to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in order to influence those beneficiaries to order or receive services from a particular provider or practitioner.

If Regulations or Regulatory Interpretations Change, We May Be Obligated to Buy Out Interests of Physicians Who Are Minority Owners of the Surgery Centers. The partnership and operating agreements for the limited partnerships and limited liability companies provide that if certain regulations or regulatory interpretations change, we will be obligated to purchase some or all of the minority interests of the physicians affiliated with us in the partnerships or limited liability companies that own and operate our surgery centers. The regulatory changes that could trigger such an obligation include changes that:

	•		make the referral of Medicare and other patients to our surgery centers by physicians affiliated with us illegal;
	•		create the substantial likelihood that cash distributions from the partnership or limited liability company to the affiliated physicians will be illegal; or
	•		cause the ownership by the physicians of interests in the partnerships or limited liability companies to be illegal.

The cost of repurchasing these minority interests would be substantial. There can be no assurance that our existing capital resources would be sufficient for us to meet the obligation, if it arises, to purchase these minority interests held by physicians. The determination of whether a triggering event has occurred is made by the concurrence of counsel for AmSurg and counsel for the physician partners or, in the absence of such concurrence, by independent counsel having an expertise in healthcare law and who is chosen by both parties. Such determination is therefore not within our control. While we have attempted to structure the purchase obligations to be as favorable as possible to us, the triggering of these obligations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If We are Unable to Acquire and Develop Additional Surgery Centers on Favorable Terms and Manage Our Growth, We Will Be Unable to Execute Our Acquisition and Development Strategy. Our strategy includes increasing our revenues and earnings by continuing to acquire surgery centers and developing additional surgery centers. Our efforts to execute our acquisition and development strategy may be affected by our ability to identify suitable candidates and negotiate and close acquisition and development transactions. We are currently evaluating potential acquisitions and development projects and expect to continue to evaluate acquisitions and development projects in the foreseeable future. The surgery centers we develop typically incur losses during the initial months of operation. We can give you no assurances that we will be successful in acquiring surgery centers, developing surgery centers or achieving satisfactory operating results at acquired or newly developed centers. We can give you no assurances that the assets we acquire in the future will ultimately produce returns that justify our related investment. To accommodate our past and anticipated future growth, and to compete effectively, we will need to continue to implement and improve our management, operational and financial information systems and to expand, train, manage and motivate our workforce. We can give you no assurances that our personnel, systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support our operations in the future or that focusing our financial resources and management attention on the expansion of our operations will not adversely affect our financial results.

If We Do Not Have Sufficient Capital Resources for Our Acquisition and Development Strategy, Our Growth Could be Limited. We will need capital to acquire, develop, integrate, operate and expand surgery centers. We may finance future acquisition and development projects through debt or equity financings and may use shares of our capital stock for all or a portion of the consideration to be paid in acquisitions. To the extent that we undertake these financings or use capital stock as consideration, our shareholders may, in the future, experience ownership dilution. To the extent we incur debt, we may have significant interest expense and may be subject to covenants in the related debt agreements that affect the conduct of our business. If we do not have sufficient capital resources, our growth could be limited and our operations impaired. Our bank loan agreement requires that we comply with financial covenants, and may not permit additional borrowing or other sources of debt financing if we are not in compliance. We can give you no assurances that we will be able to obtain financing necessary for our acquisition and development strategy or that, if available, the financing will be on terms acceptable to us.

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Item 1. Business — (continued)

Our Business Depends on Relationships with Physician Partners, Which May Be Subject to Conflicts of Interest and Disputes. Our business depends upon, among other things, the efforts and success of the physician partners who perform surgical procedures at the surgery centers and the strength of our relationship with these physicians. Our business could be adversely affected if these physicians do not maintain the quality of medical care or do not follow required professional guidelines at our surgery centers, if there is damage to the reputation of a key physician or group of physicians or if our relationship with a key physician partner or group of physician partners is impaired. As the owner of majority interests in the partnerships and limited liability companies that own our surgery centers, we owe a fiduciary duty to the physicians who are minority interest holders in these entities and may encounter conflicts between our interests and that of the minority holders. In these cases, our representatives on the operating boards or boards of governors of each joint venture are obligated to exercise reasonable, good faith judgment to resolve the conflicts and may not be free to act solely in our own best interests. In our role as general partner of the partnership or as chief manager of the limited liability company, we generally exercise our discretion in managing the business of the surgery center. Disputes may arise between us and the physician partners regarding a particular business decision or the interpretation of the provisions of the partnership agreement or limited liability company operating agreement. The agreements provide for arbitration as a dispute resolution process in some circumstances. We cannot assure you that any dispute will be resolved or that any dispute resolution will be on terms satisfactory to us.

We Are Liable for the Debts and Other Obligations of the Limited Partnerships That Own and Operate Some of Our Surgery Centers, and the Physician Partners are Only Guarantors of the Debts. In the limited partnerships in which we are the general partner, we are liable for 100% of the debts and other obligations of the partnership; however, the partnership agreement requires the physician partners to guarantee their pro rata share of any indebtedness or lease agreements to which the partnership is a party, in proportion to the limited partner’s ownership interest in the partnership. We also have primary liability for the bank debt incurred for the benefit of the limited liability companies, and in turn, lend funds to these limited liability companies, although the physician members also guarantee this debt. There can be no assurance that a third party lender or lessor would seek performance of the guarantees rather than seek repayment from us of any obligation of the partnership if there is a default or that the physician partners would have sufficient assets to satisfy their guarantee obligations.

New Federal and State Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives Relating to Patient Privacy Could Require Us to Expend Substantial Sums Acquiring and Implementing New Information Systems, Which Could Negatively Impact Our Financial Results. There are currently numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives at the state and federal levels addressing patient privacy concerns. In particular, on December 28, 2000, DHHS released final health privacy regulations implementing portions of the Administrative Simplification Provisions of HIPAA. These final health privacy regulations generally require compliance within two years and will extensively regulate the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health-related information.

In addition, the Administrative Simplification Provisions require DHHS to adopt standards to protect the security of health-related information. DHHS proposed security regulations on August 12, 1998. As proposed, those security regulations would require healthcare providers to implement organizational and technical practices to protect the security of electronically maintained or transmitted health-related information. Further, as required by the Administrative Simplification Provisions, DHHS has adopted final regulations establishing electronic data transmission standards that all healthcare providers must use when submitting or receiving certain healthcare transactions electronically. Compliance with these regulations is required by October 16, 2002. However, Congress recently enacted the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act, which extends the compliance date until October 16, 2003 for entities that file a plan with DHHS that demonstrates how they intend to comply with the regulations by the extended deadline. Although we cannot predict the total financial or other impact of these regulations on our business, compliance with these regulations could require us to spend substantial sums, including but not limited to purchasing new computer systems, which could negatively impact our financial results. Additionally, if we fail to comply with these regulations, we could suffer civil penalties up to $25,000 per calendar year for each violation and criminal penalties with fines of up to $250,000 per violation. In addition, our facilities will continue to remain subject to any state laws that are more restrictive than the privacy regulations issued under the Administrative Simplification Provisions. These statutes vary by state and could impose additional penalties.

Providers in the Healthcare Industry Have Been the Subject of Federal and State Investigations, and We May Become Subject to Investigations in the Future. Both federal and state government agencies have heightened and coordinated civil and criminal enforcement efforts as part of numerous ongoing investigations of healthcare

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companies, as well as their executives and managers. These investigations relate to a wide variety of topics, including referral and billing practices. Further, amendments in 1986 to the federal False Claims Act have made it easier for private parties to bring “qui tam” whistleblower lawsuits against companies. Some states have adopted similar state whistleblower and false claims provisions.

The Office of the Inspector General of DHHS and the Department of Justice have, from time to time, established national enforcement initiatives that focus on specific billing practices or other suspected areas of abuse. Some of our activities could become the subject of governmental investigations or inquiries. For example, we have significant Medicare and Medicaid billings and we have joint venture arrangements involving physician investors. In addition, our executives, many of whom have worked at other healthcare companies that are or may become the subject of federal and state investigations and private litigation, could be included in governmental investigations or named as defendants in private litigation. We are not aware of any governmental investigations involving any of our facilities or our executives. A future investigation of us or our executives could result in significant liabilities or penalties to us, as well as adverse publicity.

We May Write-Off Intangible Assets, Such as Goodwill. As a result of purchase accounting for our various acquisition transactions, our balance sheet at December 31, 2001 contains an intangible asset designated as goodwill totaling $146.8 million. Additional purchases of interests in practice-based surgery centers that result in the recognition of additional intangible assets would cause an increase in these intangible assets.

On an ongoing basis, we evaluate whether facts and circumstances indicate any impairment of value of intangible assets. As circumstances after an acquisition can change, we cannot assure you that the value of these intangible assets will be realized by us. If we determine that a significant impairment has occurred, we would be required to write-off the impaired portion of intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the write-off occurs.

The IRS May Challenge Tax Deductions for Certain Acquired Goodwill. For federal income tax purposes, goodwill and other intangibles acquired as part of the purchase of a business after August 10, 1993 are deductible over a 15-year period. We have been claiming and continue to take tax deductions for goodwill obtained in our acquisition of assets of practice-based ambulatory surgery centers. In 1997, the IRS published proposed regulations that applied “anti-churning” rules to call into question the deductibility of goodwill purchased in transactions structured similar to some of our acquisitions. The anti-churning rules are designed to prevent taxpayers from converting existing goodwill for which a deduction would not have been allowable prior to 1993 into an asset that could be deducted over 15 years, such as by selling a business some of whose value arose prior to 1993 to a related party. On January 25, 2000, the IRS issued final regulations which continue to call into question the deductibility of goodwill purchased in transactions structured similar to some of our acquisitions. This uncertainty applies only to goodwill that arose in part prior to 1993, so the tax deductions we have taken with respect to interests acquired in surgery centers that were formed after August 10, 1993 are not affected. In response to these final regulations, we have changed our methods of acquiring interests in practice-based ambulatory surgery centers so as to comply with guidance found in the final regulations. There is a risk that the IRS could challenge tax deductions for pre-1993 goodwill in acquisitions we completed prior to changing our approach in 2000. Loss of these tax deductions would increase the amount of our tax payments and would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If We are Unable to Effectively Compete for Physician Partners and Certain Strategic Relationships, Our Business Could be Adversely Affected. The healthcare business is highly competitive. We encounter competition in three separate areas: competition for joint venture development of practice-based centers, competition with other companies for acquisition of existing centers, and competition with other providers for patients and for contracting with managed care payors in each of our markets. There are several large, publicly held companies, or divisions or subsidiaries of large publicly held companies, and several private companies that develop freestanding multi-specialty surgery centers, and these companies may compete with us in the development of centers. Further, many physician groups develop surgery centers without a corporate partner, utilizing consultants who typically perform these services for a fee and who do not take an equity interest in the ongoing operations of the center. There are several companies, many in niche markets, that acquire existing practice-based ambulatory surgery centers. In addition, other healthcare providers, including hospitals, compete for patients and contracts with managed care

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payors in our markets. Many of these competitors have greater financial, research, marketing and staff resources than we do. We can give you no assurances that we can compete effectively in any of these areas.

Industry Overview

For numerous years, government programs, private insurance companies, managed care organizations and self-insured employers have implemented various cost-containment measures to limit the growth of healthcare expenditures. These cost-containment measures, together with technological advances, have resulted in a significant shift in the delivery of healthcare services away from traditional inpatient hospitals to more cost-effective alternate sites, including ambulatory surgery centers.

According to SMG Marketing Group Inc.’s Freestanding Outpatient Surgery Center Directory (June 2000), the number of freestanding outpatient surgery centers in the U.S. grew 29% to approximately 2,750 in the year 2000 from 2,134 in 1994. We believe that approximately 1,000 of these surgery centers are single-specialty centers. The number of outpatient surgical cases performed in freestanding surgery centers increased 70% from 3.6 million in 1994 to a projected 6.2 million in 2000.

We believe that the following factors have contributed to the growth of ambulatory surgery:

Cost-Effective Alternative. Ambulatory surgery is generally less expensive than hospital inpatient surgery. We believe that surgery performed at a practice-based ambulatory surgery center is generally less expensive than hospital-based ambulatory surgery for a number of reasons, including lower facility development costs, more efficient staffing and space utilization and a specialized operating environment focused on cost containment. Interest in ambulatory surgery centers has grown as managed care organizations have continued to seek a cost-effective alternative to inpatient services.

Physician and Patient Preference. We believe that many physicians prefer practice-based ambulatory surgery centers because these centers enhance physicians’ productivity by providing them with greater scheduling flexibility, more consistent nurse staffing and faster turnaround time between cases, allowing them to perform more surgeries in a defined period of time. In contrast, hospitals and freestanding multi-specialty ambulatory surgery centers generally serve a broader group of physicians, including those involved with emergency procedures, resulting in postponed or delayed surgeries. Additionally, many physicians choose to perform surgery in a practice-based ambulatory surgery center because their patients prefer the simplified admissions and discharge procedures and the less institutional atmosphere.

New Technology. New technology and advances in anesthesia, which have been increasingly accepted by physicians, have significantly expanded the types of surgical procedures that are being performed in ambulatory surgery centers. Lasers, enhanced endoscopic techniques and fiber optics have reduced the trauma and recovery time associated with many surgical procedures. Improved anesthesia has shortened recovery time by minimizing post-operative side effects such as nausea and drowsiness, thereby avoiding, in some cases, overnight hospitalization.

Strategy

We believe we are a leader in the development, acquisition and operation of practice-based ambulatory surgery centers. The key components of our strategy are to:

	•		develop, in partnership with physicians, new practice-based ambulatory surgery centers;
	•		selectively acquire practice-based ambulatory surgery centers with substantial minority physician ownership; and
	•		grow revenues and profitability of our existing surgery centers.

Development and Acquisition of Surgery Centers

Our practice-based ambulatory surgery centers are licensed outpatient surgery centers generally equipped and staffed for a single medical specialty and are typically located in or adjacent to a physician group practice. We have targeted ownership in centers that perform gastrointestinal endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) or urology procedures. We target these medical specialties because they generally involve a high volume of

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lower-risk procedures that can be performed in an outpatient setting on a safe and cost-effective basis. The focus at each center on only the procedures in a single specialty results in these centers generally having significantly lower capital and operating costs than the costs of hospital and freestanding ambulatory surgery center alternatives that must be designed to provide more intensive services in a broader array of surgical specialties. In addition, the practice-based surgery center, which is located in or adjacent to the group practice, typically provides a more convenient setting for the patient and for the physician performing the procedure. Improvements in technology continue to enable additional types of procedures to be performed in the practice-based setting.

Our development staff identifies existing centers that are potential acquisition candidates and identifies physician practices that are potential partners for new center development in the medical specialties which we have targeted for development. These candidates are then evaluated against our project criteria, which include several factors such as the number of procedures currently being performed by the practice, competition from and the fees being charged by other surgical providers, relative competitive market position of the physician practice under consideration, ability to contract with payors in the market and state certificate of need, or CON, requirements for the development of a new center.

In presenting the advantages to physicians of developing a new practice-based ambulatory surgery center in partnership with us, our development staff emphasizes the proximity of a practice-based surgery center to a physician’s office, the simplified administrative procedures, the ability to schedule consecutive cases without preemption by inpatient or emergency procedures, the rapid turnaround time between cases, the high technical competency of the center’s clinical staff that performs only a limited number of specialized procedures and state-of-the-art surgical equipment. We also focus on our expertise in developing and operating centers. In addition, as part of our role as the general partner or manager of the surgery center partnerships and limited liability companies, we market the centers to third party payors.

In a development project, we provide, among other things, the following services:

	•		financial feasibility pro forma analysis;
	•		assistance in state CON approval process;
	•		site selection;
	•		assistance in space analysis and schematic floor plan design;
	•		analysis of local, state and federal building codes;
	•		negotiation of equipment financing with lenders;
	•		equipment budgeting, specification, bidding and purchasing;
	•		construction financing;
	•		architectural oversight;
	•		contractor bidding;
	•		construction management; and
	•		assistance with licensing, Medicare certification and contracting with third party payors.

We begin our acquisition process with a due diligence review of the targeted center and its market. We use experienced teams of operations and financial personnel to conduct a thorough review of all aspects of the center’s operations including the following:

	•		market position of the center and the physicians affiliated with the center;
	•		payor and case mix;
	•		growth opportunities;
	•		staffing and supply review; and
	•		equipment assessment.

Our ownership interests in practice-based ambulatory surgery centers generally are structured through limited partnerships or limited liability companies. We generally own 51% to 67% of the partnerships or limited liability companies and act as the general partner in each limited partnership and the chief manager in each limited liability company. In development transactions, capital contributed by the physicians and AmSurg plus bank financing provides the partnership or limited liability company with the funds necessary to construct and equip a new surgery center and to provide initial working capital.

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As part of each development and acquisition transaction, we enter into a partnership agreement or, in the case of a limited liability company, an operating agreement with our physician group partner. Under these agreements, we receive a percentage of the net income and cash distributions of the entity equal to our percentage ownership interest in the entity and have the right to the same percentage of the proceeds of a sale or liquidation of the entity. In the limited partnership structure, as the sole general partner, we are generally liable for the debts of the partnership.

These agreements generally provide that we will oversee the business office, marketing, financial reporting, accreditation and administrative operations of the surgery center and that the physician group partner will provide the center with a medical director and certain other specified services such as billing and collections, transcription and accounts payable processing.

In addition, these agreements may provide that the limited partnership or limited liability company will lease certain non-physician personnel from the physician practice, who will provide services at the center. The cost of the salary and benefits of these personnel are reimbursed to the practice by the limited partnership or limited liability company. Certain significant aspects of the limited partnership’s or limited liability company’s governance are overseen by an operating board, which is comprised of equal representation by AmSurg and our physician partners.

Because the physicians will continue to have a minority ownership interest in the center, we work closely with the physicians throughout the process to assess the likelihood of a successful partnership with them in the surgery centers.

The partnership and operating agreements provide that if certain regulatory changes take place, we will be obligated to purchase some or all of the minority interests of the physicians affiliated with us in the partnerships or limited liability companies that own and operate our surgery centers. The regulatory changes that could trigger such an obligation include changes that: (i) make the referral of Medicare and other patients to our surgery centers by physicians affiliated with us illegal; (ii) create the substantial likelihood that cash distributions from the partnership or limited liability company to the affiliated physicians will be illegal; or (iii) cause the ownership by the physicians of interests in the partnerships or limited liability companies to be illegal. There can be no assurance that our existing capital resources would be sufficient for us to meet the obligation, if it arises, to purchase these minority interests held by physicians. The determination of whether a triggering event has occurred is made by the concurrence of counsel for AmSurg and counsel for the physician partners or, in the absence of such concurrence, by independent counsel having an expertise in healthcare law and who is chosen by both parties. Such determination is therefore not within our control. While we have structured the purchase obligations to be as favorable as possible to us, the triggering of these obligations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See “Business — Government Regulation.”

Surgery Center Operations

We generally design, build, staff and equip each of our facilities to meet the specific needs of a single specialty physician practice group. Our typical ambulatory surgery center averages 3,000 square feet and is located adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity of the specialty physicians’ offices. Each center developed by us typically has two to three operating or procedure rooms with areas for reception, preparation, recovery and administration. Each surgery center is developed to perform an average of 2,500 procedures per year. Our cost of developing a typical surgery center ranges from $1.0 to $1.5 million. Constructing, equipping and licensing a surgery center generally takes 10 to 12 months. As of December 31, 2001, 57 centers perform gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures, 32 centers perform ophthalmology surgery procedures, two centers perform orthopedic procedures and four centers perform procedures in more than one specialty. The procedures performed at our centers generally do not require an extended recovery period following the procedures. Our centers are staffed with approximately ten clinical professionals and administrative personnel, some of whom may be shared with the physician practice group. The clinical staff includes nurses and surgical technicians.

The types of procedures performed at each center depend on the specialty of the practicing physicians. The typical procedures most commonly performed or to be performed at AmSurg centers in operation or under development within each specialty are:

	•		gastroenterology — colonoscopy and other endoscopy procedures;
	•		ophthalmology — cataracts and retinal laser surgery;
	•		orthopedics — knee arthroscopy and carpal tunnel repair;

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	•		otolaryngology – myringotomy (ear tubes) and tonsillectomy; and
	•		urology — cystoscopy and biopsy.

We market our surgery centers directly to third-party payors, including health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, preferred provider organizations, or PPOs, other managed care organizations and employers. Payor-group marketing activities conducted by AmSurg management and center administrators emphasize the high quality of care, cost advantages and convenience of our surgery centers and are focused on making each center an approved provider under local managed care plans.

JCAHO Accreditation

Fifty-six of our surgery centers are currently accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO, or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, or AAAHC, and 13 surgery centers are scheduled for initial accreditation surveys during 2002. All of the accredited centers have received three-year certification. We believe that JCAHO or AAAHC accreditation is the quality benchmark for managed care organizations. Many managed care organizations will not contract with a facility until it is accredited. We believe that our historical performance in the accreditation process reflects our commitment to providing high quality care in our surgery centers.

Surgery Center Locations

The following table sets forth certain information relating to centers in operation as of December 31, 2001:

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Our partnerships and limited liability companies generally lease certain of the real property in which our centers operate and the equipment used in certain of our centers, either from the physician partners or from unaffiliated parties. Two centers in operation at December 31, 2001 are located in buildings owned indirectly by us.

Revenues

Substantially all of our revenues are derived from the facility fee charged for surgical procedures performed in the surgery centers. This fee varies depending on the procedure, but usually includes all charges for operating room usage, special equipment usage, supplies, recovery room usage, nursing staff and medications. Facility fees do not include the charges of the patient’s surgeon, anesthesiologist or other attending physicians.

Practice-based ambulatory surgery centers depend upon third-party reimbursement programs, including governmental and private insurance programs, to pay for services rendered to patients. We derived approximately 38% of our net revenues from governmental healthcare programs, primarily Medicare, in 2001. The Medicare program currently pays ambulatory surgery centers and physicians in accordance with predetermined fee schedules.

On June 12, 1998, DHHS published a proposed rule that would update the ratesetting methodology, payment rates, payment policies and the list of covered surgical procedures for ambulatory surgery centers. If implemented, the proposed rule would reduce the rates paid for certain ambulatory surgery center procedures reimbursed by Medicare, including a number of endoscopy and ophthalmology procedures performed at our centers. However, BBRA and BIPA made three changes affecting DHHS’ ability to implement a revised prospective payment system based on the June 1998 proposed rule. First, DHHS may not implement a revised prospective payment system before January 2002; second, if DHHS implements a new system based on the June 1998 proposed rule, CMS must phase in the new rates over four years; and third, DHHS must use data based on a new ambulatory surgery center cost survey from 1999 or later in calculating new rates by January 2003. As of December 31, 2001, CMS has not implemented the phase-in of rates, has not issued a new cost survey and has given no public guidance of its intentions.

We estimate that if full implementation of new rates based on the June 1998 proposed rule occurred in 2002, it would adversely affect our annual revenues by 4% based on our historical procedure mix. However, we believe, due to the four year phase-in of such rates, coupled with updated rates based on new cost data to be used in 2003 and cost efficiencies we expect to implement at both the center and corporate level, that our financial results will not be materially impacted by implementation of the proposed rule’s rates. There can be no assurance that the implementation of new rates will not adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects.

In addition to payment from governmental programs, ambulatory surgery centers derive a significant portion of their net revenues from private healthcare reimbursement plans. These plans include both standard indemnity insurance programs as well as managed care programs such as PPOs and HMOs. The strengthening of managed care systems nationally has resulted in substantial competition among providers of surgery center services that contract with these systems. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources and market penetration than AmSurg. We believe that all payors, both governmental and private, will continue their efforts over the next several years to reduce healthcare costs and that their efforts will generally result in a less stable market for healthcare services. While no assurances can be given concerning the ultimate success of our efforts to contract with healthcare payors, we believe that our position as a low-cost alternative for certain surgical procedures should enable our centers to compete effectively in the evolving healthcare marketplace.

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Competition

We encounter competition in three separate areas: competition for joint venture development of practice-based centers, competition with other companies for acquisition of existing centers and competition with other providers for patients and for contracting with managed care payors in each of our markets.

Competition for joint venture development of practice-based centers. We believe that we do not have a direct corporate competitor in the development of practice-based ambulatory surgery centers across the specialties of gastroenterology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, urology and orthopedic surgery. There are, however, several large, publicly held companies, or divisions or subsidiaries of large publicly held companies and several private companies, that develop freestanding multi-specialty surgery centers, and these companies may compete with us in the development of centers.

Further, many physician groups develop surgery centers without a corporate partner, utilizing consultants who typically perform these services for a fee and who do not take an equity interest in the ongoing operations of the center. It is generally difficult, however, in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, for a single practice to create effectively the efficient operations and marketing programs necessary to compete with other provider networks and companies. Because of this, as well as the financial investment necessary to develop surgery centers, physician groups are often attracted to a corporate partner, such as AmSurg. Other factors that may influence the physicians’ decisions concerning the choice of a corporate partner are the potential corporate partner’s experience, reputation and access to capital.

Competition for center acquisitions. There are several companies, many in niche markets, that acquire existing practice-based ambulatory surgery centers. These competitors may have greater resources than we have. The principal competitive factors that affect our and our competitors’ ability to acquire surgery centers are price, experience and reputation, and access to capital.

Competition for Patients and Managed Care Contracts. We believe that our surgery centers can provide lower-cost, high quality surgery in a more comfortable environment for the patient in comparison to hospitals and to freestanding surgery centers with which we compete for managed care contracts.

Government Regulation

The healthcare industry is subject to extensive regulation by a number of governmental entities at the federal, state and local level. Government regulation affects our business activities by controlling our growth, requiring licensure and certification for our facilities, regulating the use of our properties and controlling reimbursement to us for the services we provide.

CONs and state licensing. Certificate of need statutes and regulations control the development of ambulatory surgery centers in certain states. CON statutes and regulations generally provide that prior to the expansion of existing centers, the construction of new centers, the acquisition of major items of equipment or the introduction of certain new services, approval must be obtained from the designated state health planning agency. In giving approval, a designated state health planning agency must determine that a need exists for expanded or additional facilities or services. Our development of ambulatory surgery centers generally focuses on states that do not require CONs. Further, even in states that require CONs for new centers, acquisitions of existing surgery centers generally do not require CON approval.

State licensing of ambulatory surgery centers is generally a prerequisite to the operation of each center and to participation in federally funded programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Once a center becomes licensed and operational, it must continue to comply with federal, state and local licensing and certification requirements in addition to local building and safety codes. In addition, every state imposes licensing requirements on individual physicians, and facilities and services operated and owned by physicians. Physician practices are also subject to federal, state and local laws dealing with issues such as occupational safety, employment, medical leave, insurance regulations, civil rights and discrimination and medical waste and other environmental issues.

Corporate practice of medicine. The laws of several states in which we operate or may operate in the future do not permit business corporations to practice medicine, exercise control over physicians who practice medicine or engage in various business practices, such as fee-splitting with physicians. The interpretation and enforcement of these laws vary significantly from state to state. We are not required to obtain a license to practice medicine in any jurisdiction

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in which we own and operate an ambulatory surgery center, because the surgery centers are not engaged in the practice of medicine. The physicians who perform procedures at the surgery centers are individually licensed to practice medicine. In most instances, the physicians and physician group practices are not affiliated with us other than through the physicians’ ownership in the partnerships and limited liability companies that own the surgery centers and the service agreements we have with some physicians. The laws in most states regarding the corporate practice of medicine have been subjected to limited judicial and regulatory interpretation. We cannot give you assurances that our activities, if challenged, will be found to be in compliance with these laws.

Certification. We depend upon third-party programs, including governmental and private health insurance programs, to reimburse us for services rendered to patients in our ambulatory surgery centers. In order to receive Medicare reimbursement, each surgery center must meet the applicable conditions of participation set forth by DHHS relating to the type of facility, its equipment, personnel and standard of medical care, as well as compliance with state and local laws and regulations, all of which are subject to change from time to time. Ambulatory surgery centers undergo periodic on-site Medicare certification surveys. Each of our existing centers is certified as a Medicare provider. Although we intend for our centers to participate in Medicare and other government reimbursement programs, there can be no assurance that these centers will continue to qualify for participation.

Medicare-Medicaid fraud and abuse provisions. The federal anti-kickback statute prohibits healthcare providers and others from soliciting, receiving, offering or paying, directly or indirectly, any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate) with the intent of generating referrals or orders for services or items covered by a federal healthcare program. The anti-kickback statute is very broad in scope and many of its provisions have not been uniformly or definitely interpreted by case law or regulations. Violations may result in criminal penalties or fines of up to $25,000 or imprisonment for up to five years, or both. Violations of the anti-kickback statute may also result in substantial civil penalties, including penalties of up to $50,000 for each violation, plus three times the amount claimed and exclusion from participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Exclusion from these programs would result in significant reductions in revenue and would have a material adverse effect on our business.

DHHS has published final safe harbor regulations that outline categories of activities that are deemed protected under the anti-kickback statute. Two of the safe harbor regulations relate to investment interests in general: the first concerning investment interests in large publicly traded companies ($50,000,000 in net tangible assets) and the second for investments in smaller entities. The safe harbor regulations also include a safe harbor for investments in certain types of ambulatory surgery centers. The partnerships and limited liability companies that own the AmSurg centers do not meet all of the criteria of either of the investment interests safe harbors or the surgery center safe harbor. Thus, they do not qualify for safe harbor protection from government review or prosecution under the anti-kickback statute. However, a business arrangement that does not substantially comply with a safe harbor is not necessarily illegal under the anti-kickback statute.

The Office of Inspector General is authorized to issue advisory opinions regarding the interpretation and applicability of the federal anti-kickback law, including whether an activity constitutes grounds for the imposition of civil or criminal sanctions. We have not, however, sought such an opinion regarding any of our arrangements. While several federal court decisions have aggressively applied the restrictions of the anti-kickback statute, they provide little guidance as to the application of the anti-kickback statute to our partnerships and limited liability companies. We believe that we are in compliance with the current requirements of applicable federal and state law because among other factors:

	•		the partnerships and limited liability companies exist to effect legitimate business purposes, including the ownership, operation and continued improvement of quality, cost-effective and efficient services to the patients served;
	•		the partnerships and limited liability companies function as an extension of the group practices of physicians who are affiliated with the surgery centers and the surgical procedures are performed personally by these physicians without referring the patients outside of their practice;
	•		the physician partners have a substantial investment at risk in the partnership or limited liability company;
	•		terms of the investment do not take into account volume of the physician partners’ past or anticipated future services provided to patients of the centers;
	•		the physician partners are not required or encouraged as a condition of the investment to treat Medicare or Medicaid patients at the centers or to influence others to refer such patients to the centers for treatment;

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	•		the partnerships, the limited liability companies, our subsidiaries and our affiliates generally will not loan any funds to or guarantee any debt on behalf of the physician partners; and
	•		distributions by the partnerships and limited liability companies are allocated uniformly in proportion to ownership interests.

The safe harbor regulations also set forth a safe harbor for personal services and management contracts. Certain of our partnerships and limited liability companies have entered into ancillary services agreements with our physician partners’ group practice pursuant to which the practice may provide the center with billing and collections, transcription, payables processing and payroll services. The consideration payable by a partnership or limited liability company for these services may be based on the volume of services provided by the practice, which is measured by the partnership or limited liability company’s revenues. Although these relationships do not meet all of the criteria of the personal services and management contracts safe harbor, we believe that the ancillary services agreements are in compliance with the current requirements of applicable federal and state law because, among other factors, the fees payable to the physician practice approximate the practice’s cost of providing the services thereunder.

Many of the states in which we operate also have adopted laws that prohibit payments to physicians in exchange for referrals similar to the federal anti-kickback statute, some of which apply regardless of the source of payment for care. These statutes typically provide criminal and civil penalties as well as loss of licensure.

Notwithstanding our belief that the relationship of physician partners to our surgery centers should not constitute illegal remuneration under the federal anti-kickback statute or similar laws, we cannot assure you that a federal or state agency charged with enforcement of the anti-kickback statute and similar laws might not assert a contrary position or that new federal or state laws might not be enacted that would cause the physician partners’ ownership interest in our centers to become illegal, or result in the imposition of penalties on us or certain of our facilities. Even the assertion of a violation could have a material adverse effect upon us.

In addition to the anti-kickback statute, HIPAA broadened the scope of the fraud and abuse laws by adding several criminal provisions for healthcare fraud offenses that apply to all health benefit programs. This act also created new enforcement mechanisms to combat fraud and abuse including the Medicare Integrity Program and an incentive program under which individuals can receive up to $1,000 for providing information on Medicare fraud and abuse that leads to the recovery of at least $100 of Medicare funds. In addition, federal enforcement officials now have the ability to exclude from Medicare and Medicaid any investors, officers and managing employees associated with business entities that have committed healthcare fraud. It also establishes a new violation for the payment of inducements to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in order to influence those beneficiaries to order or receive services from a particular provider or practitioner.

Evolving interpretations of current, or the adoption of new, federal or state laws or regulations could affect many of our arrangements. Law enforcement authorities, including the Office of the Inspector General, the courts and Congress are increasing their scrutiny of arrangements between healthcare providers and potential referral sources to ensure that the arrangements are not designed as a mechanism to exchange remuneration for patient care referrals and opportunities. Investigators also have demonstrated a willingness to look behind the formalities of a business transaction to determine the underlying purposes of payments between healthcare providers and potential referral sources.

Prohibition on physician ownership of healthcare facilities and certain self-referrals. The federal physician self-referral law, commonly referred to as the Stark Law, prohibits a physician from making a referral for a designated health service to an entity if the physician or a member of the physician’s immediate family has a financial relationship with the entity. Sanctions for violating the Stark Law include civil money penalties of up to $15,000 per prohibited service provided, assessments equal to twice the dollar value of each such service provided and exclusion from the federal healthcare programs. The original Stark Law only addressed referrals involving clinical laboratory services. However, in 1995, additional legislation, commonly known as Stark II, expanded the ban on self-referrals by adding the following services to the definition of “designated health services:” physical therapy services; occupational therapy services; radiology services; radiation therapy services and supplies; durable medical equipment and supplies; parenteral and enteral nutrients, equipment and supplies; prosthetics, orthotics and

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prosthetic devices and supplies; home health services; outpatient prescription drugs; and inpatient and outpatient hospital services.

On January 4, 2001, DHHS issued final regulations subject to comment intended to clarify parts of the Stark Law, and some exceptions to it. These regulations are considered the first phase of a two-phase process, with the remaining regulations to be published at an unknown future date. The second phase of the regulations are expected to address services furnished in a surgery center. Under the phase one regulations, services that would otherwise constitute a designated health service, but that are paid by Medicare as a part of the surgery center payment rate, are not a designated health service for the purposes of the Stark Law. The phase one regulations generally were effective January 4, 2002. Therefore, we believe the Stark Law does not prohibit physician ownership or investment interests in surgery centers to which they refer patients. DHHS accepted comments on the phase one regulations, and because they may change as a result, we cannot predict the final form that these regulations will take or the effect that the final regulations will have on us.

In addition, several states in which we operate have self-referral statutes similar to the Stark Law. We believe that physician ownership of surgery centers is not prohibited by these state self-referral statutes. However, the Stark Law and similar state statutes are subject to different interpretations with respect to many important provisions. Violations of these self-referral laws may result in substantial civil or criminal penalties, including large civil monetary penalties and exclusion from participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Exclusion of our surgery centers from these programs could result in significant loss of revenues and could have a material adverse effect on us. We can give you no assurances that further judicial or agency interpretation of existing laws or further legislative restrictions on physician ownership or investment in health care entities will not be issued that could have a material adverse effect on us.

The federal False Claims Act and similar federal and state laws. We are subject to state and federal laws that govern the submission of claims for reimbursement. These laws generally prohibit an individual or entity from knowingly and willfully presenting a claim (or causing a claim to be presented) for payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other third party payors that is false or fraudulent. The standard for “knowing and willful” often includes conduct that amounts to a reckless disregard for whether accurate information is presented by claims processors. Penalties under these statutes include substantial civil and criminal fines, exclusion from the Medicare program, and imprisonment. One of the most prominent of these laws is the federal False Claims Act, which may be enforced by the federal government directly, or by a qui tam plaintiff on the government’s behalf. Under the False Claims Act, both the government and the private plaintiff, if successful, are permitted to recover substantial monetary penalties, as well as an amount equal to three times actual damages. In some cases, qui tam plaintiffs and the federal government have taken the position that violations of the anti-kickback statute and the Stark Law should also be prosecuted as violations of the federal False Claims Act. We believe that we have procedures in place to ensure the accurate completion of claims forms and requests for payment. However, the laws and regulations defining proper Medicare or Medicaid billing are frequently unclear and have not been subjected to extensive judicial or agency interpretation. Billing errors can occur despite our best efforts to prevent or correct them, and we cannot assure you that the government will regard such errors as inadvertent and not in violation of the False Claims Act or related statutes. We are currently not aware of any actions against us under the False Claims Act.

A number of states, including states in which we operate, have adopted their own false claims provisions as well as their own qui tam provisions whereby a private party may file a civil lawsuit in state court.

Healthcare industry investigations. Both federal and state government agencies have heightened and coordinated civil and criminal enforcement efforts as part of numerous ongoing investigations of healthcare companies, as well as their executives and managers. These investigations relate to a wide variety of topics, including referral and billing practices.

The Office of the Inspector General of DHHS and the Department of Justice have, from time to time, established national enforcement initiatives that focus on specific billing practices or other suspected areas of abuse. Some of our activities could become the subject of governmental investigations or inquiries. For example, we have significant Medicare billings and we have joint venture arrangements involving physician investors. In addition, our executives and managers, many of whom have worked at other healthcare companies that are or may become the subject of federal and state investigations and private litigation, could be included in governmental investigations or

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named as defendants in private litigation. We are not aware of any governmental investigations involving any of our facilities, our executives or our managers. A future adverse investigation of us, our executives or our managers could result in significant liabilities or penalties to us, as well as adverse publicity.

Privacy requirements and administrative simplification. There are currently numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives at the state and federal levels addressing patient privacy concerns. In particular, on December 28, 2000, DHHS released final health privacy regulations implementing portions of the Administrative Simplification Provisions of HIPAA. These final health privacy regulations became effective on April 14, 2001, but compliance is not mandatory until April 14, 2003. Subject to limited exceptions, these regulations restrict how healthcare providers use and disclose medical records and other individually identifiable health information, whether communicated electronically, on paper or orally. The regulations also provide patients with significant new rights related to understanding and controlling how their health information is used and disclosed.

In addition, the Administrative Simplification Provisions require DHHS to adopt standards to protect the security of health-related information. DHHS proposed security regulations on August 12, 1998. As proposed, these security regulations would require healthcare providers to implement organizational and technical practices to protect the security of electronically maintained or transmitted health-related information. Further, as required by the Administrative Simplification Provisions, DHHS has adopted final regulations establishing electronic data transmission standards that all healthcare providers must use when submitting or receiving certain healthcare transactions electronically. Compliance with these regulations is required by October 16, 2002. However, Congress recently enacted the Administrative Simplification Compliance Act, which extends the compliance date until October 16, 2003 for entities that file a plan with DHHS that demonstrates how they intend to comply with the regulations by the extended deadline.

Although we cannot predict the total financial or other impact of the regulations enacted pursuant to the Administrative Simplification Provisions on our business, compliance with these regulations could require us to spend substantial sums, including but not limited to purchasing new computer systems, which could negatively impact our financial results. Additionally, if we fail to comply with these regulations, we could suffer civil penalties up to $25,000 per calendar year for each violation and criminal penalties with fines of up to $250,000 per violation. Our facilities will continue to remain subject to any privacy-related federal and state laws that are more restrictive than the privacy regulations issued under the Administrative Simplification Provisions. These statutes vary by state and could impose additional penalties.

Obligations to buy-out physician partners. Under our agreements with physician partners, we are obligated to purchase the interests of the physicians at the greater of the physicians’ capital account or a multiple of earnings in the event that their continued ownership of interests in the partnerships and limited liability companies becomes prohibited by the statutes or regulations described above. The determination of such a prohibition is required to be made by our counsel in concurrence with counsel of the physician partners, or if they cannot concur, by a nationally recognized law firm with an expertise in healthcare law jointly selected by us and the physician partners. The interest we are required to purchase will not exceed the minimum interest required as a result of the change in the statute or regulation causing such prohibition.

Employees

As of December 31, 2001, AmSurg and our affiliated entities employed approximately 845 persons, 590 of whom were full-time employees and 255 of whom were part-time employees. Of the above, 120 were employed at our headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition, approximately 425 employees are leased on a full-time basis and 335 are leased on a part-time basis from the associated physician practices. None of these employees are represented by a union. We believe our relationships with our employees to be excellent.

Legal Proceedings and Insurance

From time to time, we may be named a party to legal claims and proceedings in the ordinary course of business. We are not aware of any claims or proceedings against us, our partnerships or limited liability companies that might have a material financial impact on us.

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Each of our surgery centers maintains separate medical malpractice insurance in amounts deemed adequate for our business.

Item 2. Properties

Our principal executive offices are located in Nashville, Tennessee and contain an aggregate of approximately 29,726 square feet of office space, which we lease from a third party pursuant to an agreement that expires in 2009. AmSurg partnerships and limited liability companies generally lease space for their surgery centers. Ninety-three of the centers in operation at December 31, 2001 lease space ranging from 1,200 to 13,400 square feet with the remaining lease terms ranging from two to fifteen years. Two centers in operation at December 31, 2001 are located in buildings owned indirectly by AmSurg.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

Not applicable.

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Not applicable.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

The following table sets forth certain information regarding executive officers of AmSurg as of December 31, 2001. Executive officers of AmSurg serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

Prior to July 12, 2001, we had two classes of common stock, Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, which traded under the symbols “AMSGA” and “AMSGB,” respectively, on the Nasdaq National Market. On July 12, 2001, after receiving shareholder approval, we reclassified our Class A and Class B Common Stock into one class of common stock, having the rights of the Class A Common Stock. The Class A and Class B shares were reclassified into one class of common stock using a one-to-one conversion ratio, resulting in no increase in our total number of shares or book value of common stock outstanding. The new class of common stock trades under the symbol “AMSG” on the Nasdaq National Market. The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices per share for the common stock for each of the quarters in 2000 and 2001, as reported on the Nasdaq National Market.

At March 27, 2002 there were approximately 121 shareholders of record of our common stock. We have never declared or paid a cash dividend on our common stock. We intend to retain our earnings to finance the growth and development of our business and do not expect to declare or pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The declaration of dividends is within the discretion of our Board of Directors, which will review this dividend policy from time to time. Presently, the declaration of dividends would violate certain covenants associated with our credit facility with lending institutions.

On January 4, 2000, we issued 8,830 shares of Class A Common Stock to physicians as partial payment of a note issued in connection with the acquisition of a surgery center. The market price of these shares was $5.66 per share. These shares were issued without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to accredited investors in reliance upon the exemptions from registration afforded by Section 4(2) and Regulation D of the Securities Act.

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data

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Item 7.   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains certain forward-looking statements (all statements other than with respect to historical fact) within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, those described in “Business — Risk Factors,” some of which are beyond our control. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate. Therefore there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this report will prove to be accurate. Actual results could differ materially and adversely from those contemplated by any forward-looking statement. In light of the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that our objectives and plans will be achieved. We undertake no obligation to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements in this discussion to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect unanticipated events. Forward-looking statements and our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations may be affected by the risk factors set forth in “Business — Risk Factors” or by other unknown risks and uncertainties.

Overview

We develop, acquire and operate practice-based ambulatory surgery centers in partnership with physician practice groups. As of December 31, 2001, we owned a majority interest (51% or greater) in 95 surgery centers.

The following table presents the changes in the number of surgery centers in operation and centers under development for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2000 and 1999. We consider a center to be under development when a partnership or limited liability company has been formed with the physician group partner to develop the center.

Of the surgery centers in operation as of December 31, 2001, 57 centers perform gastrointestinal endoscopy procedures, 32 centers perform ophthalmology surgery procedures, two centers perform orthopedic procedures and four centers perform procedures in more than one specialty. The other partner or member in each partnership or limited liability company is generally an entity owned by physicians who perform procedures at the center. We intend to expand primarily through the development and acquisition of additional practice-based ambulatory surgery centers in targeted surgical specialties and through future same-center growth. Our growth targets for 2002 include the acquisition or development of 12 to 15 additional surgery centers and the achievement of same-center revenue growth of 7% to 9%.

While we generally own 51% to 67% of the entities that own the surgery centers, our consolidated statements of operations include 100% of the results of operations of the entities, reduced by the minority partners’ share of the net earnings or loss of the surgery center entities.

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Item 7.   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — (continued)

Sources of Revenues

Substantially all of our revenue is derived from facility fees charged for surgical procedures performed in our surgery centers. This fee varies depending on the procedure, but usually includes all charges for operating room usage, special equipment usage, supplies, recovery room usage, nursing staff and medications. Facility fees do not include the charges of the patient’s surgeon, anesthesiologist or other attending physicians, which are billed directly by the physicians. Our revenues are recorded net of estimated contractual allowances from third party medical service payors.

Practice-based ambulatory surgery centers such as those in which we own a majority interest depend upon third-party reimbursement programs, including governmental and private insurance programs, to pay for services rendered to patients. The amount of payment a surgery center receives for its services may be adversely affected by market and cost factors as well as other factors over which we have no control, including Medicare and Medicaid regulations and the cost containment and utilization decisions of third-party payors. We derived approximately 38%, 37% and 38% of our revenues in the years ended December 31, 2001, 2000 and 1999, respectively, from governmental healthcare programs, primarily Medicare. The Medicare program currently pays ambulatory surgery centers in accordance with predetermined fee schedules.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our accounting policies are described in note 1 of the consolidated financial statements. We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which require us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosures at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We consider the following policies to be most critical in understanding the judgments that are involved in preparing our financial statements and the uncertainties that could impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of AmSurg and our subsidiaries and the majority owned limited partnerships and limited liability companies in which we are the general partner or member. Consolidation of such partnerships and limited liability companies is necessary as we have 51% or more of the financial interest, are the general partner or majority member with all the duties, rights and responsibilities thereof and are responsible for the day-to-day management of the partnership or limited liability company. The limited partner or minority member responsibilities are to supervise the delivery of medical services, with their rights being restricted to those that protect their financial interests, such as approval of the acquisition of significant assets or incurring debt which they, as physician limited partners or members, are required to guarantee on a pro rata basis based upon their respective ownership interests. Intercompany profits, transactions and balances have been eliminated.

We operate in one reportable business segment, the ownership and operation of ambulatory surgery centers.

Revenue Recognition. Center revenues consist of the billing for the use of the centers’ facilities, or facility fee, directly to the patient or third party payor. Such revenues are recognized when the related surgical procedures are performed. The facility fee excludes any amounts billed for physicians’ services which are billed separately by the physicians to the patient or third party payor.

Allowance for contractual adjustments and bad debt expense. Our revenues are recorded net of estimated contractual allowances from third party medical service payors, which we estimate based on historical trends of the surgery centers’ cash collections and contractual write-offs, accounts receivable agings, established fee schedules, relationships with payors and procedure statistics. In addition, we must estimate allowances for bad debt expense using similar information and analysis. While we believe that our allowances for contractual adjustments and bad debt expense are adequate, if the actual write-offs are in excess of our estimates, our results of operations may be overstated. At December 31, 2001 and 2000, net accounts receivable reflected allowances for contractual adjustments and bad debt expense of $28.5 million and $19.3 million, respectively.

Goodwill. Goodwill is amortized over 25 years. We have consistently assessed impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets in accordance with criteria consistent with the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting

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Item 7.   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — (continued)

Standards, or SFAS No. 121, “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets to Be Disposed Of.” Whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of long-term assets may not be recoverable, we assess whether or not an impairment loss should be recorded by comparing estimated undiscounted future cash flows with the assets’ carrying amount at the partnership level. If the assets’ carrying amount is in excess of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment loss is recognized as the excess of the carrying amount over estimated future cash flows discounted at an applicable rate.

In July 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS No. 141, “Business Combinations,” and SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.” The provisions of SFAS No. 141 apply to all business combinations accounted for by the purchase method for which the date of acquisition is July 1, 2001 or later. SFAS No. 142 requires, that upon adoption, amortization of goodwill and indefinite life intangible assets will cease and instead, the carrying value of goodwill and indefinite life intangible assets will be evaluated for impairment at least on an annual basis; impairment of carrying value will be evaluated more frequently if certain indicators are encountered. Identifiable intangible assets with a determinable useful life will continue to be amortized over that period and reviewed for impairment in accordance with SFAS No. 121 until the adoption of SFAS No. 144 (discussed below in “— Recent Accounting Pronouncements”). SFAS No. 142 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001, except for goodwill and intangible assets acquired after June 30, 2001, which are subject immediately to the nonamortization provisions of this statement. As required, we adopted SFAS No. 141 and the nonamortization provisions of SFAS No. 142 for eight business acquisitions consummated from July 1, 2001 to December 31, 2001.

We will fully adopt SFAS No. 142 on January 1, 2002, including the transitional impairment test as required by this standard. Upon adoption, SFAS No. 142 requires that goodwill be tested at the reporting unit level, defined as an operating segment or one level below an operating segment (referred to as a component), with the fair value of the reporting unit being compared to its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is not considered to be impaired. We do not expect the adoption of SFAS No. 142 and completion of the transitional impairment test to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

Purchase Price Allocation. We allocate the respective purchase price of our acquisitions in accordance with SFAS No. 141. The allocation of purchase price involves first, determining the fair value of net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired. Secondly, the excess amount of purchase price is to be allocated to unidentifiable intangible assets (goodwill). A significant portion of each surgery center’s purchase price has historically been allocated to goodwill due to the nature of the businesses acquired, the pricing and structure of our acquisitions and the absence of other factors indicating any significant value which could be attributable to separately identifiable intangible assets. Our resulting goodwill, in accordance with SFAS No. 142 as described above, will no longer be amortized, but will be tested for impairment at least annually.

Results of Operations

Our revenues are directly related to the number of procedures our surgery centers perform. Our overall growth in procedure volume is directly impacted by the increase in the number of surgery centers in operation and the growth in procedure volume at existing centers. Procedure growth at any existing center may result from additional contracts entered into with third-party payors, marketing campaigns, increased market share of the associated medical practice of our physician partners, new physician partners and/or scheduling and operating efficiencies gained at the surgery center.

Expenses directly related to such procedures include clinical and administrative salaries and benefits, supply cost and other variable expenses such as linen cost, repair and maintenance of equipment, billing fees and bad debt expense. The majority of our corporate salary and benefits cost is more directly associated with the number of centers we own and manage and tends to grow in proportion to the growth of our centers in operation. Our centers and corporate offices also incur costs which are more fixed in nature, such as lease expense, legal fees, property taxes, utilities and depreciation and amortization.

Surgery center profits are shared by our minority partners in proportion to their individual ownership percentages and reflected in the aggregate as minority interest. Our interest expense results primarily from our borrowings used to fund acquisition and development activity, as well as interest incurred on capital leases.

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Item 7.   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — (continued)

We file a consolidated federal income tax return and numerous state income tax returns with varying tax rates. Our income tax expense reflects the blending of these rates.

The following table shows certain statement of earnings items expressed as a percentage of revenues for the years ended December 31, 2001, 2000 and 1999: