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Whether you're walking a tightrope or scribbling in your checkbook, balance is a good thing. And, one of the best ways to evaluate a company is to glance at its balance sheet to see what it owns with what it owes.
The balance sheet is a paragon of simplicity and is made up of three components: assets (the stuff it owns), liabilities (the money it owes), and shareholders' equity (the company's value to its shareholders).
Assets take two forms: short-term (or current) assets and long-term assets. Under short-term, there¿s good ol' hard cash. Then, there¿s something called "cash equivalents," which are assets like short-term bonds that can be sold so quickly, they might as well be cash. There you factor in inventory, which (if you're a reasonably competent business owner) you can sell to customers in return for--you guessed it--cash. (The raw materials a company owns to make that inventory also falls under this category.)
Long-term assets are things that are harder to convert into cash. (Think real estate and equipment.) Long-term assets depreciate, meaning they lose some value over time. Also under the long-term category are what's called intangible assets: things like patents and brands, that are important, but hard to quantify. Accountants earn their stripes figuring out the real overall value of these assets.
Once you know your assets, it's time for liabilities. As with assets, liabilities are separated into short-term or current, and long-term. Current liabilities are what a company owes in that year: Things like payments to employees or accounts payable to suppliers. Long-term liabilities are debts paid over several years.
Shareholders' equity is determined by subtracting the liabilities from the assets. That number represents the value of the company after all its bills are paid.
Obviously, investors should pay close attention to balance sheets. Spikes in the amount of debt carried, or a reduction in shareholders' equity, are usually red flags.
Home / Markets / Industries / Health Care
Monday, July 14, 2008
Given Imaging Announces PillCam(R) Capsule Endoscopy of the Small Bowel Recognized as Primary Evaluation Tool by Largest Payer in Ohio
Comtex
YOQNEAM, ISRAEL, Jul 14, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) ----Given Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: GIVN) (TELAVIV: GIVN), the global leader in capsule endoscopy, today announced that Medical Mutual of Ohio, the state's oldest and largest health insurance company serving more than 3.9 million individuals in Ohio and South Carolina, has updated its capsule endoscopy policy effective May 9, 2008. Under the new guidelines, Medical Mutual will allow physicians to use PillCam SB as a primary test (standard endoscopic procedures and or SBFT are not required) for symptoms indicative of small bowel tumors or Crohn's disease. Another change is that Medical Mutual will now allow the use of PillCam ESO in the evaluation of esophageal varices in patients who have esophageal varices or portal hypertension and when esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is contraindicated. The company also announced Medical Mutual's further policy expansions to include the use of the Agile patency capsule used to verify adequate patency of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with known or suspected strictures prior to the administration of the PillCam video capsule.
Prior to this update, PillCam capsule endoscopy of the small bowel under the Medical Mutual of Ohio policy could be used only after a negative upper and/or lower endoscopy to diagnose disorders such as Crohn's disease, celiac disease, benign and cancerous tumors, ulcerative colitis as well as other disorders.
"We are pleased that Medical Mutual of Ohio has recognized the value of PillCam capsule endoscopy to both patients and physicians," said Homi Shamir, president and CEO of Given Imaging. "Today, more than 210 million Americans have reimbursed access to PillCam SB including 34 million Americans with access as a primary diagnostic tool. In addition, approximately 35 million Americans have reimbursed access to PillCam ESO. We anticipate additional coverage decisions like this in the future."
Physicians seeking additional information can access the updated policy at http://www.medmutual.com or can contact Given Imaging's Reimbursement Help Line at 1-888-389-5200.
About Given Imaging Ltd.
Given Imaging is redefining gastrointestinal diagnosis by developing, producing and marketing innovative, patient-friendly products for detecting gastrointestinal disorders. The company's technology platform is the PillCam(R) Platform, featuring the PillCam video capsule, a disposable, miniature video camera contained in a capsule, which is ingested by the patient, a sensor array, data recorder and RAPID(R) software. Given Imaging has a number of available capsules: the PillCam SB video capsule to visualize the entire small intestine which is currently marketed in the United States and in more than 60 other countries; the PillCam ESO video capsule to visualize the esophagus; the Agile(TM) patency capsule to determine the free passage of the PillCam capsule in the GI tract and the PillCam COLON video capsule to visualize the colon that has been cleared for marketing in the European Union. PillCam COLON has received a CE Mark, but is not cleared for marketing or available for commercial distribution in the USA. More than 700,000 patients worldwide have benefited from the PillCam capsule endoscopy procedure. Given Imaging's headquarters, manufacturing and R&D facilities are located in Yoqneam, Israel. It has operating subsidiary companies in the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Australia and Singapore. Given Imaging's largest shareholders include Elron Electronic Industries (NASDAQ & TASE: ELRN). For more information, visit http://www.givenimaging.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, projections about our business and our future revenues, expenses and profitability. Forward-looking statements may be, but are not necessarily, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," and words and terms of similar substance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual events, results, performance, circumstances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future events, results, performance, circumstances or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, circumstances or achievements to differ from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) satisfactory results of clinical trials with PillCam COLON (2) our ability to receive regulatory clearance or approval to market our products or changes in regulatory environment, (3) our success in implementing our sales, marketing and manufacturing plans, (4) protection and validity of patents and other intellectual property rights, (5) the impact of currency exchange rates, (6) the effect of competition by other companies, (7) the outcome of future litigation, including patent litigation with Olympus Corporation, (8) our ability to obtain reimbursement for our product from government and commercial payors, (9) quarterly variations in operating results, (10) the possibility of armed conflict or civil or military unrest in Israel, and (11) other risks and factors disclosed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, risks and factors identified under such headings as "Risk Factors," "Cautionary Language Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Operating Results and Financial Review and Prospects" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2007. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except for the Company's ongoing obligations to disclose material information under the applicable securities laws, it undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements, to report events or to report the occurrence of unanticipated events.
For further information contact: Fern Lazar/David Carey Lazar Partners Ltd. 1-(866) GIVEN-IR Email Contact Email Contact
SOURCE: Given Imaging
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Copyright 2008 Market Wire, All rights reserved. ********************************************************************** As of Thursday, 07-10-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend� Alert, an automated pattern recognition system, indicated a DOWNTREND on 04-15-2008 for GIVN @ $15.13. For more information on SmarTrend, contact your market data provider or go to www.mysmartrend.com SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc. Copyright � 2004-2008 Comtex News Network, Inc. All rights reserved.
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