UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

Commission file number 0-19941

MEDQUIST INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New Jersey		22-2531298
(State or other jurisdiction of		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization)

9009 Carothers Parkway, Franklin, TN 37067
(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(866) 295-4600

Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, no par value per share		The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)

     Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No þ

     Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No þ

     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 þ No o

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o No o

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

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check One):

Large Accelerated Filer o		Accelerated Filer þ		Non-Accelerated Filer o		Smaller reporting company o
				(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No þ

     The aggregate market value of the outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2010, was $90,519,912. Such aggregate market value was computed by reference to the closing price of the common stock as reported on the Global Market of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC .

     The number of registrant’s shares of common stock, no par value, outstanding as of March 14, 2011 was 37,555,893.

     Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

MedQuist Inc.
Annual Report on Form 10-K
Table of Contents

		Page
PART I
Item 1. Business			3
Item 1A. Risk Factors			13
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments			21
Item 2. Properties			21
Item 3. Legal Proceedings			21
Item 4. Reserved			22
PART II
Item 5. Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters And Issuer Purchases Of Equity Securities			23
Item 6. Selected Financial Data			24
Item 7. Management’s Discussion And Analysis Of Financial Condition And Results Of Operations			25
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk			37
Item 8. Financial Statements And Supplementary Data			37
Item 9. Changes In And Disagreements With Accountants On Accounting And Financial Disclosure			37
Item 9A. Controls And Procedures			38
Item 9B. Other Information			38
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance			39
Item 11. Executive Compensation			39
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management			39
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence			39
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services			39
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules			39
Consent of KPMG LLP
Certification of Chief Executive Officer
Certification of Chief Financial Officer
Certification of Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Section 906
Certification of Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Section 906
EX-10.42.1
EX-10.42.2
EX-10.42.3
EX-23
EX-31.1
EX-31.2
EX-32.1
EX-32.2

PART I

Item 1.		Business

Overview

We are a leading provider of integrated clinical documentation solutions for the U.S. healthcare system. Our end-to-end solutions convert physicians’ dictation of patient interactions, or the physician narrative, into a high quality and customized electronic record. These solutions integrate technologies and services for voice capture and transmission, automated speech recognition (ASR), medical transcription and editing, workflow automation, and document management and distribution to deliver a complete managed service for our customers. Our solutions enable hospitals, clinics, and physician practices to improve the quality of clinical data as well as accelerate and automate the documentation process, and we believe our solutions improve physician productivity and satisfaction, enhance revenue cycle performance, and facilitate the adoption and use of electronic health records.

We are the largest provider by revenue of clinical documentation solutions based on the physician narrative in the United States. The majority of lines we process are edited or transcribed by our approximately 5,600 medical transcriptionists (MTs) and medical editors (MEs). For the three months ended December 31, 2010, 76% was processed using ASR technology and 34% was produced offshore. Our size allows us to handle the clinical documentation requirements of many of the largest and most complex healthcare delivery networks in the United States, provides us with economies of scale, and enables us to devote significantly more resources to enhancing our solutions through research and development than most of our competitors.

We serve a large number of hospital and physician practices and the majority of the work is recurring.

We have realized significant increases in both revenue and profitability as the result of the acquisition of Spheris Inc. (Spheris), which we acquired in April 2010 as well as benefits realized from our scalable business model. From 2008 to 2010, our net revenue increased from $326.9 million to $375.2 million.

Our industry

Growth of clinical documentation in the United States

Over the past several decades, our industry has evolved from almost exclusively in-house production to outsourced services and from labor-intensive services to technologically-enabled solutions. The market opportunity for our solutions is driven by overall healthcare utilization and cost containment efforts in the United States. Numerous factors are driving increases in the demand for healthcare services including population growth, longer life expectancy, the increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses, and expanded coverage from healthcare reform. According to a September 2010 report by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, spending on healthcare grew from $1.2 trillion in 1998 to $2.3 trillion in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate of 7.0%. It also projects that healthcare spending will grow to reach $4.2 trillion, or 19.3% of U.S. gross domestic product, by 2018, representing a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%. At the same time, U.S. healthcare providers remain under substantial pressure to reduce costs while maintaining or improving the quality of care.

Accurate and timely clinical documentation has become a critical requirement of the growing U.S. healthcare system. Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance companies demand extensive patient care documentation. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), which was enacted into law on February 17, 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), includes numerous incentives to promote the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records, or EHRs, across the healthcare industry. Consequently, healthcare providers are increasingly using EHRs to input, store, and manage their clinical data in a digital format. Healthcare providers that use EHRs require accurate, easy-to-use, and cost-effective means to input clinical data that are not disruptive to the physician workflow.

Importance of the physician narrative

Physicians generally use one of two methods to capture clinical data in a digital format: dictation and on-screen data entry. Dictation allows a physician to use his or her voice to document patient interactions, which is then converted into a text format or EHR record. On-screen data entry enables a physician to populate templates or drop-down menus in an EHR system, typically with a handheld or other hardware device.

In many hospital settings, dictation is the most popular method for capturing clinical data because of the many advantages it provides over on-screen data entry. From an efficiency standpoint, a physician’s time is typically the most expensive labor component of a clinical documentation process, and reducing the time required for data capture lowers costs. It is generally faster to dictate than enter data on-screen, and dictation frees up the physician to do other tasks in parallel. From a documentation standpoint, dictation allows for a flexible narration of patient interactions. Templates and drop-down menus typically restrict input to a structured format. While dictation can be converted into structured format later, it provides a more flexible method for data capture.

Market opportunity

The need to convert and manage the physician narrative represents a substantial market opportunity. Historically, in-house hospital labor was used to transcribe clinical reports using analog recordings from physicians. Later, healthcare providers began to outsource production to domestic providers and use digital formats. Today, advanced automation technologies, such as ASR and workflow platforms, and low-cost offshore resources are available to drive substantial improvements in productivity and cost.

Market segmentation and trends

While outsourcing provides many benefits, the landscape for outsourced service providers is highly fragmented with varying degrees of technological automation and offshore capabilities amongst providers. Thousands of local and regional providers offer limited services without technology offerings. A small set of national providers offer a combination of technology and services, but have varying degrees of technological sophistication and production capacity. Some vendors also focus more on pure technology, offering ASR software, with partnerships for third-party services, though most of these vendors lack production scale.

Over the last five years, technological automation and a rise in offshore capabilities have substantially decreased the cost of production and have further differentiated outsourcing providers. ASR has been a key technological driver of productivity gains. ASR converts the physician narrative into a text form which is available for editing. The effective use of this technology lowers the cost of production relative to conventional transcription services. Another key driver for cost reductions has been the increased use of offshore infrastructure and resources. Historically, most U.S. healthcare providers that outsourced their production did so to domestic service providers. With the advent of internet-based technologies and improvements in the quality and training of offshore personnel, the clinical documentation industry has seen a shift towards offshore resources to reduce costs. India is by far the most popular destination for outsourcing given relatively low wages and a highly educated English-speaking workforce.

As the industry’s cost of production has declined through increases in technological automation and offshore capabilities, the average market price for medical transcription services has also declined. This has allowed healthcare providers to participate in these economic gains. However, we believe that participants in our industry must expand their technology platforms and offshore capabilities to remain competitive.

Our competitive strengths

Our competitive strengths include:

n

Leader in a large, fragmented market — We are the largest provider by revenue of clinical documentation solutions based on the physician narrative in the United States. Our size enables us to meet the needs of large, sophisticated healthcare customers, provides economies of scale, and enables us to devote significantly more resources to research and development and quality assurance than many other providers.

	n		Integrated solutions delivered as a complete managed service — We offer fully-integrated end-to-end managed services that capture and convert the physician narrative into a high quality customized electronic record. We integrate technologies and services for voice capture and transmission, ASR, medical transcription and editing, workflow automation, and document management and distribution. The end result is value-added clinical documentation with high accuracy and quick turn-around times.
	n		Large and diversified customer base with long-term relationships — We serve a large number of hospital and physician practices and the majority of the work is recurring.
	n		Highly-efficient operating model — Over the past two years, we have driven down our cost structure through leveraging our scalable infrastructure, standardizing processes, and increased utilization of ASR. Our use of ASR, which has grown from 39% of our volume in the fourth quarter of 2008 to 76% in the fourth quarter of 2010, has increased our productivity. Additionally, our expanding footprint in India through our relationship with MedQuist Holdings Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiary, CBay Systems and Services, Inc., our principal offshore labor provider has enabled us to increase our offshore production from 28% of our volume to 34% over this same period. The financial impact of these measures has been an improvement in gross margins during this timeframe from 34% to 36%.
	n		Proven management team — We have assembled an outstanding senior leadership team with significant industry experience and domain expertise in both domestic and offshore operations. Our management team has delivered substantial results and brings an entrepreneurial spirit with proven experience in managing growth, driving operational improvements, and successfully integrating acquisitions.

Our strategy

Key elements of our strategy include:

	n		Expand our customer base and increase existing customer penetration — We intend to grow our customer base by targeting three market segments: large healthcare providers still using in-house services, large healthcare providers currently using competing outsourced alternatives, and small to medium sized hospitals and physician practices. Given our market leadership, strong solution offerings, and low cost structure, we believe we are well positioned to both replace in-house solutions as well as displace competing outsourced alternatives for large healthcare providers. In order to increase penetration within our existing customer base, we intend to continue targeting additional healthcare clinical areas and facilities of our current customers. Additionally, as healthcare providers centralize their purchasing decisions, we believe that our ability to deliver outstanding services for large, complex requirements provides us with increasing access to new sales opportunities within our existing customer base and through existing customer relationships.
	n		Continue to develop and enhance our integrated solutions — We seek to differentiate our integrated solutions through sophisticated technology and process improvement. We have approximately 90 employees dedicated to research and development. Over the last year, we launched numerous enhancements, including a front end speech platform for general medicine, additional EHR system integration, and advanced performance monitoring.
	n		Enhance profitability through technical and operational expertise — We have made significant improvements in productivity through business process and infrastructure improvements. Notwithstanding reductions in customer pricing, our gross margins have expanded from 32% in the fourth quarter of 2008 to 36% in the fourth quarter of 2010. Our management team has proven its ability to implement continuous process improvements and we intend to further increase offshore production and our use of technological automation, including ASR, to lower costs and enhance our profitability.
	n		Facilitate the adoption and promote meaningful use of EHR systems — Our integrated solutions provide a comprehensive, accurate and effective method to incorporate physician narrative into an EHR system. We interface with substantially all of the leading EHR vendors to integrate our clinical documentation solutions and to help our customers realize the full potential of their EHR systems through the use of the physician narrative. In our experience, when EHR is adopted, customers tend to consolidate their purchase decisions, which benefit us as a leading provider of clinical documentation solutions.

n

Pursue strategic acquisitions — We believe that there are significant opportunities available to create value through strategic acquisitions. We intend to seek appropriate opportunities to grow our customer base, enhance or expand our solutions, incorporate synergy opportunities, and expand our value proposition to our customers.

Our solutions

Clinical documentation solutions for healthcare providers

We provide enterprise-class solutions for healthcare providers ranging from fully-integrated end-to-end managed services to stand-alone offerings. These solutions represent the large majority of our revenues. Our solutions enable our customers to easily access advanced technologies with confidence that their clinical documentation requirements will be completed accurately and quickly. Our industry-leading solutions integrate voice capture and transmission, ASR, transcription/editing services, workflow management, and document management and distribution capabilities. In addition, we have coding technology and services to complement our clinical documentation offerings which enhance and improve the revenue cycle.

With proprietary and licensed technologies, we enable our customers to efficiently manage their narrative-based documentation through customizable workflows. A typical workflow includes the following steps:

n

Capture — As the first step in a workflow process, users can dictate into one of several input devices, including a variety of handheld dictation devices, Smartphone applications, proprietary handsets, standard telephones, or PC-based dictation stations. Users can also use PC-based speech recognition applications for those who prefer to edit their own files in real-time. By supporting a wide array of capture methods, we provide true choice to our customers to decide which workflow best suits their needs. Users can change as needed from real-time to batch-based workflows to maximize their productivity.

	n		Manage — Captured voice files are merged with patient information from our customers’ information systems and EHRs where they are loaded into our enterprise platform for processing. The platform balances production resources across both in-house and outsourced personnel, and its web-based management capabilities allow administrators to easily manage workflows from anywhere at any time. We generate draft reports using speech recognition technology which are reviewed by our Medical Editors (MEs). We can also use conventional transcription services from our Medical Transcriptionists (MTs). To maintain high quality and efficiency, our platform automatically matches voice files from various specialties and acuity levels to the MTs or MEs with the appropriate skill sets. It also includes random quality checks to give timely feedback to our personnel. Turn-around time is an important metric for our customers, and so the system optimizes processing to ensure we fulfill our contracted service level agreements, which typically range from one hour to 48 hours. In addition, the platform provides real-time access for our customers to not only see into their work moving through the system, but provides dashboard metrics and reporting to help manage their enterprises.
	n		Analyze — Completed reports are routed back to physicians or other healthcare professionals for review, final editing (as required), and authentication. These reports are then available to drive additional value added services, such as coding, data abstraction for analytics, measures reporting, and billing services. We provide customers with sophisticated reporting capabilities and integrated electronic signature solutions to simplify and accelerate the review of their clinical reports. We use Quantify™, our patent-pending natural language processing technology, to convert final reports into structured documentation formats. This technology allows us to scan health records for information needed by the customer to fulfill their regulatory and local reporting requirements. Healthcare entities are required to report the meaningful use of their EHRs by reporting on defined quality measures set down by the government. Using the CAA tool, customers can extract this information for these quality measures to make sure the reporting is complete and reduce the time and expense that associated with a manual abstraction process. It can take as much as 40 minutes to manually abstract a single medical record. CAA technology can dramatically reduce this time and improve the accuracy of the information reported. CAA can also be used, based on a set of rules, to deliver information to the customer for Clinical Documentation Improvement initiatives (CDI). In this case, the tool can tell the customer when a healthcare worker has not documented something needed to support measures reporting and reimbursement. Finally, this technology can also be used to structure documentation in the health record for use in populating EHRs and for data analysis. In this case, the unstructured transcribed text can be structured and parsed into the information that can be populated into the customer’s EHR systems at a discrete level. This allows the vital information located in the narrative part of the physician’s documentation to be used in the EHR to support continuity of medical care and provide again for measures reporting and reimbursement needs.
	n		Distribute — After being approved by the physician, electronic records are distributed. We provide a fully featured distribution solution for printing, faxing and electronic distribution to referring physicians. We have developed thousands of interfaces with major, mid-level and proprietary hospital information systems, radiology information systems, health information repositories and EHR systems. Our solution supports HL7 and XML-based formats which further allows us to meet the needs of each individual customer. Throughout the entire workflow, our managed service platform maintains security measures and audit trails in full compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) privacy and security standards and regulations and the protection of the confidentiality of patient information.

In delivering these customized workflows, we offer a variety of software products. These can work either as stand-alone solutions or as integrated solutions with our other managed services. These solutions include:

n

DocQment Enterprise Platform (DEP) — Our core platform provides a powerful and flexible transcription solution that integrates the process of dictation, transcription, speech recognition, editing, and document delivery into a unified clinical information management workflow. We offer the platform typically as a managed service. For those customers that prefer to use their own services, we also offer it on a license basis. Our platform provides a high performance and highly customizable clinical documentation workflow. It integrates with every major hospital system vendor, such as Epic, Cerner, and Meditech, and we developed thousands of interfaces with customer systems.

n

SpeechQ — Our front-end speech recognition family of solutions enables physicians to dictate, edit, and sign their reports in real-time. With workflows customized for numerous medical practices, such as radiology and general medicine, SpeechQ offers end-to-end workflows that combine voice commands and dictation. SpeechQ integrates with our enterprise platform in scenarios where a physician prefers to send text to our editors for review. It interfaces with EHRs and other healthcare systems to allow patient demographic information to be automatically populated, updated, and distributed in real-time. Our newest SpeechQ offering, SpeechQDirect can voice-enable customer EHRs to drive greater adoption, which will assist them in realizing incentive funds from the government for that adoption. Healthcare providers can now use their voice in addition to keyboard and mouse to seamlessly interact with their desktop clinical applications, including the dictation of medical narrative and speech-based navigation within 3rd party applications. Using this solution, providers can improve documentation efficiency and avoid the trap of template-based point-and-click systems, augmenting discretely captured data with a narrative of the patient’s story.

n

CodeRunnerCAC — Our web-based workflow and workforce management system manages the entire coding process for our customers. Health records are fed into the system where natural language processing technology scans the information and delivers suggested codes to the hospital coding staff. This allows them to become more accurate, reduce turnaround time and increase productivity. All of these factors contribute to increased revenue and improved cash flow by shortening the revenue cycle and making fewer errors that can result in denials by payors.

n

DocQVoice — Our web-based enterprise digital voice capture and transport solution is deployed at the customer’s location and integrates with both our enterprise platform and legacy dictation systems.

Selling and marketing

We employ approximately 100 personnel in our sales force and account management organization. Our sales force is focused on new customer sales opportunities including both the conversion of customers that are using in-house solutions as well as the displacement of competitive offerings. This sales organization employs consultative sales techniques to deliver customized programs and solutions that respond to the customer’s unique requirements. Our account management organization is responsible for continuity of our current customer relationships and the expansion of those relationships to include additional services, facilities, or work types.

We complement our sales efforts with numerous marketing initiatives, including:

n

attending and sponsoring industry trade shows of national organizations, such as the American Health Information Management Association, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, Radiological Society of North America, Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine, and Medical Transcription Industry Alliance;

	n		participating in work groups and leadership committees of the industry associations; and
	n		advertising in trade journals related to our industry.

Operations

We serve our customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week with our integrated clinical documentation solutions. We use ASR in most of our production, which we complement with skilled, English-speaking MTs and MEs.

Technology

Technology development

We devote substantial resources to research and development to ensure that our solutions meet both current and future customer requirements. As of December 31, 2010, we employed a development staff of approximately 90 employees. Our development staff has expertise in multiple disciplines, including service oriented architectures, web-based clients, high volume transactional databases, data warehouses, web services and integration with third-party systems. We also utilize third party resources for some specific technologies, such as ASR, capture-assisted codes, encoders, databases, portal technologies and reporting. Much of the technology in our integrated solutions is proprietary. Our development personnel follow a rigorous development methodology that ensures repeatable, high quality and timely delivery of solutions.

ASR is a key component of our narrative-based solutions, and we license software for a portion of our ASR capabilities. We dual source some components of our ASR technologies.

Technology operations

Our clinical documentation solutions are hosted by us and accessed using high-speed internet connections or private network connections. We have devoted significant resources to producing software applications and managed services to meet the functionality and performance expectations of our customers. We use commercially available hardware and a combination of proprietary and commercially-available licensed software to provide our clinical documentation solutions.

Competition

Because we integrate technologies and services, we compete with companies in a number of different sectors. These competitors include:

	n		in-house service departments of healthcare providers, which we believe produce the majority of clinical documentation today based on the physician narrative;
	n		national medical transcription service providers, such as Focus Informatics, Inc. (a subsidiary of Nuance Communications, Inc. (Nuance)), Transcend Services, Inc., and Webmedex, Inc.;
	n		local or regional medical transcription service organizations;
	n		ASR software vendors, such as Nuance and Multimodal Technologies, Inc. (Multimodal), which market ASR as a means to reduce clinical documentation labor; and
	n		EHR software vendors which promote their systems as a replacement to narrative-based input by using on-screen templates and drop-down boxes for data entry.

Competition for our integrated clinical documentation solutions is based primarily on the following factors:

	n		accuracy and timeliness of documentation produced;
	n		capacity to handle large volumes and complex workflows;
	n		ability to provide fully-integrated end-to-end solutions;
	n		ease of upgrades and ability to add complementary offerings;
	n		physician acceptance and productivity;
	n		pricing;
	n		physician acceptance and productivity;
	n		analytics provided to customers;
	n		domestic or offshore production capabilities;
	n		time to implement for new customers; and
	n		financial stability.

We believe we compete effectively on all of the above criteria. We provide fully integrated end-to-end managed services that translate the physician narrative into a customized electronic record with high accuracy and low turn-around time. We believe that our production cost structure allows us to offer competitive prices while continuing to invest in the development of new technologies and services. We have the largest production capacity in our industry, which we believe strengthens our operational capabilities and assists us in meeting customer demands for timely implementation of our solutions for new accounts.

Government regulation

The provision of clinical documentation solutions is heavily regulated by federal and state statutes and regulations. We and our healthcare customers must comply with a variety of requirements, including HIPAA and other restrictions regarding privacy, confidentiality, and security of health information.

We have structured our operations to comply with HIPAA and other regulatory and contractual requirements. We have implemented appropriate safeguards related to the access, use, or disclosure of protected health information (PHI), to address the privacy and security of PHI consistent with our regulatory and contractual requirements. We also train our personnel regarding HIPAA and other requirements. We have made and continue to make investments in systems to support customer operations that are regulated by HIPAA and other regulations. Because these standards are subject to interpretation and change, we cannot predict the future impact of HIPAA or other regulations on our business and operations.

HIPAA and HITECH Act

HIPAA establishes a set of national privacy and security standards for protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of PHI. Under HIPAA, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and healthcare providers, together referred to as covered entities for purposes of HIPAA, and their business associates must meet certain standards in order to protect individually identifiable health information. The HITECH Act which was enacted into law on February 17, 2009 as part of the ARRA, enhances and strengthens the HIPAA privacy and security standards and makes certain provisions of HIPAA applicable to business associates of covered entities.

As part of the operation of our business, our customers provide us with certain PHI, and we are considered to be a business associate of most of our customers for purposes of HIPAA. The provisions of HIPAA require our customers to have agreements in place with us whereby we are required to appropriately safeguard the PHI we create or receive on their behalf. As a business associate, we also have statutory and regulatory obligations under HIPAA. We are bound by our business associate agreements to use and disclose PHI in a manner consistent with HIPAA in providing services to those covered entities.

We and our customers are also subject to HIPAA security regulations that require the implementation of certain administrative, physical and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health information (EPHI). We are required by regulation and contract to protect the security of EPHI that we create, receive, maintain or transmit for our customers consistent with these regulations. These requirements include implementing administrative, physical and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of such EPHI. To comply with our regulatory and contractual obligations, we may have to reorganize processes and invest in new technologies. On February 17, 2010, we became directly subject to HIPAA’s criminal and civil penalties for any breaches of our privacy and security obligations.

Other restrictions regarding privacy, confidentiality, and security of health information

In addition to HIPAA, numerous other state and federal laws govern the collection, dissemination, use, access to, confidentiality and security of PHI. In addition, Congress and some states are considering new laws and regulations that further protect the privacy and security of medical records or medical information. In many cases, these state laws are not preempted by the HIPAA privacy and security standards.

Intellectual property

We rely on a combination of copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws, nondisclosure agreements, license agreements, contractual provisions and other measures to protect our proprietary rights. We have a number of registered

trademarks in the United States and abroad, including MedQuist^® and SpeechQ^®. We have common law rights over a number of unregistered trademarks. We also own a limited number of United States and foreign patents and patent applications that relate to our products, processes and technologies.

We dual source some components of our ASR technologies.

We license speech recognition and processing software from Nuance, pursuant to a licensing agreement entered into in November 2009. Under our agreement with Nuance, we pay a licensing fee based upon a per line charge for each transcribed line of text processed using the software licensed from Nuance. Our licensing agreement with Nuance expires in June 2015. Thereafter, upon written notice to Nuance, we have the right to renew the licensing agreement for two successive periods of five years each on the same terms (except pricing) and conditions of the licensing agreement then in effect.

Nuance granted us co-ownership rights to and interests in its SpeechQ product in exchange for a fixed sum, pursuant to a supply agreement entered into in November 2009. The supply agreement also provides that we receive, in exchange for periodic fees, the exclusive right in the United States, Canada and certain Caribbean islands to sell, service and deliver SpeechQ. Our supply agreement with Nuance expires in June 2015. Upon written notice to Nuance, we have the right to renew the agreement for two successive terms of five years each on the same terms (except pricing) and conditions of the agreement then in effect.

We also license the speech recognition and processing software used for SpeechQ from Nuance, under a separate licensing agreement entered into in November 2009. Under this agreement, we pay a licensing fee based on total number of individual users or named-user licenses per customer order. This agreement expires in June 2015. Thereafter, upon written notice to Nuance, we have the right to renew the licensing agreement for two successive periods of five years each on the same terms (except pricing) and conditions of the licensing agreement then in effect.

We also license speech recognition and processing software from Multimodal. Our principal license agreement with Multimodal was entered into in March 2010. Under that licensing agreement, we pay Multimodal a monthly fee in exchange for a fixed number of minutes of recording. Each minute of recording that exceeds the fixed number is charged at a specified rate per minute. Our agreement with Multimodal expires in April 2013. Thereafter, the agreement automatically renews and is extended for up to seven additional successive one-year periods, unless we notify Multimodal in writing of our election not to extend at least sixty days prior to the last day of the term. We are in discussions with Multimodal regarding an amendment to the license agreement that would modify the structure of the term of the agreement. As part of that modified structure, we would have the ability to use the software licensed under the agreement through April 2021. In the event of a change of control that results in a direct competitor of Multimodal having, directly or indirectly, a 50% or greater ownership interest in us, or 50% or more of the voting control of us, or in the event we, through any acquisition of a direct competitor of Multimodal, begin selling or licensing a software product other than Multimodal’s that is directly competitive with such technology, Multimodal shall have the right to terminate its agreement with us.

Employees

As of December 31, 2010, we had approximately 6,500 employees in the United States. Most of our employees are MTs and MEs involved in the production and quality assurance of clinical documentation.

We believe we have good relationships with our employees. Our employees are not subject to collective bargaining agreements or union representation.

Corporate developments

Recapitalization transactions

On October 14, 2010, we incurred $85.0 million of indebtedness through the issuance of 13% senior subordinated notes due 2016, or the Senior Subordinated Notes, under a note purchase agreement, or the Note Purchase Agreement, and incurred $200.0 million of indebtedness under a term loan, or the Term Loan, under a $225.0 million credit facility, or the Senior Secured

Credit Facility. MedQuist Holdings Inc. (MedQuist Holdings) is a guarantor of both the Senior Subordinated Notes and the Senior Secured Credit Facility. We used the proceeds to repay $80.0 million of indebtedness under its prior credit facility, or the Acquisition Credit Facility, to repay $13.6 million of indebtedness under a subordinated promissory note, or the Acquisition Subordinated Promissory Notes, each issued in connection with the Spheris Acquisition, and to pay a $176.5 million special dividend to our stockholders. MedQuist Holdings received $122.6 million of this special dividend.

Majority Owner

On August 6, 2008, MedQuist Holdings, formerly CBaySystems Holdings Limited (CBaySystems Holdings), a company that is now publicly traded on The NASDAQ Global Market with a portfolio of investments in medical transcription, which includes a company that competes in the medical transcription market, healthcare technology, and healthcare financial services, acquired a large interest in us from Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Philips).

MedQuist Holdings — U.S. initial public offering

On January 27, 2011, MedQuist Holdings changed its name from CBaySystems Holdings Limited to MedQuist Holdings Inc. and re-domiciled from a British Virgin Islands company to a Delaware corporation and authorized 300 million shares of common stock par value at $0.10 per share and 25 million shares of preferred stock at $0.10 par value per share. In connection with MedQuist Holdings’ re-domiciliation, MedQuist Holdings adjusted the number of its shares outstanding through a reverse share split pursuant to which every 4.5 shares of its common stock outstanding prior to its re-domiciliation was converted into one share of MedQuist Holdings common stock upon its re-domiciliation. MedQuist Holdings’ re-domiciliation and reverse share split resulted in no change to its common stockholders’ relative ownership interests in MedQuist Holdings.

In February 2011, MedQuist Holdings completed its U.S. initial public offering of common stock selling 3.0 million of its shares of common stock and 1.5 million shares of its common stock owned by selling shareholders at an offer price of $8.00 per share, resulting in gross proceeds to MedQuist Holdings of $24.0 million and net proceeds to MedQuist Holdings after underwriting fees of $22.3 million. MedQuist Holdings’ common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “MEDH.”

Private Exchange

Certain of our noncontrolling stockholders entered into an exchange agreement, or the Exchange Agreement, with MedQuist Holdings, whereby MedQuist Holdings issued 4.8 million shares of MedQuist Holdings’ common stock in exchange for their 4.8 million shares of MedQuist Inc. common stock. We refer to this transaction as the Private Exchange. The Private Exchange was completed on February 11, 2011 and increased MedQuist Holdings’ ownership in us from 69.5% to 82.2%.

Registered Exchange Offer

In addition to the Private Exchange referred to above, in February 2011, MedQuist Holdings commenced its public exchange offer, or Registered Exchange Offer, to those of our noncontrolling stockholders who did not participate in the Private Exchange to exchange shares of MedQuist Holdings’ common stock for shares of MedQuist Inc. common stock. The Registered Exchange Offer expired on March 11, 2011. MedQuist Holdings accepted for, and consummated the exchange of, all MedQuist Inc. shares of common stock that were validly tendered in the Registered Exchange Offer. As a result of the Registered Exchange Offer, MedQuist Holdings increased its ownership interest in us from 82.2% to approximately 97%.

Sale of A-Life Investment

During the three months ended December 31, 2010, we sold our approximately 32% interest in A-Life Medical, Inc., or A-Life, an equity method investment. The consideration to us for the sale of our A-Life investment was $23.6 million, of which $19.5 million was paid to us in cash and $4.1 million was paid into escrow, to be released in March 2012, subject to the satisfaction of indemnification obligations under the related merger agreement.

Available Information

     All periodic and current reports, registration statements, and other filings that we are required to file with the SEC, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or

furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act), are available free of charge from the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov) or public reference room at 100 F Street N.E., Washington, DC 20549 (1-800-SEC-0330) or through our website at www.medquist.com. Such documents are available as soon as reasonably practicable after electronic filing of the material with the SEC. Copies of these reports (excluding exhibits) may also be obtained free of charge, upon written request to: Investor Relations, MedQuist Inc., 9009 Carothers Parkway Franklin, TN 37067. The website addresses included in this report are for identification purposes. The information contained therein or connected thereto are not intended to be incorporated into this report.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     This report contains forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about us, the industry in which we operate and other matters, as well as management’s beliefs and assumptions and other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts. These statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies and prospects. For example, when we use words such as “projects,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “will,” “opportunity,” “potential” or “may,” variations of such words or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes, we are making forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by us include:

	•		each of the factors discussed in this Item 1A, Risk Factors as well as risks discussed elsewhere in this report;
	•		each of the matters discussed in Item 3, Legal Proceedings;
	•		our ability to recruit and retain qualified MTs, MEs and other employees;
	•		changes in law, including, without limitation, the impact HIPAA will have on our business;
	•		the impact of our new services and products on the demand for our existing services and products;

Risks related to our business

We compete with many others in the market for clinical documentation solutions which may result in lower prices for our services, reduced operating margins and an inability to maintain or increase our market share.

     We compete with other outsourced clinical documentation solutions companies in a highly fragmented market that includes national, regional and local service providers, as well as service providers with global operations. These companies have services that are similar to ours, and certain of these companies have substantially larger or have significantly greater financial resources than we do. We also compete with the in-house medical transcription staffs of our customers and potential customers. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete effectively against our competitors or timely implement new products and services. Many of our competitors attempt to differentiate themselves by offering lower priced alternatives to our outsourced medical transcription services and customers could elect to utilize less comprehensive solutions than the ones we offer due to the lower costs of those competitive products. Some competition may even be willing to accept less profitable business in order to grow revenue. Increased competition and cost pressures affecting the healthcare markets in general may result in lower prices for our services, reduced operating margins and the inability to maintain or increase our market share.

Our business is dependent upon the continued demand for transcription services. If EHR companies produce alternatives to medical transcription that reduce the need for transcription, the demand for our solutions could be reduced.

     EHR companies’ solutions for the collection of clinical data typically require physicians to directly enter and organize patient information through “point-and-click” templates which attempt to reduce or eliminate the need for transcription. A second alternative to conventional transcription involves a physician dictating a record of patient encounters and receiving a speech-recognized draft of their dictation, which the physician can self-edit. There is significant uncertainty and risk as to the demand for, and market acceptance of, these solutions for the creation of electronic clinical documentation. In the event that these and other solutions are successful and gain wide acceptance, the demand for our solutions could be reduced and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our growth is dependent on the willingness of new customers to outsource and adopt our technology platforms.

     We plan to grow, in part, by capitalizing on perceived market opportunities to provide our services to new customers. These new customers must be willing to outsource functions which may otherwise have been performed within their organizations, adopt new technologies and incur the time and expense needed to integrate those technologies into their existing systems. For example, the up-front cost and time involved in changing medical transcription providers or in converting from an in-house medical transcription department to an outsourced provider may be significant. Many customers may prefer to remain with their current provider or keep their transcription in-house rather than invest the time and resources required for the implementation of a new system. Also, as the maintenance of accurate medical records is a critical element of a healthcare provider’s ability to deliver quality care to its patients and to receive proper and timely reimbursement for the services it renders, potential customers may be reluctant to outsource or change providers of such an important function.

Our success will depend on our ability to support existing technologies as well as to adopt and integrate new technology into our workflow platforms.

     Our ability to remain competitive in the clinical documentation industry is based, in part, on our ability to develop, utilize and support technology in the services and solutions that we provide to our customers. As our customers advance technologically, we must be able to effectively integrate our solutions with their systems and provide advanced data collection technology. We also may need to develop technologies to provide service systems comparable to those of our competitors as they develop new technology. If we are unable to effectively develop and integrate new technologies, we may not be able to compete effectively with our competitors. In addition, if the cost of developing and integrating new technologies is high, we may not realize our expected return on investment.

Technology innovations in the markets that we serve may create alternatives to our products and result in reduced sales.

     Technology innovations to which our current and potential customers might have access could reduce or eliminate their need for our products. A new or other disruptive technology that reduces or eliminates the use of one or more of our products could negatively impact the sale of these products. Our failure to develop, introduce or enhance products able to compete with new technologies in a timely manner could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition.

Many of our customer contracts are terminable at will by our customers, and our ability to sustain and grow profitable operations is dependent upon the ability to retain customers.

     Many of our contracts can be terminated at will by our customers. If a significant number of our customers were to cancel or materially change their commitments with us, we could have significantly decreased revenue, which would harm our business, operating results and financial condition. We must, therefore, engage in continual operational support and sales efforts to maintain revenue stability and future growth with these customers. If a significant number of our customers terminate or fail to renew their contracts with us, our business could be negatively impacted if additional business is not obtained to replace the business which was lost.

     Customer retention is largely dependent on providing quality service at competitive prices. Customer retention may be impacted by events outside of our control, such as changes in customer ownership, management, financial condition and competitors’ sales efforts. If we experience a higher than expected rate of customer attrition the resulting loss of business could adversely affect results of operations and financial condition.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations and limit our ability to pursue our growth strategy or to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and our debt obligations include restrictive covenants which may restrict our operations or otherwise adversely affect us.

     As of December 31, 2010 we had approximately $285.0 million of indebtedness outstanding, consisting of $200.0 million of Term Loan debt under our Senior Secured Credit Facility and $85.0 million of Senior Subordinated Notes. We may incur additional indebtedness in the future. For each of the years 2011 through 2014, assuming no change in our indebtedness following this offering, we will have scheduled payment obligations of approximately $20.0 million for the principal amount of our indebtedness. Our net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2010 was $13.4 million. Our variable rate indebtedness bears interest at LIBOR plus 5.50% with a LIBOR floor of 1.75%. Because the LIBOR floor is currently in effect, a 1.25% increase in LIBOR above current LIBOR levels would not increase our effective interest rate. A 1.0% increase in the interest rate above this floor would impact our interest expense by approximately $2.0 million. This indebtedness could have important negative consequences to our business, including:

	n		increasing the difficulty of our ability to make payments on our outstanding debt;
	n		increasing our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions because our debt payment obligations may limit our ability to use our cash to respond to or defend against changes in the industry or the economy;
	n		requiring a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, therefore reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures and future business opportunities;
	n		limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes;
	n		limiting our ability to pursue our growth strategy; and
	n		placing us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors who are less leveraged and may be better able to use their cash flow to fund competitive responses to changing industry, market or economic conditions.

     In addition, under our debt financing agreements, we must abide by certain financial and other restrictive covenants that, among other things, require us to maintain a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio, a maximum total leverage ratio and a maximum consolidated senior leverage ratio. Upon a breach of any of the covenants in our debt financing agreements, the lenders could declare us to be in default and could further require any outstanding borrowings to be immediately due and payable, and terminate all commitments to extend further credit.

We are dependent on third party speech recognition software incorporated in certain of our technologies, and the inability to maintain, support or enhance such third party software over time could harm our business.

     We license speech recognition software from third parties, both of which are competitors that we incorporate into several of our key products and solutions. Our ability to continue to sell and support these products and solutions depends on continued support from these licensors. If we were to experience the loss of one of these licenses, the portion of our business that relies on this software would be adversely affected while we transitioned it to the software provided under our other license. If we were to experience the loss of both of these licenses at any one time, our business would be adversely affected until we identify, license and integrate, or develop and integrate equivalent software, which we may be unable to do. There can be no assurance that such third party licensors will continue to invest the appropriate levels of resources in the software to maintain and enhance the capabilities of the software and if such third party licensors do not continue to develop their products, the development of our solutions to meet the requirements of our customers and potential customers could be adversely affected.

Our use of open source and third-party software could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our solutions.

     We incorporate open source software into our workflow solutions platforms and other software solutions. Open source software is accessible, usable and modifiable by anyone, provided that users and modifiers abide by certain licensing requirements. Under certain conditions, the use of some open source code to create derivative code may obligate us to make the resulting derivative code available to others at no cost. The circumstances under which our use of open source code would compel us to offer derivative code at no cost are subject to varying judicial interpretations, and we cannot guarantee that a court would not require certain of our core technology be made available as open source code. The use of such open source code may also ultimately require us to take remedial action, such as replacing certain code used in our products, paying a royalty to use some open source code, making certain proprietary source code available to others or discontinuing certain products, any of which may divert resources away from our development efforts.

     We may also find that we need to incorporate certain proprietary third-party technologies, including software programs, into our products in the future. Licenses to relevant third-party technologies may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Therefore, we could face delays in product releases until equivalent technology can be identified, licensed or developed and integrated into our current products. Such delays could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

If we fail to comply with contractual obligations and applicable laws and regulations governing the handling of patient identifiable medical information, we could suffer material losses or be adversely affected by exposure to material penalties and liabilities.

     As part of the operation of our business, our customers provide us with certain patient identifiable medical information. Although many regulatory and governmental requirements do not directly apply to our operations, we and our hospital and other healthcare provider customers must comply with a variety of requirements related to the handling of patient information, including laws and regulations protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of protected health information, or PHI. Most of our customers are covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, and, in many of our relationships, we function as a business associate. The provisions of HIPAA require our customers to have business associate agreements with us under which we are required to appropriately safeguard the PHI we create or receive on their behalf. Further, we and our customers are required to comply with HIPAA security regulations that require us and them to implement certain administrative, physical and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic PHI, or EPHI. We are required by regulation and contract to protect the security of EPHI that we create, receive, maintain or transmit for our customers consistent with these regulations. To comply with our regulatory and contractual obligations, we may have to reorganize processes and invest in new technologies. We also are required to train personnel regarding HIPAA requirements. If we, or any of our MTs, MEs or subcontractors, are unable to maintain the privacy, confidentiality and security of the PHI that is entrusted to us, we and/or our customers could be subject to civil and criminal fines and sanctions and we could be found to have breached our contracts with our customers.

     We are bound by business associate agreements with covered entities that require us to use and disclose PHI in a manner consistent with HIPAA in providing services to those covered entities. The HITECH Act, which was enacted into law on February 17, 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or ARRA, enhances and strengthens the HIPAA privacy and security standards and makes certain provisions applicable to “business associates” of covered entities. As of February 17, 2010, some provisions of HIPAA apply directly to us. In addition, the HITECH Act creates new security breach notification requirements. The direct applicability of the new HIPAA Privacy and Security provisions will require us to incur additional costs and may restrict our business operations. In addition, these new provisions will result in additional regulations and guidance issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and will be subject to interpretation by various courts and other governmental authorities, thus creating potentially complex compliance issues for us and our customers.

     As of February 17, 2010, we are directly subject to HIPAA’s criminal and civil penalties for breaches of our privacy and security obligations.

Security and privacy breaches in our systems may damage customer relations and inhibit our growth.

     The uninterrupted operation of our hosted solutions and the confidentiality and security of third-party information is critical to our business. Any failures or perceived failures in our security and privacy measures could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations. If we are unable to protect, or our customers perceive that we are unable to protect, the security and privacy of our electronic information, our growth could be materially adversely affected. A security or privacy breach may:

	n		cause our customers to lose confidence in our solutions;
	n		harm our reputation;
	n		expose us to liability; and
	n		increase our expenses from potential remediation costs.

     While we believe that we use proven applications designed for data security and integrity to process electronic transactions, there can be no assurance that our use of these applications will be sufficient to address changing market conditions or the security and privacy concerns of existing and potential customers.

Our business depends on the reliable and secure operation of our computer hardware, software, Internet applications and data centers.

     A substantial portion of our business involves the transfer of large amounts of data to and from our workflow platforms. These workflow platforms, and their underlying technologies, are designed to operate and to be accessible by our customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Network and information systems, the Internet and other technologies are critical to our business activities. We have periodically experienced short term outages with our workflow platforms that have not significantly disrupted our business. However, a long term outage could adversely affect our ability to provide service to our customers.

     We also perform data center and/or hosting services for certain customers, including the storage of critical patient and administrative data. Failure of public power and backup generators, impairment of telecommunications lines, a “concerted denial of service cyber attack,” damage (environmental, accidental, intentional or pandemic) to the buildings, the equipment inside the buildings housing our data centers, the customer data contained therein and/or the personnel trained to operate such facilities could cause a disruption in operations and negatively impact customers who depend on us for data center and system support services. Any interruption in operations at our data centers and/or customer support facilities could damage our reputation, cause us to lose existing clients, hurt our ability to obtain new customers, result in revenue loss, create potential liabilities for our customers and us and increase insurance and other operating costs.

Recent and proposed legislation and possible negative publicity may impede our ability to utilize offshore production capabilities.

     Certain state laws that have recently been enacted and bills introduced in recent sessions of the U.S. Congress seek to restrict the transmission of personally identifiable information regarding a U.S. resident to any foreign affiliate, subcontractor or unaffiliated third party without adequate privacy protections or without providing notice of the transmission and an opportunity to opt out. Some of the proposals would require patient consent. If enacted, these proposed laws would impose liability on healthcare businesses arising from the improper sharing or other misuse of personally identifiable information. Some proposals would create a private civil cause of action that would allow an injured party to recover damages sustained as a result of a violation of the new law. A number of states have also considered, or are in the process of considering, prohibitions or limitations on the disclosure of medical or other information to individuals or entities located outside of the U.S. Further, as a result of concerns regarding the possible misuse of personally identifiable information, some of our customers have contractually limited our ability to use MTs and MEs located outside of the U.S. The effect of these proposals would be to limit our ability to utilize our lower-cost offshore production facilities for affected customers, which could adversely affect our operating margins.

Any change in legislation, regulation or market practices in the United States affecting healthcare or healthcare insurance may materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

     Over the past twenty years the U.S. healthcare industry has experienced a variety of regulatory and market driven changes to how it is operated and funded. Further changes, whether by government policy shift, insurance company changes or otherwise, may happen, and any such changes may adversely affect the U.S. healthcare information and services market. As business process outsourcing and “off-shoring” have grown in recent years, concerns have also grown about the impact of these phenomena on jobs in the United States. These concerns could drive government policy in a way which is disadvantageous to us. Further, if government regulation or market practices leads to fewer individuals seeking medical treatment, we could experience a decline in our processed volumes.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by the political and economic conditions in India.

     A significant portion of our operations are performed in India through our arrangements with MedQuist Holdings’ wholly-owned subsidiary, CBay Systems & Services, Inc. Multiple factors relating to our Indian operations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These factors include:

	n		changes in political, regulatory, legal or economic conditions;
	n		governmental actions, such as restrictions on the transfer or repatriation of funds and foreign investments;
	n		civil disturbances, including terrorism or war;
	n		political instability;
	n		public health emergencies;
	n		changes in employment practices and labor standards;
	n		local business and cultural factors that differ from our customary standards and practices; and
	n		changes in tax laws.

     In addition, the Indian economy may differ favorably or unfavorably from other economies in several respects, including the growth rate of GDP, the rate of inflation, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The Indian government has traditionally exercised and continues to exercise a significant influence over many aspects of the Indian economy. Further actions or changes in policy, including taxation, of the Indian central government or the respective Indian state governments could have a significant effect on the Indian economy, which could adversely affect private sector companies, market conditions and the success of our operations.

We are highly dependent on certain key personnel and the loss of any or all of these key personnel may have an adverse impact upon future performance.

     Our operations and future success are dependent upon the existence and expertise in this sector of certain key personnel. The loss of services of any of these individuals for any reason or our inability to attract suitable replacements would have a material adverse effect on the financial condition of our business and operations.

We have grown, and may continue to grow, through acquisitions, which could dilute existing stockholders and could involve substantial integration risks.

     As part of our business strategy, we have in the past acquired, and expect to continue to acquire, other businesses and technologies. We may issue equity securities for future acquisitions, which would dilute existing stockholders, perhaps significantly depending on the terms of the acquisition. We may also incur additional debt in connection with future acquisitions, which may place

additional restrictions on the ability to operate the business. Furthermore, prior acquisitions have required substantial integration and management efforts. Acquisitions involve a number of risks, including:

	n		difficulty in integrating the operations and personnel of the acquired businesses, including different and complex accounting and financial reporting systems;
	n		potential disruption of ongoing business and distraction of management;
	n		potential difficulty in successfully implementing, upgrading and deploying in a timely and effective manner new operational information systems and upgrades of finance and accounting systems;
	n		difficulty in incorporating acquired technology and rights into products and technology;
	n		unanticipated expenses and delays in completing acquired development projects and technology integration;
	n		management of geographically remote offices and operations;
	n		impairment of relationships with partners and customers;
	n		customers delaying purchases or seeking concessions pending resolution of integration between existing and newly acquired services or technology platforms;
	n		entering markets or types of businesses in which management has limited experience; and
	n		potential loss of customers or key employees of the acquired company.

     As a result of these and other risks, we may not realize anticipated benefits from acquisitions. Any failure to achieve these benefits or failure to successfully integrate acquired businesses and technologies could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards may be limited.

     As of December 31, 2010, we had approximately $78 million of federal net operating loss, or NOL, carryforwards to offset future taxable income, which will begin to expire in 2026 if not utilized, and approximately $216 million of state NOLs. Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, imposes limitations on a company’s ability to use NOL carryforwards if such company experiences a more-than-50-percent ownership change, or an ownership shift, over a three-year testing period. We believe that, as a result of the initial public offering or as a result of future issuances of capital stock related to our principal shareholder, MedQuist Holdings, it is possible that such an ownership change may occur. If we experience an ownership change, our ability to use our United States federal and state NOL carryforwards in any future periods may be restricted. If we are limited in our ability to use our NOL carryforwards, we will pay more taxes than if we were able to utilize such NOL carryforwards fully. As a result, any inability to use our NOL carryforwards could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our largest stockholder will exercise significant control over our company.

     Following the Registered Exchange Offer, MedQuist Holdings owns approximately 97% of our outstanding common stock. MedQuist Holdings has the ability to cause the election of all of the members of our board of directors, the appointment of new management and the approval of actions requiring the approval of our shareholders, including amendments to our certificate of incorporation and mergers or sales of substantially all of our assets. The directors elected by MedQuist Holdings will be able to make decisions affecting our capital structure, including decisions to issue additional capital stock, implement stock repurchase programs and declare dividends. The interests of MedQuist Holdings could conflict with our interests and the interests of our other shareholders.

Our ability to expand our business and properly service our customers depends on our ability to effectively manage our domestic production capacity and our only offshore transcription labor partner (CBay Systems & Services, Inc.), including our ability to recruit, train and retain qualified MTs and MEs and maintain high standards of quality service in our operations, which we may not be able to do.

     Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to effectively manage our domestic production capacity including our ability to attract and retain qualified MTs and MEs who can provide accurate medical transcription. There is currently a shortage of qualified MTs and MEs in the U.S., and an increasing need for more real-time turnaround of transcribed reports has created industry-wide demand for quality MTs and MEs. As a result, competition for skilled MTs and MEs is intense. We have active programs in place to attract domestic MTs and MEs. We must also effectively manage our only current offshore transcription labor partner, CBay Systems & Services, Inc. However, this strategy may not alleviate any issues caused by the shortage. Because medical transcription is a skilled position in which experience is valuable, we require that our MTs and MEs have substantial experience or receive substantial training before being hired. Competition may force us to increase the compensation and benefits paid to our MTs and MEs, which could reduce our operating margins and profitability. In addition, failure to recruit and retain qualified MTs and MEs may have an adverse effect on our ability to service our customers, manage our production capacity and maintain our high standards of quality service. An inability to hire and retain a sufficient number of qualified MTs and MEs in the U.S. could have a negative impact on our ability to grow.

Shares of our common stock will be subject to different risks as a result of the Registered Exchange Offer.

     As a result of the completion of the Registered Exchange Offer, an active, liquid trading market for our common stock no longer exists and shares of our common stock may be subject to delisting from NASDAQ, which may adversely affect the liquidity and value of shares our common stock for an indefinite period of time. If our common stock is delisted from NASDAQ, then equity research coverage of our common stock may be discontinued. In addition, we may deregister under the Exchange Act.

     Section 14A:10A of the New Jersey Business Corporation Act, or the NJBCA, prohibits certain business combinations involving New Jersey corporations and an interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is defined generally as a stockholder who is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the outstanding stock of the corporation. The NJBCA prohibits business combinations subject to the NJBCA for a period of five years after the date the interested stockholder acquired its stock, unless the transaction was approved by the corporation’s board of directors prior to the time the interested stockholder acquired its shares. After the five year period expires, the prohibition on business combinations with an interested stockholder continues unless: (i) the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the target corporation; (ii) the business combination is approved by a vote of two-thirds of the voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder; or (iii) the stockholders of the corporation receive a price in accordance with a fair price formula set forth in the NJBCA.

     In August 2008, MedQuist Holdings, through its subsidiary, CBay Inc., a Delaware corporation, acquired over 10% of the outstanding shares of MedQuist, Inc. from Royal Philips Electronics. Our board of directors of did not approve future business combinations with MedQuist Inc. or CBay Inc. prior to that acquisition for purposes of the provisions of NJBCA Section 14A:10A.

     MedQuist Holdings may be able to utilize a short-form back-end merger through Section 267 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL. Under Section 267 of the DGCL, if (i) at least 90% of the outstanding shares of each class of stock of a corporation is owned by an entity, (ii) one of the entities is a Delaware corporation and (ii) the entity that is not a Delaware corporation is an entity of a state, the laws of which do not forbid such merger, the entity having such stock ownership may either merge the entity into itself and assume all of its obligations, or merge itself into the other entity.

     In addition, Section 267 of the DGCL would permit MedQuist Holdings to merge us into MedQuist Holdings or CBay Inc. without our shareholder approval if such merger is not forbidden by the laws of New Jersey. Section 14A:10-7(4) of the NJBCA governs short-form mergers involving a New Jersey corporation. This provision allows a non-New Jersey corporation owning at least 90% of the outstanding shares of each class and series of a New Jersey corporation to merge the other corporation into itself, or merge itself into any subsidiary corporation, without approval of the shareholders of either corporation, though the board of the parent corporation must approve a plan of merger. However, the New Jersey courts have not interpreted Section 14A: 10-7(4) in the context of Section 14A:10A.

     In connection with the proposed settlement of the Shareholder Litigation described in Item 3. Legal proceedings, MedQuist Holdings has agreed with plaintiffs that MedQuist Holdings will conduct a short-form merger under the NJBCA to acquire the remaining shares of our common stock that MedQuist Holdings does not currently own at the same exchange ratio applicable under the Registered Exchange Offer. The settlement of the Shareholder Litigation is conditioned upon, among other things, execution of a final Stipulation of Settlement, notice to all class members, a fairness hearing and final approval of the settlement by the court. The proposed settlement in this matter will be a class settlement that will require notice to all class members, an opportunity to object and a fairness hearing to review the terms of the settlement. There is a risk that a shareholder could object to the settlement and the court could ultimately approve the settlement, approve it in part and disapprove it in part, or disapprove the settlement altogether.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2. Properties

We lease 34 facilities in the U.S. and India representing approximately 677,550 square feet including our administrative headquarters for our United States operations, which is located in an approximately 48,000 square foot facility in Franklin, Tennessee and our sales, administrative and research and development office, which is located in an approximately 19,500 square foot facility in Norcross, Georgia.

Item 3. Legal proceedings

We have been involved in a number of legal matters, including customer and stockholder issues and regulatory investigations. Substantially all of these legal matters have been resolved. As of December 31, 2010, one legal matter remains open related to our billing practices. The SEC is pursuing civil litigation against our former chief financial officer, whose employment with us ended with in July 2004. Pursuant to our by-laws, we have been providing indemnification for the legal fees of this individual. In February 2011, we entered into a settlement agreement with our former chief financial officer and such settlement agreement is dependent on the individual settling with the SEC.

Shareholder Litigation

     On February 8, 2011 and February 10, 2011, plaintiffs Victor N. Metallo and Joseph F. Lawrence, respectively, filed purported shareholder class action complaints in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Burlington County (Chancery Division) (the Shareholder Litigation). In their complaints, the plaintiffs purported to be shareholders of MedQuist Inc. and sought to represent a class of our minority shareholders in pursuit of claims against us, the members of our board of directors and MedQuist Holdings.

     Plaintiffs alleged that the defendants breached certain fiduciary duties they owed to minority shareholders of MedQuist Inc. in connection with the structuring and disclosure of the Registered Exchange Offer. Among other things, the plaintiffs alleged that (a) the Registered Exchange Offer is procedurally and financially unfair, (b) the January 21, 2011 and February 16, 2011 Schedules 14D-9 that we filed with the SEC and the February 3, 2011 Prospectus that MedQuist Holdings filed with the SEC are materially misleading and incomplete, and (c) the Registered Exchange Offer was structured by the defendants in order to circumvent the provisions of the New Jersey Shareholders’ Protection Act. Plaintiffs sought, among other things, preliminary and permanent injunctive relief enjoining consummation of the Registered Exchange Offer, unspecified damages, pre- and post-judgment interest and attorneys’ fees and costs. The two Plaintiff actions were consolidated on February 22, 2011 under the caption In Re: MedQuist Inc. Shareholder Litigation, Docket Number C-018-11.

     On March 4, 2011, the parties entered into a memorandum of understanding (the MOU) that outlined the material terms of the Shareholder Litigation. Under the terms of the MOU, we agreed to extend the expiration of the Registered Exchange Offer until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Friday, March 11, 2011 and further agreed that if, as a result of the Registered Exchange Offer, MedQuist Holdings obtained ownership of at least 90% of the outstanding common stock of MedQuist Inc., MedQuist Holdings will conduct a short-form merger under applicable law to acquire the remaining shares of MedQuist Inc. common stock that MedQuist Holdings does not currently own at the same exchange ratio applicable under the Registered Exchange Offer. We agreed to make certain supplemental disclosures concerning the Registered Exchange Offer, which were contained in an amendment to Schedule 14D-9 that we filed with the SEC on March 7, 2011. The settlement of the Shareholder Litigation is conditioned upon, among other things, execution of a Stipulation of Settlement, notice to all class members, a fairness hearing and final approval of the settlement by the court.

From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings or regulatory investigations arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings that we believe would likely have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Item 4. Removed and Reserved

PART II

Item 5. Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters And Issuer Purchases Of Equity Securities

     Our common stock began trading on the Global Market of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC under the ticker symbol “MEDQ” effective on July 17, 2008. Prior to that, our common stock traded on the Pink Sheets under the symbol “MEDQ.PK”. Set forth below are the high and low closing bid quotations for those periods our stock was traded on the Pink Sheets (as reported by the Pink Sheets LLC) and the high and low sales prices for those periods our stock was quoted on NASDAQ (as reported by NASDAQ) for each quarter of 2008, 2009, 2010 and the first quarter through March 14, 2011. The over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission, and may not necessarily reflect the prices for actual transactions.

		High				Low
2008
First Quarter		$	10.75			$	8.05
Second Quarter		$	9.50			$	6.60
Third Quarter		$	8.00			$	4.35
Fourth Quarter		$	4.97			$	1.92
2009
First Quarter		$	2.75			$	0.87
Second Quarter		$	6.88			$	2.12
Third Quarter		$	9.32			$	5.04
Fourth Quarter		$	7.89			$	5.74
2010
First Quarter		$	9.00			$	6.61
Second Quarter		$	9.77			$	7.46
Third Quarter		$	8.76			$	7.31
Fourth Quarter		$	12.04			$	8.14
2011
First Quarter (through March 14, 2011)		$	10.04			$	8.19

Holders

     On March 14, 2011, the closing price of our common stock (as reported by NASDAQ) was $8.73 and we had 438 shareholders of record.

Dividends

     In October 2010, we announced a special dividend of $4.70 per share of our common stock which was paid on October 14, 2010. This dividend resulted in the use of $176.5 million of cash. On September 2, 2009, we announced a dividend of $1.33 per share of our common stock which was paid on September 15, 2009 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 9, 2009. This resulted in the use of approximately $49.9 million of cash. On July 14, 2008, we announced a dividend of $2.75 per share of our common stock which was paid on August 4, 2008 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 25, 2008. This resulted in the use of approximately $103.3 million of cash. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

		For the Year Ended December 31,
		2010				2009				2008				2007				2006
		($ in thousands, except per share data)
Statement of Operations Data:
Net revenues		$	375,240	(7)		$	307,200			$	326,853			$	340,342			$	358,091	(1)
Net income (loss)		$	31,051	(2)(3)(4)		$	23,291	(2)(3)(4)		$	(68,795	)(2)(4)(5)		$	(15,206	)(2)(4)		$	(16,942	)(2)(4)
Net income (loss) per share — Basic		$	0.83			$	0.62			$	(1.83	)		$	(0.41	)		$	(0.45	)
Net income (loss) per share — Diluted		$	0.83			$	0.62			$	(1.83	)		$	(0.41	)		$	(0.45	)

		As of December 31,
		2010				2009				2008				2007				2006
Balance Sheet Data:
Total assets		$	323,918	(7)		$	174,661			$	202,205	(5)		$	417,772			$	441,139
Total non-current liabilities		$	272,508	(7)		$	5,088			$	2,832			$	17,294			$	18,492
Total shareholder’s (deficit) equity		$	(30,601	)(6)		$	114,748	(6)		$	140,352	(6)		$	314,644			$	327,519

Item 7. Management’s Discussion And Analysis Of Financial Condition And Results Of Operations

     You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this report. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions set forth in the “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” which can be found in Item 1A, Risk Factors. Our actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in the “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this report.

Executive Overview

Overview

     We are a leading provider of integrated clinical documentation solutions for the U.S. healthcare system. Our end-to-end solutions convert physicians’ dictation of patient interactions, or the physician narrative, into a high quality and customized electronic record. These solutions integrate technologies and services for voice capture and transmission, ASR, medical transcription and editing, workflow automation, and document management and distribution to deliver a complete managed service for our customers. Our solutions enable hospitals, clinics, and physician practices to improve the quality of clinical data as well as accelerate and automate the documentation process, and we believe our solutions improve physician productivity and satisfaction, enhance revenue cycle performance, and facilitate the adoption and use of electronic health records.

Key factors affecting our performance

     In 2010, we completed the acquisition of Spheris which materially impacted our financial results. In addition our results have also been impacted by volume changes and pricing impacts as we move to ASR and offshore production, as well as operating improvements and selling, general and administrative expense savings leveraging from our scalable platform. These are discussed below.

     Volume and pricing trends

     The vast majority of our revenue is generated by providing clinical documentation services to our customers. Medical transcription and medical editing by our MTs and MEs, respectively, accounted for 89.5% of our net revenues in 2010. Product sales and related maintenance contracts and other made up the balance of our net revenues. Our customers are generally charged a rate per character multiplied by the number of characters that we process. Our transcription volume had been declining prior to 2008, and we have been able to reverse this trend through the Spheris acquisition, new accounts and additional work types from existing customers and decreasing our losses of existing customers. We have reduced losses of our customers primarily by improving our quality and improving our account management efforts.

     We base our pricing on various factors, principally market forces, the extent to which we can utilize our offshore production facilities, the extent to which customers utilize the ASR technology available in our solutions, the scope of services provided, and turn-around times requested by a particular customer. We work with our customers to evaluate how different solutions affect pricing and to determine what for them is an optimal mix of service level and price. Higher utilization of offshore production and ASR leads to lower costs for us, which permits us to offer better pricing to our customers while at the same time contributing to margin growth. We have successfully migrated a significant portion of our volume offshore and we will continue these efforts.

     As technological advances and increased use of offshore resources have driven down industry costs, the average price per character has also declined as healthcare providers have sought to participate in the economic gains. We intend to monitor and adjust our pricing accordingly to remain competitive as these industry trends continue.

     Operating improvements

     We have executed significant operational improvements since 2008. Cost of revenues on a per unit basis has declined due to the increased percentage of volume produced offshore and the increased utilization of ASR technology. Our use of ASR technology has increased from 47% to 76% over the eight quarters ended December 31, 2010. We have increased our offshore production as a percentage of our volume from 11% to 34% for the same period. As we continue to increase the use of ASR technology and move volume offshore, we expect to continue to reduce costs.

     Some of our contracts specify lower prices for work performed offshore or using speech recognition technology. Therefore, our operating income will not increase by the full amount of the savings we realize. Additionally, management has been reducing support staff headcount as we shift volumes to India in order to further reduce operating costs.

     Selling, general and administrative expense savings

     We have made significant reductions in selling, general and administrative expenses since 2008. Such expenses were 14.5% of net revenues in 2008 compared to 9.9% of net revenues for 2010. These savings were achieved primarily through headcount reductions and aggressive efforts to reduce other administrative expenses.

     In connection with the Spheris acquisition we have identified potential specific savings in the sales and marketing and general and administrative areas. We also expect to consolidate facilities in 2011. We anticipate that these savings will be implemented throughout 2011.

     Significant developments in the clinical documentation industry:

     Although we remain one of the leading providers of medical transcription services in the U.S., we experience competition from many other providers at the local, regional and national level. The medical transcription industry remains highly fragmented, with hundreds of small companies in the U.S. performing medical transcription services.

     We believe the outsourced portion of the medical transcription services market will increase due in part to the majority of healthcare providers seeking the following:

	•		Reductions in overhead and other administrative costs;
	•		Improvements in the quality and delivery speed of transcribed medical reports;
	•		Access to leading technologies, such as speech recognition technology, without development and investment risk;
	•		Implementation and management of a medical transcription system tailored to the providers’ specific requirements;
	•		Access to skilled MTs and MEs;
	•		Solutions for compliance with governmental and industry mandated privacy and security requirements; and
	•		Product offerings that interface with EHR initiatives.

     We evaluate our operating results based upon the following factors:

	•		Production volumes;
	•		adjusted EBITA (Adjusted earnings before interest, depreciation, amortization taxes, and other items)
	•		Net cash provided by operating activities.

     Our goal is to execute our strategy to yield growth in net revenues, operating income, and net cash flow.

     Network and information systems, the Internet and other technologies are critical to our business activities. Substantially all of our transcription services are dependent upon the use of network and information systems, including the use of our DEP and our license to use speech recognition secured from a third party. If information systems including the Internet or our DEP are disrupted, we could face a significant disruption of services provided to our customers. We have periodically experienced short term outages with our DEP, which have not significantly disrupted our business and we have a disaster recovery program in place for our information systems and our DEP.

Critical Accounting Policies, Judgments and Estimates

     Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) is based in part upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP). We believe there are several accounting policies that are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies affect the reported amounts of revenues and other significant areas that involve management’s judgments and estimates. These critical accounting policies and estimates have been discussed with our audit committee.

     The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect our reported amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses and related disclosure of contingent liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate these estimates and judgments. We base these estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable at such time, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other independent sources. Actual results may ultimately differ from these estimates. A critical accounting estimate must meet two criteria: (1) it requires assumptions about highly uncertain matters, and (2) there would be a material effect on the financial statements from either using a different, although reasonable, amount within the range of the estimate in the current period or from reasonably likely period-to-period changes in the estimate. While there are a number of accounting policies, methods and estimates affecting our consolidated financial statements as addressed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, areas that are particularly significant and critical include:

     Valuation of Long-Lived and Other Intangible Assets and Goodwill: In connection with acquisitions, we allocate portions of the purchase price to tangible and intangible assets, consisting primarily of acquired technologies, and customer relationships, with the remainder allocated to goodwill. We assess the realizability of goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives at least annually, or sooner if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. We have determined that the reporting unit level is our sole operating segment.

     We review our long-lived assets, including amortizable intangibles, for impairment when events indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable. When we determine that one or more impairment indicators are present for an asset, we compare the carrying amount of the asset to net future undiscounted cash flows that the asset is expected to generate. If the carrying amount of the asset is greater than the net future undiscounted cash flows that the asset is expected to generate, we then compare the fair value to the book value of the asset. If the fair value is less than the book value, we recognize an impairment loss. The impairment loss is the excess of the carrying amount of the asset over its fair value.

     Some of the events that we consider as impairment indicators for our long-lived assets, including goodwill, are:

	•		our net book value compared to our fair value;
	•		significant adverse economic and industry trends;
	•		significant decrease in the market value of the asset;
	•		the extent that we use an asset or changes in the manner that we use it;
	•		significant changes to the asset since we acquired it; and
	•		other changes in circumstances that potentially indicate all or a portion of the company will be sold.

     Deferred income taxes. Deferred tax assets represent future tax benefits that we expect to be able to apply against future taxable income or that will result in future net operating losses that we can carry forward to use against future taxable earnings. Our ability to utilize the deferred tax assets is dependent upon our ability to generate future taxable income. To the extent that we believe it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax asset will not be utilized, we record a valuation allowance against that asset. In making that determination we consider all positive and negative evidence and give stronger consideration to evidence that is objective in nature.

     Commitments and contingencies. We routinely evaluate claims and other potential litigation to determine if a liability should be recorded in the event it is probable that we will incur a loss and can estimate the amount of such loss.

     Revenue recognition. We recognize clinical documentation services revenues when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable, services have been rendered and collectability is reasonably assured. These services are recorded using contracted rates and are net of estimates for customer credits. Historically, our estimates have been adequate. If actual results are higher or lower than our estimates, we would have to adjust our estimates and financial statements in future periods.

     Accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The carrying value of accounts receivable approximates fair value. The allowance for doubtful accounts is our best estimate of potential losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments due. This allowance is used to state trade receivables at estimated net realizable value.

     We estimate uncollectible amounts based upon our historical write-off experience, current customer receivable balances, aging of customer receivable balances, the customer’s financial condition and current economic conditions. Historically, our estimates have been adequate to provide for our accounts receivable exposure.

     Customer Accommodation Program. In response to customers’ concerns regarding historical billing matters, we established a plan to offer financial accommodations to certain of our customers during 2005 and 2006 and recorded the related liability. In 2008 we reached an agreement on customer litigation resolving all claims by the named parties. Since then we have not made additional offers.

     We are unable to predict how many customers, if any, may accept the outstanding accommodation offers on the terms proposed by us, nor are we able to predict the timing of the acceptance (or rejection) of any outstanding accommodation offers. Until any offers are accepted, we may withdraw or modify the terms of the accommodation program or any outstanding offers at any time. In addition, we are unable to predict how many future offers, if made, will be accepted on the terms proposed by us. We regularly evaluate whether to proceed with, modify or withdraw the accommodation program or any outstanding offers.

Basis of Presentation

     Net revenues

     We derive revenues primarily from providing clinical documentation services to integrated delivery networks, academic centers, group practices and community hospital. Our customers are generally charged a rate times the volume of work that we transcribe or edit. In the clinical documentation workflow, we provide, in addition to medical transcription technology and services, maintenance services, digital dictation, speech recognition and electronic signature services.

     Net revenues from customers in the U.S. were $368.9 million, $301.1 million, and $321.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Net revenues from customers outside the U.S. were $6.3 million, $6.1 million, and $5.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively.

     Cost of revenues

     Cost of revenues includes compensation of our U.S. based employee MTs and MEs and our subcontractor MTs and MEs, other production costs (primarily related to operational and production management, quality assurance, quality control and customer and field service personnel), and telecommunication and facility costs. Cost of revenues also includes the direct cost of technology products sold to customers. MT and ME costs are directly related to medical transcription and medical editing, respectively, revenues and are based on lines transcribed or edited multiplied by a specific rate.

     Selling, general and administrative (SG&A)

     Our SG&A expenses include marketing and sales costs, accounting costs, information technology costs, professional fees, corporate facility costs, corporate payroll and benefits expenses.

     Research and development (R&D)

     Our R&D expenses consist primarily of personnel and related costs, including salaries and employee benefits for software engineers and consulting fees paid to independent consultants who provide software engineering services to us. Our R&D efforts have been devoted to new products and services offerings and increases in features and functionality of our existing products and services.

     Depreciation and amortization

     Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from two to seven years for furniture, equipment and software, and the lesser of the lease term or estimated useful life for leasehold improvements. Intangible assets are being amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives which range from three to 20 years.

     Cost of legal proceedings and settlements

     Cost of legal proceedings and settlements includes settlement of claims, ongoing litigation, and associated legal and other professional fees incurred.

Consolidated Results of Operations

     The following tables set forth our consolidated results of operations for the periods indicated below:

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2010 and 2009

		Years Ended December 31,
		2010								2009												Change in
						% of Net								% of Net								% of Net
($ in thousands)		Amount				Revenues				Amount				Revenues				$ Change				Revenues
Net revenues		$	375,240				100.0	%		$	307,200				100.0	%		$	68,040				—
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues			249,571				66.5	%			206,265				67.1	%			43,306				(0.6	%)
Selling, general and administrative			37,070				9.9	%			33,441				10.9	%			3,629				(1.0	%)
Research and development			12,813				3.4	%			9,604				3.1	%			3,209				0.3	%
Depreciation and amortization			21,989				5.9	%			15,672				5.1	%			6,317				0.8	%
Cost of legal proceedings and settlements			3,603				1.0	%			14,843				4.8	%			(11,240	)			(3.8	%)
Acquisition and integration related charges			7,007				1.9	%			1,263				0.4	%			5,744				1.5	%
Restructuring charges			2,829				0.8	%			2,727				0.9	%			102				(0.1	%)
Total operating costs and expenses			334,882				89.2	%			283,815				92.4	%			51,067				(3.2	%)
Operating income			40,358				10.8	%			23,385				7.6	%			16,973				3.2	%
Gain on sale of investment			9,911				2.6	%			—				—				9,911				2.6	%
Equity in income of affiliated company			693				0.2	%			2,015				0.7	%			(1,322	)			(0.5	%)
Loss on extinguishment of debt			(5,811	)			(1.5	%)			—				—				(5,811	)			(1.5	%)
Interest expense, net			(13,429	)			(3.6	%)			(134	)			0.0	%			(13,295	)			(3.6	%)
Income before income taxes			31,722				8.5	%			25,266				8.2	%			6,456				0.3	%
Income tax provision			671				0.2	%			1,975				0.6	%			(1,304	)			(0.4	%)
Net income		$	31,051				8.3	%		$	23,291				7.6	%		$	7,760				0.7	%

Net revenues

     Net revenues recorded for the year ended December 31, 2010 were $375.2 million, an increase of $68.0 million or 22.2% when compared to the prior year net revenue amount of $307.2 million. The Spheris acquisition contributed $88.1 million in incremental revenue in 2010, which was partially offset by a decrease in legacy maintenance services revenues from $22.3 million in 2009 to $17.7 million in 2010. Current year net revenues were also unfavorably impacted by effects of lower average pricing realized for our transcription services.

Cost of revenues

     As a percentage of net revenues, cost of revenues decreased to 66.5% for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 67.1% in 2009 primarily due to increased utilization of offshore resources, increased utilization of automated speech recognition technologies, and other operating cost reduction initiatives. The increase in total cost versus the prior year period was primarily due to direct incremental costs associated with the Spheris acquisition as well as a nonrecurring $1.2 million credit during 2009 related to medical claim costs.

Selling, general and administrative

     SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenues, improved to 9.9% of net revenues in 2010 compared with 10.9% for the 2009, due to synergies and other cost reduction initiatives.

Research and development

     R&D expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 3.4% for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared with 3.1% for the same period in 2009. This increase was attributable to costs associated with the historical Spheris research and development activities partially offset by synergies realized.

Depreciation and amortization

     Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of net revenues was 5.9% for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared with 5.1% for the same period in 2009. The increase was primarily due to the amortization of acquired intangible assets associated with the Spheris acquisition.

Cost of legal proceedings and settlements

     In 2010 we settled the Kaiser litigation which resulted in us recording a charge of $0.9 million. Costs in 2009 related to the Anthurium settlement of $5.9 million, related legal fees of $3.8 million and other legal fees of $1.2 million.

		2010				2009
Legal and professional fees		$	2,693			$	8,593
Settlements			910				6,250
Total		$	3,603			$	14,843

Restructuring charges

     For the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, we recorded restructuring charges of $2.8 million and $2.7 million for employee severance obligations. We expect that restructuring activities will continue in 2011 as management identifies opportunities for synergies related to the Spheris acquisition, including the elimination of redundant functions and locations.

Gain on sale of investment

     In October 2010, we sold our investment in A-Life and recognized a pre-tax gain of $9.9 million.

Loss on extinguishment of debt

     In October 2010, we refinanced our credit facilities and incurred $5.8 million in debt extinguishment costs.

Interest expense, net

     Interest expense, net increased $13.3 million to $13.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared with $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. The increase was due to the debt incurred in connection with the Spheris acquisition and the refinancing in October 2010, which increased our debt to $285 million.

Income tax provision

     Income taxes were $0.7 million in 2010 and $2.0 million in 2009. The effective tax rates were 2.1% and 7.8% for years ended 2010 and 2009. The decrease in the 2010 effective tax rate from prior year is due primarily to the reduction of the valuation allowance associated with foreign source NOL’s based on management’s assessment of future earnings available to utilize these deferred tax assets, along with the reduction in various tax reserves related to settlements in certain state jurisdictions and the reduction in the deferred tax liability related to the sale of our investment in A-Life, offset by an increase in the tax reserve for various uncertain tax positions taken in 2010. The low effective tax rate relative to statutory rates for the two years is primarily due to the release of valuation allowances established against net operating losses in past years that were used to offset current earnings. The 2010 tax expense includes an increase in the deferred tax liabilities associated with indefinite life intangible assets related to goodwill.

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2009 and 2008

		Years Ended December 31,
		2009								2008
																						Change in
						% of Net								% of Net								% of Net
($ in thousands)		Amount				Revenues				Amount				Revenues				$ Change				Revenues
Net revenues		$	307,200				100.0	%		$	326,853				100.0	%		$	(19,653	)			—
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues			206,265				67.1	%			230,375				70.5	%			(24,110	)			(3.4	%)
Selling, general and administrative			33,441				10.9	%			47,520				14.5	%			(14,079	)			(3.6	%)
Research and development			9,604				3.1	%			15,848				4.8	%			(6,244	)			(1.7	%)
Depreciation and amortization			15,672				5.1	%			17,504				5.4	%			(1,832	)			(0.3	%)
Cost of legal proceedings and settlements			14,843				4.8	%			19,738				6.0	%			(4,895	)			(1.2	%)
Acquisition and integration related charges			1,263				0.4	%			—				—				1,263				0.4	%
Goodwill impairment charge			—				—				82,233				25.2	%			(82,233	)			(25.2	%)
Restructuring charges			2,727				0.9	%			2,055				0.6	%			672				0.3	%
Total operating costs and expenses			283,815				92.4	%			415,273				127.1	%			(131,458	)			(34.7	%)
Operating income (loss)			23,385				7.6	%			(88,420	)			(27.1	%)			111,805				34.7	%
Equity in income of affiliated company			2,015				0.7	%			236				0.1	%			1,779				0.6	%
Other income			—				—				438				0.1	%			(438	)			(0.1	%)
Interest income (expense), net			(134	)			0.0	%			2,438				0.7	%			(2,572	)			(0.7	%)
Income (loss) before income taxes			25,266				8.2	%			(85,308	)			(26.1	%)			110,574				34.3	%
Income tax provision (benefit)			1,975				0.6	%			(16,513	)			(5.1	%)			18,488				5.7	%
Net income (loss)		$	23,291				7.6	%		$	(68,795	)			(21.0	%)		$	92,086				28.6	%

Net revenues

     Net revenues recorded for the year ended December 31, 2009 were $307.2 million, a decline of $19.7 million or 6.0% when compared to the prior year net revenue amount of $326.9 million. The revenue decline was primarily due to:

	•		lower prices for our transcription service related revenues, net of revenues realized from higher year over year transcription volume;
	•		declining product and legacy maintenance revenues totaling $6.8 million largely related to customers not renewing maintenance contracts for legacy systems.

     Pricing for our transcription services remains under pressure as many customers seek to reduce their costs by using more offshore labor and increasing productivity with expanded use of speech recognition.

Cost of revenues

     Cost of revenues as a percentage of net revenues improved to 67.1% in 2009, compared to 70.5% in 2008. The improvement was attributable to the following:

	•		staffing reductions that reduced costs by $7.6 million resulting from restructuring actions taken by management to align our operating costs to better compete in a lower price environment for our services;
	•		a $13.5 million reduction in medical transcription costs related to our increased use of speech recognition technology, and our increased use of offshore labor to supplement our domestic workforce capacity;
	•		lower product costs of $1.5 million as a result of lower product and maintenance related sales and services;
	•		other reductions of $0.3 million, net; and
	•		a $1.2 million reversal of an accrual due to the lapsing of the statute of limitations.

Selling, general and administrative

     SG&A expenses in total as a percentage of net revenues were 10.9% for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared with 14.5% for in the year 2008. This improvement was the result of company-wide cost reduction initiatives that included a $3.7 million decrease in compensation costs due to reductions in workforce and a $6.6 million decrease in legal and other professional fees. The remaining cost savings covered employee stock option related expenses of $0.8 million, a reduction in employee retention costs resulting from the change in control of our majority shareholder of $0.5 million, lower advertising and marketing costs of $0.6 million, lower rent expenses of $0.4 million, reduced bad debt expense of $0.4 million, lower travel and entertainment of $0.3 million, and a decrease in all other SG&A categories of $0.8 million.

Research and development

     R&D expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 3.1% for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared with 4.8% for the same period in 2008. This improvement was attributable to reduced compensation expense of $3.3 million; a decrease in consulting expense of $1.1 million; an increase in the amount capitalized for software development of $0.6 million; a decrease of $0.4 million in stock option compensation as a result of immediate vesting of previously unvested stock options due to the change in control of our majority shareholder; a decrease in retention bonus for certain key employees during the change in control of $0.4 million; and a decrease in all other R&D expenses of $0.4 million.

Depreciation and amortization

     Depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of net revenues was 5.1% for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared with 5.4% for the same period in 2008. The higher expenses in 2009 were the result of software capitalization in 2009 and 2008.

Cost of legal proceedings and settlements

     The 2009 settlements related to the Anthurium litigation and reseller arbitration. For the year ended December 31, 2008, legal and professional fees were $12.3 million and settlement costs were $7.4 million. The settlement was for the Department of Justice investigation related to our historical billing practices.

		2009				2008
Legal and professional fees		$	8,593			$	12,313
Settlements			6,250				7,425
Total		$	14,843			$	19,738

     In 2008 we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $82.2 million. In 2009 the fair value substantially exceeded carrying value.

Restructuring charges

     For the year ended December 31, 2009, restructuring charges included $2.4 million for employee related severance obligations and $0.3 million for non-cancelable leases related to the closure or consolidation of offices. For the year ended December 31, 2008, we had a restructuring charge of $2.1 million for employee severance obligations.

Interest income (expense), net

     Interest income (expense), net decreased $2.6 million, or 105.5%, to ($0.1) million for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared with $2.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. This decrease was due to the amortization of deferred financing costs and lower interest rates in the 2009 period as compared to 2008, and lower average cash balance in the 2009 period ($37.3 million) as compared to 2008 ($110.5 million).

Income tax provision (benefit)

     The effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2009 was 7.8% compared with an effective income tax benefit rate of 19.4% for the year ended December 31, 2008. The 2009 tax expense includes an increase in the deferred tax liabilities associated with indefinite life intangible assets related to goodwill and an increase in the deferred tax liability associated with our investment in A-Life. After consideration of all evidence, both positive and negative, management concluded again in 2009, that it was more likely than not that a significant portion of the domestic deferred income tax assets would not be realized. In addition, various adjustments were recorded for the year ended December 31, 2009 including the reduction of the foreign valuation allowance and various adjustments related to state tax exposures.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

     Our principal sources of liquidity include cash generated from operations, available cash on hand, and availability under our Senior Secured Credit Facility, as described below.

     Available cash at December 31, 2010 was $41.3 million compared to $25.2 million at December 31, 2009. During 2010, we received $100.0 million in cash inflow from our Acquisition Credit Facility which was utilized to fund the Spheris acquisition. In October 2010 we refinanced our debt and we received $285.0 million in cash inflow which was used to pay off $93.6 million in debt, and pay a dividend of $4.70 per share ($176.5 million). Additionally, several other items impacted cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2010, resulting in a net increase of $16.0 million, including:

	•		addition of cash flows provided by Spheris operations;
	•		cash used to pay financing costs associated with the Acquisition Credit Facility (as defined below);
	•		cash payments related to debt
	•		acquisition-related charges associated with the Spheris acquisition;
	•		cash received from the sale of A-Life
	•		restructuring payments; and
	•		other working capital changes.

     We believe our existing cash, cash equivalents, cash to be generated from operations and available borrowings under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to finance our operations for the next twelve months. However, if we fail to generate adequate cash flows from operations in the future, due to an unexpected decline in our net revenues, or due to increased cash expenditures in excess of the net revenues generated, then our cash balances may not be sufficient to fund our continuing operations without obtaining additional debt or equity. There are no assurances that sufficient funding from external sources will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all.

Prior to the Corporate Refinancing in October 2010

In connection with the Spheris acquisition, in April 2010, we and certain of our subsidiaries entered into a credit agreement, or the Acquisition Credit Facility, with General Electric Capital Corporation, CapitalSource Bank, and Fifth Third Bank. The Acquisition Credit Facility provided for up to $100.0 million in senior secured credit facilities, consisting of a $50.0 million term loan, and a revolving credit facility of up to $50.0 million. The credit facilities were secured by a first priority lien on substantially all of the property of the borrowers. Borrowings under the revolving credit facility were able to be made from time to time, subject to availability under such facility, until the fourth anniversary of the closing date. Amounts borrowed under the Acquisition Credit Facility bore interest at a rate we selected equal to the Base Rate or the Eurodollar Rate (each as defined in the Acquisition Credit Facility agreement) plus a margin. The Acquisition Credit Facility was repaid in full on October 14, 2010.

     In connection with the Spheris acquisition, we also issued a promissory note, or the Acquisition Subordinated Promissory Note, to Spheris. The Acquisition Promissory Note was to mature in five years from the date of the Spheris acquisition. The Acquisition Subordinated Promissory Note had a principal amount of $17.5 million with provisions for prepayment at discounted amounts, ranging from 77.5% of the principal if paid within six months, 87.5% from six to nine months, 97.5% from nine to twelve months, 102.0% between the first and second year, 101.0% between the second and third

year and 100.0% thereafter. The Acquisition Subordinated Promissory Note bore interest at 8.0% for the first six months. The Acquisition Subordinated Promissory Note was repaid at 77.5% of the face amount on October 14, 2010 in connection with our October 2010 refinancing described below.

Subsequent to the Corporate Refinancing in October 2010

     In October 2010, we, MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd., our wholly owned subsidiary, and MedQuist Holdings, as co-borrowers and guarantors, entered into the Senior Secured Credit Facility, with General Electric Capital Corporation, as administrative agent, and the parties thereto, consisting of (i) a $200.0 million term loan and (ii) a $25.0 million revolving credit facility. The Senior Secured Credit Facility is secured by a first priority lien on substantially all existing and after-acquired property of the borrowers and the guarantors. The term loan is repayable in equal quarterly installments of $5.0 million commencing on the first fiscal quarter after the closing date, with the balance payable 5 years from the closing date. The term loan interest rate is LIBOR plus 5.50% with a LIBOR floor of 1.75% and is payable monthly. We may structure borrowing using the prime rate in the United States or as Eurodollar loans based upon LIBOR . Currently, the LIBOR floor is in effect. We may prepay the term loan without significant penalties. Mandatory prepayments are required when we generate excess cash flows as defined under the Senior Secured Credit Facility. Under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, we are required to maintain (i) a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio, initially, of 2.75x and increasing over the term of the facility to 4.00x, (ii) a maximum total leverage ratio, initially of 4.00x and declining over the term of the facility to 1.50x and (iii) a maximum consolidated senior leverage ratio, initially of 3.00x and declining over the term of the facility to 1.00x. At December 31, 2010 the interest rate on the term loan was 7.25%.

     In addition to the Senior Secured Credit Facility, in September 2010, we, as issuer, MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd. and MedQuist Holdings as co-issuers and guarantors, and certain of our other subsidiaries, as guarantors, entered into a Note Purchase Agreement, or the Senior Subordinated Notes, for the issuance of $85.0 million aggregate principal amount of 13% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2016 to BlackRock Kelso Capital Corporation, PennantPark Investment Corporation, Citibank, N.A., and THL Credit, Inc. Interest on the notes is payable in quarterly installments at the issuers’ option at either (i) 13% in cash or (ii) 12% in cash plus 2% in the form of additional senior subordinated notes.

     Closing and funding of the Senior Secured Credit Facility and the Senior Subordinated Notes occurred on October 14, 2010.

     Proceeds from the Senior Secured Credit Facility and the Senior Subordinated Notes were used to repay the Acquisition Credit Facility in full, to pay the Acquisition Subordinated Promissory Note in full and to pay a $176.5 million special dividend to our shareholders.

Operating activities

     Cash flow provided by operating activities was $34.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and $44.5 million for the same period in 2009. In 2008 cash used for operating activities was $8.8 million. Net income was $31.1 million in 2010 and $23.3 million in 2009 and a net loss of $68.8 million in 2008. The significant non-cash adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities include $22.0 million, $15.7 million, and $17.5 million of depreciation and amortization in 2010, 2009, and 2008, respectively; $5.8 million non-cash loss on debt extinguishment in 2010, gain on sale and equity in income of affiliated company (A-Life) of $10.6 million and $2.0 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively; non-cash interest expense of $4.1 million in 2010, and a non-cash impairment charge of $82.2 million in 2008. Deferred taxes were a benefit of $0.2 million in 2010, a charge of $1.9 million in 2009 and a benefit of $17.1 million in 2008.

     Working capital changes that impacted cash flow from operations in 2010 included (a) $11.4 million higher accounts receivable balance due to the timing of collections, (b) $5.1 million lower accrued compensation balance due to a change in timing of payroll payments, and (c) $3.0 million reduction in accrued expenses including a $4.6 million payment to a related party under the acquisition, $2.0 million settlement of Kaiser litigation, additional expenditures related to the acquisition, offset by an increase in interest accrued of $5.6 million.

Investing activities

     Cash used in investing activities was $90.2 million and $8.4 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively. In 2010 $98.7 million of cash was used for the Spheris acquisition, $11.0 million for capital spending and capitalized software offset by $19.5 million in proceeds related to the sale of our investment in A-Life. During 2009 we spent $7.5 million for capital spending and capitalized software and $0.9 million as an additional investment in A-Life. In 2008 investments of $9.2 million were made for property and equipment and capitalized software.

Financing activities

     Cash provided by financing activities in 2010 included $385.0 million in borrowings, offset by $113.6 million in debt repayments, a use of $176.5 million for dividends, and $21.6 million used for debt issuance costs. In 2009, cash used in financing activities were principally due to $49.9 million of dividends paid. In 2008 we paid a dividend of $103.3 million.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

     We are not involved in any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors except as follows. In 2010 we sold our investment in A-Life and the amounts held in escrow through April 2012, $4.1 million, have not been recorded on our balance sheet.

Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk

     Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. Our market risk exposure is primarily a result of fluctuations in interest rates. We do not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.

Contractual Obligations

     The following table summarizes our obligations to make future payments under current contracts as of December 31, 2010 (in thousands):

		Payment Due By Period
						Less
						than												After
		Total				1 Year				1-3 Years				3-5 Years				5 Years
Operating Lease Obligations		$	19,023			$	4,947			$	9,345			$	3,586			$	1,145
Purchase Obligations(1)			21,311				8,567				11,820				924				—
Severance and Other Guaranteed Payment Obligations			3,944				3,207				471				266				—
Long Term Debt including current maturities			285,000				20,000				40,000				140,000				85,000
Total Contractual Obligations		$	329,278			$	36,721			$	61,636			$	144,776			$	86,145

     We have agreements with certain of our named executive officers that provide for severance payments to the employee in the event the employee is terminated without cause. The maximum cash exposure under these agreements was approximately $2.5 million as of December 31, 2010.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

     In September 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ratified two consensuses affecting revenue recognition:

     The first consensus, Revenue Recognition—Multiple-Element Arrangements, sets forth requirements that must be met for an entity to recognize revenue from the sale of a delivered item that is part of a multiple-element arrangement when other items have not yet been delivered. One of those current requirements is that there be objective and reliable evidence of the standalone selling price of the undelivered items, which must be supported by either vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) or third-party evidence (TPE).

     This consensus eliminates the requirement that all undelivered elements have VSOE or TPE before an entity can recognize the portion of an overall arrangement fee that is attributable to items that already have been delivered. In the absence of VSOE or TPE of the standalone selling price for one or more delivered or undelivered elements in a multiple-element arrangement, entities will be required to estimate the selling prices of those elements. The overall arrangement fee will be allocated to each element (both delivered and undelivered items) based on their relative selling prices, regardless of whether those selling prices are evidenced by VSOE or TPE or are based on the entity’s estimated selling price. Application of the “residual method” of allocating an overall arrangement fee between delivered and undelivered elements will no longer be permitted.

     The second consensus, Software-Revenue Recognition addresses the accounting for transaction involving software to exclude from its scope tangible products that contain both software and non-software and not-software components that function together to deliver a products functionality.

     The Consensuses are effective prospectively for revenue arrangements entered into or materially modified in fiscal years beginning on or after June 15, 2010. The standards were adopted in the first quarter of 2011 and did not have a material impact on our results of operations or our financial position.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

     Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. Our market risk exposure is primarily a result of fluctuations in interest rates. We do not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.

Interest rate sensitivity

     We earn interest income from our balances of cash and cash equivalents. This interest income is subject to market risk related to changes in interest rates, which affects primarily our investment portfolio. We invest in instruments that meet high credit quality standards, as specified in our investment policy.

     The Term Loan of our Senior Secured Credit Facility bears interest at LIBOR plus 5.50% with a LIBOR floor of 1.75%. Our interest expense associated with this loan will increase if LIBOR increases. Because the LIBOR floor is currently in effect, a 1.25% increase in LIBOR above current LIBOR levels would not increase our effective interest rate. A 1% increase in LIBOR would result in an approximate $2.0 million annual increase in our interest expense.

     In January 2011, as required under our Credit Agreement, we entered into Interest Rate Cap Contracts (for $60.0 million notional amounts which will amortize over time) to provide coverage for fluctuation in interest rates.

Item 8. Financial Statements And Supplementary Data

     Our consolidated financial statements and supplementary data required by this item are attached to this report beginning on page F-1.

Item 9. Changes in And Disagreements With Accountants On Accounting And Financial Disclosure

     None.

Item 9A. Controls And Procedures

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

     Our management team, under the supervision and with the participation of our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as such term is defined under Rule 13a-15(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), as of the last day of the fiscal period covered by this report, December 31, 2010. The term disclosure controls and procedures means our controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer concluded that, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2010.

(b) Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting as of December 31, 2010

     Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and Rule 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the issuer’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the issuer’s board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP and includes those policies and procedures that:

	•		pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the issuer;
	•		provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that receipts and expenditures of the issuer are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the issuer; and
	•		provide reasonable assurance regarding the prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the issuer’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

     Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with existing policies or procedures may deteriorate.

     In accordance with the internal control reporting requirements of the SEC, management completed an assessment of the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth in Internal Control — Integrated Framework by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). As a result of this assessment and based on the criteria in the COSO framework, management has concluded that, as of December 31, 2010, our internal control over financial reporting was effective. Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an audit report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010. This report is included on page F-2 of our consolidated financial statements included as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(c) Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

     There have been no changes in internal control over financial reporting for the quarter ended December 31, 2010 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information

     None.

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

     The information called for by this item is incorporated by reference to the portions of our definitive proxy statement entitled, “Election of Directors,” “Governance of the Company,” “Report of the Audit Committee” and “Section 16 (a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance.”

Item 11. Executive Compensation

     The information called for by this item is incorporated by reference to the portions of our definitive proxy statement entitled “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” “Report of the Compensation Committee,” and “Compensation of our Named Executive Officers.”

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

     The information called for by this item is incorporated by reference to the portions of our definitive proxy statement entitled “Stock Ownership of Our Directors, Executive Officers and 5% Beneficial Owners,” “Compensation of Directors,” “Securities Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans” and “Compensation of our Named Executive Officers.”

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

     The information called for by this item is incorporated by reference to the portion of our definitive proxy statement entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

     The information called for by this item is incorporated by reference to the portion of our definitive proxy statement entitled “Fees Paid to Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a) Documents filed as part of this report:

     (1) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements filed as part of this report are listed on the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1.

     (2) Financial Statement Schedules. All financial statement schedules have been omitted here because they are not applicable, not required, or the information is shown in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

     (3) Exhibits. See (b) below.

(b) Exhibits:

No.		Description
3.1(1)		Certificate of Incorporation of MedQuist Inc. (as amended)
3.2(6)		Second Amended and Restated By-Laws, as amended, of MedQuist Inc.
4.1(1)		Specimen Stock Certificate
10.1*(1)		1992 Stock Option Plan of MedQuist Inc., as amended
10.2*(1)		Nonstatutory Stock Option Plan for Non-Employee Directors of MedQuist Inc.

No.		Description
10.3*(1)		MedQuist Inc. 2002 Stock Option Plan
10.4*(1)		Form of Award Agreement under the MedQuist Inc. 2002 Stock Option Plan
10.5*(1)		1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
10.6*(1)		MedQuist Inc. Executive Deferred Compensation Plan
10.7*(1)		Letter Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2005, between MedQuist Inc. and Michael Clark
10.8*(1)		Letter Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2005, between MedQuist Inc. and Mark Sullivan
10.10*(1)		Letter Agreement, dated as of November 10, 2006, by and between MedQuist Inc. and James Brennan
10.11(1)		Licensing Agreement, dated as of May 22, 2000, between MedQuist Inc. and Philips Speech Processing GmbH
10.11.1(1)		Amendment No. 1 to Licensing Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2002, between MedQuist Inc. and Philips Speech Processing GmbH
10.11.2#(1)		Amendment No. 2 to Licensing Agreement, dated as of December 10, 2002, between MedQuist Inc. and Philips Speech Processing GmbH
10.11.3#(1)		Amendment No. 3 to Licensing Agreement, dated as of August 10, 2003, between MedQuist Inc. and Philips Speech Processing GmbH
10.11.4#(1)		Amendment No. 4 to Licensing Agreement, dated as of September 1, 2004, between MedQuist Inc. and Philips Speech Processing GmbH
10.11.5#(1)		Amendment No. 5 to Licensing Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2005, between MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd. and Philips Speech Recognition Systems GmbH f/k/a Philips Speech Processing GmbH
10.11.6#(1)		Amendment No. 6 to Licensing Agreement, dated as of February 13, 2007, between MedQuist Inc. and Philips Speech Recognition Systems GmbH f/k/a Philips Speech Processing GmbH
10.11.7(17)		Amendment No. 7 to Licensing Agreement, dated as of November 10, 2009, between MedQuist Inc. and Nuance Communications, Inc. as the successor-in-interest to Philips Speech Recognition Systems GmbH
10.12##(17)		Third Amended and Restated OEM Supply Agreement dated November 10, 2009, between MedQuist Inc. and Nuance Communications, Inc. as the successor-in-interest to Philips Speech Recognition Systems GmbH
10.13*(1)		MedQuist Inc. Board of Directors Deferred Compensation Plan
10.14*(2)		Form of Management Indemnification Agreement by and between MedQuist Inc. and Certain Officers
10.14.1*(7)		First Amendment to the Form of Management Indemnification Agreement by and between MedQuist Inc. and Certain Officers
10.15*(4)		Indemnification Agreement, dated as of February 21, 2008 between MedQuist Inc. and Warren Pinckert
10.16*(8)		Employment Agreement by and between Peter Masanotti and MedQuist Inc., dated September 3, 2008
10.17#(9)		Transcription Services Agreement by and between MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd. and CBay Systems & Services, Inc. dated April 3, 2009

No.		Description
10.18*(10)		Indemnification Agreement dated November 21, 2008 between MedQuist Inc. and Peter Masanotti
10.19*(11)		Amended and Restated Stock Option Agreement by and between Peter Masanotti and MedQuist Inc., dated March 2, 2009
10.21*(12)		Employment Agreement by and between Dominick Golio and MedQuist Inc. dated April 9, 2009
10.22*(9)		Employment Agreement by and between Kevin Piltz and MedQuist Inc. dated May 18, 2009
10.23(9)		Settlement and License Agreement by and between Anthurium Solutions, Inc. and MedQuist Inc. dated June 19, 2009
10.24*(13)		MedQuist Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan adopted on August 27, 2009
10.25(13)		Credit Agreement by and among MedQuist Inc. and its subsidiaries, and Wells Fargo Foothill, LLC as the arranger and administrative agent and lender dated August 31, 2009
10.26(14)		Services Agreement by and between MedQuist Inc. and CBay Inc. dated September 19, 2009
10.27##(17)		Licensing Agreement by and between Nuance Communications, Inc. and MedQuist Inc. dated November 10, 2009
10.28(15)		Transcription Services Subcontracting Agreement by and between MedQuist Inc. and CBay Systems & Services, Inc. dated March 31, 2009
10.29(19)		Credit Agreement dated as April 22, 2010 among MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd. as Borrower, MedQuist Inc. as Holdings, the Lenders and L/C Issuers party thereto, and General Electric Capital Corporation as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent, CapitalSource Bank as Syndication Agent, and Fifth Third Bank as Documentation Agent.
10.30(20)		MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd. Subordinated Promissory Note dated April 22, 2010
10.31##(20)		Sales & Services Agreement dated March 9, 2010 between MedQuist, Inc. and CBay Systems & Services, Inc.
10.32(21)		Employment Agreement between Anthony D. James and MedQuist, Inc. for the position of Co-Chief Operating Officer dated June 24, 2010
10.33##(24)		Amendment No. 1 to the Sales and Services Agreement, dated July 26, 2010 between MedQuist, Inc. and CBay Systems & Services, Inc.
10.34##(24)		Amendment No. 1 to the Subcontracting Agreement dated July 26, 2010, between MedQuist, Inc. and CBay Systems & Services, Inc.
10.35(22)		Settlement Agreement and Release dated August 12, 2010 between MedQuist Inc. and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

No.		Description
10.36(24)		First Amendment to Norcross, Georgia Office Lease Agreement dated as of March 1, 2009
10.37(24)		Second Amendment to Norcross, Georgia Office Lease Agreement dated as of August 1, 2009
10.38(23)		Senior Subordinated Note Purchase Agreement, dated September 30, 2010, between CBay Inc., CBay, the Company, MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd., Blackrock Kelso Capital Corporation, PennantPark Investment Corporation, Citibank, N.A. and THL Credit, Inc. as Purchasers.
10.39(23)		Credit Agreement, dated October 1, 2010, between CBay Inc., the Company and MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd., CBay, the lenders and L/C issuers, General Electric Capital Corporation, as administrative agent and collateral agent
10.40(25)		Appointed Anthony D. James as Chief Financial Officer of MedQuist Inc., dated November 22, 2010
10.41(26)		Licensing Agreement of Trade Name, dated as of Nov. 23, 2010, between MedQuist Inc. and CBaySystems Holdings Limited
10.42.1		Office Lease, dated June 2006, between Ford Motor Land Development Corporation and Spheris Operations Inc.
10.42.2		Amendment to Office Lease Agreement, dated March 27, 2009, between Carothers Office Acquisition LLC and Spheris Operations, Inc.
10.42.3		Assignment, Assumption and Agreement to Relinquish Office Space and Amendment to Office Lease Agreement, dated April 22, 2010 between Carothers Office Acquisition LLC and MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd.
10.43(24)		First Amendment to Lease Agreement, dated March 1, 2009, by and between Atlanta Lakeside Real Estate, L.P. and MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd.
10.44(24)		Second Amendment to Lease Agreement, effective August 1, 2009, by and between Atlanta Lakeside Real Estate, L.P. and MedQuist Transcriptions, Ltd.
21(1)		Subsidiaries of MedQuist Inc.
23		Consent of KPMG LLP
24		Power of Attorney (included on the signature page hereto)
31.1		Certification of Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2		Certification of Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1		Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.2		Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: March 16, 2011

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

     Each person, in so signing also makes, constitutes, and appoints Peter Masanotti and Anthony James, and each of them acting alone, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution, in his or her name, place, and stead, to execute and cause to be filed with the SEC any or all amendments to this report.

Signature		Capacity		Date
/s/ PETER MASANOTTI   Peter Masanotti		President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)		March 16. 2011
/s/ ANTHONY JAMES   Anthony James		Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)		March 16. 2011
/s/ JAMES BRENNAN   James Brennan		Principal Accounting Officer		March 16. 2011
/s/ ROBERT AQUILINA   Robert Aquilina		Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors		March 16. 2011
/s/ FRANK BAKER   Frank Baker		Director		March 16. 2011
/s/ PETER E. BERGER   Peter E. Berger		Director		March 16. 2011
/s/ JOHN F. JASTREM   John F. Jastrem		Director		March 16. 2011
/s/ COLIN J. O’BRIEN   Colin J. O’Brien		Director		March 16. 2011
/s/ WARREN E. PINCKERT, II   Warren E. Pinckert II		Director		March 16. 2011
/s/ MICHAEL SEEDMAN   Michael Seedman		Director		March 16. 2011
/s/ ANDREW E. VOGEL   Andrew E. Vogel		Director		March 16. 2011

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting			F-2
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm			F-3
Consolidated Statements of Operations — Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
Consolidated Balance Sheets — As of December 31, 2010 and 2009			F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows — Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008			F-6
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ (Deficit) Equity and Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) — Years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008			F-7
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements			F-8

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of MedQuist Inc.:

We have audited MedQuist Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010 based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). MedQuist Inc.’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting as of December 31, 2010. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, MedQuist Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheets of MedQuist Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ (deficit) equity and other comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2010, and our report dated March 16, 2011 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 16, 2011

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of MedQuist Inc.:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of MedQuist Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ (deficit) equity and other comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2010. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of MedQuist Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2010, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), MedQuist Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated March 16, 2011 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 16, 2011

MedQuist Inc. and Subsidiaries

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

		Years Ended December 31 ,
		2010				2009				2008
Net revenues		$	375,240			$	307,200			$	326,853
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of revenues			249,571				206,265				230,375
Selling, general and administrative			37,070				33,441				47,520
Research and development			12,813				9,604				15,848
Depreciation and amortization			21,989				15,672				17,504
Cost of legal proceedings and settlements			3,603				14,843				19,738
Acquistion and integration related charges			7,007				1,263				—
Goodwill impairment charge			—				—				82,233
Restructuring charges			2,829				2,727				2,055
Total operating costs and expenses			334,882				283,815				415,273
Operating income (loss)			40,358				23,385				(88,420	)
Gain on sale of investment			9,911				—				—
Equity in income of affiliated company			693				2,015				236
Other income			—				—				438
Loss on extinguishment of debt			(5,811	)			—				—
Interest income (expense), net			(13,429	)			(134	)			2,438
Income (loss) before income taxes			31,722				25,266				(85,308	)
Income tax provision (benefit)			671				1,975				(16,513	)
Net income (loss)		$	31,051			$	23,291			$	(68,795	)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic		$	0.83			$	0.62			$	(1.83	)
Diluted		$	0.83			$	0.62			$	(1.83	)
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic			37,556				37,556				37,549
Diluted			37,556				37,556				37,549

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

MedQuist Inc. and Subsidiaries

(In thousands)

		December 31,				December 31,
		2010				2009
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	41,265			$	25,216
Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $3,142 and $3,159, respectively			76,155				43,627
Income tax receivable			—				772
Other current assets			9,780				4,940
Total current assets			127,200				74,555
Property and equipment, net			14,135				11,772
Goodwill			88,982				40,813
Other intangible assets, net			79,860				36,307
Deferred income taxes			3,000				1,396
Other assets			10,741				9,818
Total assets		$	323,918			$	174,661
Liabilities and Shareholders’ (Deficit) Equity
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long term debt		$	20,000			$	—
Accounts payable			6,785				8,687
Accrued expenses			27,106				21,490
Accrued compensation			11,136				12,432
Current portion of lease obligations			758				—
Related party payable			5,386				1,362
Deferred revenue			10,840				10,854
Total current liabilities			82,011				54,825
Long term debt			265,000				—
Deferred income taxes			6,066				3,240
Other non-current liabilities			1,442				1,848
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)
Shareholders’ (deficit) equity:
Common stock — no par value; authorized 60,000 shares; 37,556 and 37,556 shares issued and outstanding, respectively			238,042				237,848
Accumulated deficit			(271,316	)			(125,854	)
Accumulated other comprehensive income			2,673				2,754
Total shareholders’ (deficit) equity			(30,601	)			114,748
Total liabilities and shareholders’ (deficit) equity		$	323,918			$	174,661

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

MedQuist Inc. and Subsidiaries

(In thousands)

		Years ended December 31,
		2010				2009				2008
Operating activities:
Net income (loss)		$	31,051			$	23,291			$	(68,795	)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization			21,989				15,672				17,504
Loss on extinguishment of debt			5,811				—				—
Gain on sale and equity in income of affiliated company			(10,604	)			(2,015	)			(236	)
Goodwill impairment charge			—				—				82,233
Deferred income taxes			(189	)			1,857				(17,091	)
Stock option expense			194				193				1,427
Non-cash interest expense			4,132				—				—
Provision for doubtful accounts			1,326				2,306				3,073
Loss on disposal of property and equipment			5				133				571
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable			(11,421	)			4,529				(5,781	)
Income tax receivable			769				(616	)			661
Other current assets			(815	)			3,391				(154	)
Other non-current assets			(326	)			25				134
Accounts payable			760				1,038				(5,557	)
Accrued expenses			(3,014	)			(1,198	)			(12,701	)
Accrued compensation			(5,126	)			1,192				(3,559	)
Deferred revenue			(91	)			(4,939	)			(272	)
Other non-current liabilities			(493	)			(307	)			(211	)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities			33,958				44,552				(8,754	)
Investing activities:
Purchase of property and equipment			(5,824	)			(4,932	)			(6,574	)
Proceeds from sale of investments			—				—				692
Capitalized software			(5,208	)			(2,582	)			(3,411	)
Proceeds from sale of invest in affiliated company			19,469				—				—
Investment in affiliated company			—				(852	)			—
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired			(98,661	)			—				—
Net cash used in investing activities			(90,224	)			(8,366	)			(9,293	)
Financing activities:
Net borrowings			385,000				—				—
Repayment of debt			(113,570	)			—				—
Dividends paid			(176,513	)			(49,949	)			(103,279	)
Debt issuance costs			(21,607	)			(1,201	)			—
Payments on lease obligations			(1,097	)			—				68
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			72,213				(51,150	)			(103,211	)
Effect of exchange rate changes			102				262				(406	)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			16,049				(14,702	)			(121,664	)
Cash and cash equivalents — beginning of period			25,216				39,918				161,582
Cash and cash equivalents — end of period		$	41,265			$	25,216			$	39,918
Supplemental cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest		$	9,297			$	—			$	—
Cash paid for income taxes		$	290			$	234			$	210
Accommodation payments paid with credits		$	—			$	103			$	740
Non-cash debt incurred in connection with the Spheris acquisition		$	13,570			$	—			$	—
Assets acquired using debt		$	1,152			$	—			$	—