Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Note 1. Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Company

Genomic Health, Inc. (the “Company”) is a molecular diagnostics company focused on the development and global commercialization of genomic-based clinical laboratory services that analyze the underlying biology of cancer, allowing physicians and patients to make individualized treatment decisions. The Company was incorporated in Delaware in August 2000. The Company’s first product, the Oncotype DX breast cancer test, was launched in 2004 and is used for early stage breast cancer patients to predict the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence and the likelihood of chemotherapy benefit. In January 2010, the Company launched its second product, the Oncotype DX colon cancer test, which is used to predict the likelihood of colon cancer recurrence in patients with stage II disease.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying interim period condensed consolidated financial statements include all the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company has three wholly-owned subsidiaries. Genomic Health International Sarl, which was established in Switzerland in 2009, and Genomic Health International Holdings, LLC, which was established in Delaware in 2010, support the Company’s international sales and marketing efforts. Oncotype Laboratories, Inc., which was established in Delaware in 2003, is inactive. Genomic Health International Holdings, LLC has two wholly-owned subsidiaries, Genomic Health U.K., Ltd. and Genomic Health Germany GmbH, which were established in 2011. The functional currency for the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries incorporated outside of the United States is the U.S. dollar. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates

The accompanying interim period condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2011, condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 are unaudited, but include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which the Company considers necessary for a fair presentation of its financial position, operating results and cash flows for the periods presented. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2010 has been derived from audited financial statements, but it does not include certain information and notes required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the amounts reported in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.

The accompanying interim period condensed consolidated financial statements and related financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Revenue Recognition

The Company derives its revenues from product sales and contract research arrangements. The Company operates in one industry segment. The majority of the Company’s historical product revenues have been derived from the sale of the Oncotype DX breast cancer test. The Company generally bills third-party payors upon generation and delivery of a patient report to the physician. As such, the Company takes assignment of benefits and the risk of collection with the third-party payor. The Company usually bills the patient directly for amounts owed after multiple requests for payment have been denied or only partially paid by the insurance carrier. The Company pursues case-by-case reimbursement where policies are not in place or payment history has not been established.

The Company’s product revenues for tests performed are recognized when the following revenue recognition criteria are met: (1) persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists; (2) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered; (3) the fee is fixed or determinable; and (4) collectibility is reasonably assured. Criterion (1) is satisfied when the Company has an arrangement to pay or a contract with the payor in place addressing reimbursement for the Oncotype DX test. In the absence of such arrangements, the Company considers that criterion (1) is satisfied when a third-party payor pays the Company for the test performed. Criterion (2) is satisfied when the Company performs the test and generates and delivers to the physician, or makes available on its web portal, a patient report. Determination of criteria (3) and (4) is based on management’s judgments regarding whether the fee charged for products or services delivered is fixed or determinable, and the collectibility of those fees under any contract or arrangement. When evaluating collectibility, the Company considers whether it has sufficient history to reliably estimate a payor’s individual payment patterns. Based upon at least several months of payment history, the Company reviews the number of tests paid against the number of tests billed and the payor’s outstanding balance for unpaid tests to determine whether payments are being made at a consistently high percentage of tests billed and at appropriate amounts given the contracted payment amount. To the extent all criteria set forth above are not met when test results are delivered, product revenues are recognized when cash is received from the payor.

As of September 30, 2011, the Company had agreements with distributors in more than 20 countries outside of the United States. A distributor provides certain marketing and administrative services to the Company within its territory. As a condition of these agreements, the distributor pays the Company an agreed upon fee per test and the Company processes the tests. The same revenue recognition criteria described above generally apply to tests received through distributors. Product revenues for tests performed are recognized on an accrual basis when the following revenue recognition criteria are met: (1) persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists; (2) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered; (3) the fee is fixed or determinable; and (4) collectibility is reasonably assured. To the extent all criteria set forth above are not met when test results are delivered, product revenues are generally recognized when cash is received from the distributor.

From time to time, the Company receives requests for refunds of payments, generally due to overpayments made by third party-payors. Upon becoming aware of a refund request, the Company establishes an accrued liability for tests covered by the refund request until such time as the Company determines whether or not a refund is due. Accrued refunds were $686,000 and $659,000 at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.

Contract revenues are generally derived from studies conducted with biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies. The specific methodology for revenue recognition is determined on a case-by-case basis according to the facts and circumstances applicable to a given contract. Under certain contracts, the Company’s input, measured in terms of full-time equivalent level of effort or running a set of assays through its clinical reference laboratory under a contractual protocol, triggers payment obligations, and revenues are recognized as costs are incurred or assays are processed. Certain contracts have payments that are triggered as milestones are completed, such as completion of a successful set of experiments. Milestones are assessed on an individual basis and revenue is recognized when these milestones are achieved, as evidenced by acknowledgment from collaborators, provided that (1) the milestone event is substantive and its achievability was not reasonably assured at the inception of the agreement and (2) the milestone payment is non-refundable. Where separate milestones do not meet these criteria, the Company typically defaults to a performance-based model, such as revenue recognition following delivery of effort as compared to an estimate of total expected effort.

Advance payments received in excess of revenues recognized are classified as deferred revenues until such time as the revenue recognition criteria have been met.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company accrues an allowance for doubtful accounts against its accounts receivable based on estimates consistent with historical payment experience. Bad debt expense is included in general and administrative expense on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of income. Accounts receivable are written off against the allowance when the appeals process is exhausted, when an unfavorable coverage decision is received or when there is other substantive evidence that the account will not be paid. The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts as of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010 was $940,000 and $680,000, respectively. Write-offs for doubtful accounts of $797,000 and $2.3 million were recorded against the allowance during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, respectively, and write-offs of $526,000 and $1.5 million were recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively. Bad debt expense was $939,000 and $2.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, respectively, and $552,000 and $1.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses are comprised of costs incurred to develop technology and carry out clinical studies and include: salaries and benefits, reagents and supplies used in research and development laboratory work, infrastructure expenses, including allocated facility occupancy and information technology costs, contract services, and other outside costs. Research and development expenses also include costs related to activities performed under contracts with biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

The Company enters into collaboration and clinical trial agreements with clinical collaborators and records these costs as research and development expenses. The Company records accruals for estimated study costs comprised of work performed by its collaborators under contract terms. Advance payments for goods or services that will be used or rendered for future research and development activities are deferred and capitalized and recognized as expense as the goods are delivered or the related services are performed.

Income Taxes

The Company uses the liability method for income taxes, whereby deferred income taxes are provided on items recognized for financial reporting purposes over different periods than for income tax purposes. Valuation allowances are provided when the expected realization of tax assets does not meet a more-likely-than-not criterion.

The Company accounts for uncertain income tax positions using a benefit recognition model with a two-step approach, a more-likely-than-not recognition criterion and a measurement attribute that measures the position as the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement, in accordance with the accounting guidance for uncertain tax positions. If it is not more likely than not that the benefit will be sustained on its technical merits, no benefit is recorded. Uncertain tax positions that relate only to timing of when an item is included on a tax return are considered to have met the recognition threshold. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense when and if incurred. See Note 8, “Income Tax,” for additional disclosures regarding unrecognized tax benefits.

Investments in Privately Held Companies

The Company determines whether its investments in privately held companies are debt or equity based on their characteristics, in accordance with accounting guidance for investments. The Company also evaluates the investee to determine if the entity is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) and, if so, whether the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE, in order to determine whether consolidation of the VIE is required in accordance with accounting guidance for consolidations. If consolidation is not required and the Company owns less than 50.1% of the voting interest of the entity, the investment is evaluated to determine if the equity method of accounting should be applied. The equity method applies to investments in common stock or in-substance common stock representing 20% or more of the voting interests of an entity. If the equity method does not apply, investments in privately held companies determined to be equity securities are accounted for using the cost method. Investments in privately held companies determined to be debt securities are accounted for as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity securities, in accordance with accounting guidance for investments. The Company’s investments in privately held companies were $2.7 million and $500,000 at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, and were included in other assets on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

In March 2011, the Company invested $2.3 million in the redeemable preferred stock of a private company representing 21% of the entity’s outstanding voting shares. The Company determined that the investment was a held-to-maturity debt security and that the investee was not subject to consolidation. The investment was recorded at cost and is subject to impairment evaluation on a quarterly basis. The fair value of a cost method investment is not estimated if there are no identified events or changes in circumstances that may have a significant adverse effect on the fair value of the investment. The carrying value of this investment was $2.3 million at September 30, 2011, and no impairment was recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued authoritative guidance requiring companies to present items of net income, items of other comprehensive income and total comprehensive income in one continuous statement or two consecutive statements. This guidance eliminates the option for companies to present other comprehensive income in the statement of stockholders’ equity. This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. As this guidance provides only presentation requirements, the adoption of this guidance will not impact the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

In June 2011, the FASB issued amendments to authoritative guidance for measuring fair value when required or permitted by other accounting standards. The amendments are intended to result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements under GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. Some of the amendments clarify the FASB’s intent about the application of existing fair value measurement requirements. Other amendments change a particular principle or requirement for measuring fair value or for disclosing information about fair value measurements. This amended guidance, for which the Company is currently assessing the impact on its financial condition and results of operations, is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011.