Accolade, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2023 May (Form 10-Q)

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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

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Commission File Number: 001-39348

ACCOLADE, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (206) 926-8100

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

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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  ⌧    No  ◻

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ⌧    No  ◻

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

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

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

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As of June 23, 2023, 75,631,027 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

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ACCOLADE, INC.

INDEX

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements about us and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "anticipate," "believe," "contemplate," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," or "would" or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions. Forward-looking statements include information related to our financial performance and possible or assumed future results of operations and expenses, our outlook, business strategies and plans, business environment, market size, product capabilities, timing of new product releases, the impact of our focus areas and key initiatives, and potential future growth. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts.

You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We have based the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors described in the section titled "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The results, events, and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results, events, or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

In addition, statements that "we believe" and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. While we believe that such information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, that information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments we may make.

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PART I

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

ACCOLADE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

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See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ACCOLADE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

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See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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ACCOLADE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) (unaudited)

(In thousands, except shares)

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See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

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ACCOLADE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)

(In thousands)

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See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data)

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(1)   Background

Accolade, Inc. (Accolade or together with its subsidiaries, the Company) provides an advocacy-led, nationwide care delivery service comprised of personalized, technology-enabled solutions that help people better understand, navigate, and utilize the healthcare system and their workplace benefits. The Company’s customers are primarily employers that deploy Accolade solutions in order to provide employees and their families (the members) a single place to turn for their health, healthcare, and benefits needs. The Company also offers expert medical opinion services to commercial customers (which includes employers, health plans, and governmental entities) and virtual primary care both directly to consumers and to commercial customers. These services are designed to improve the member experience, encourage better healthcare outcomes, and lower costs for both members and customers. Accolade is co-headquartered in Seattle, Washington and Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.

(2)   Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Company’s significant accounting policies are disclosed in the audited financial statements for the year ended February 28, 2023 appearing in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on April 28, 2023.  

(a)  Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

Accolade’s condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and include the Company’s accounts and those of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Company has various administrative service agreements (ASA) with professional medical corporations established in California, Illinois, Wyoming, and New Jersey (PC). The PCs employ or contract with medical providers who provide services via the Company’s technology platform. The ASAs are evergreen and are terminable by the parties for breach or bankruptcy. Through the ASAs, the Company provides non-clinical administrative services to the PCs and manages the economic activities that most significantly affect PCs. The PCs retain control over the provision of medical services and the PC’s clinical personnel. The PCs are variable interest entities (VIE) to the Company.

(b)  Unaudited Interim Financial Statements

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and the related footnote disclosures are unaudited. The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual audited consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair statement of the Company’s interim condensed consolidated financial position as of May 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, and its cash flows for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022. The results for the three months ended May 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ending February 29, 2024, any other interim periods, or any future year or period. The Company’s management believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading when read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes for the year ended February 28, 2023.

(c)  Capitalized Internal-Use Software Costs

Costs related to software acquired, developed, or modified solely to meet the Company’s internal requirements, including tools that enable the Company’s employees to interact with members and their providers, with no substantive plans to market such software at the time of development, are capitalized. Costs incurred during the preliminary planning

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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and evaluation stage of the project and during the post-implementation operational stage are expensed as incurred. Costs related to minor upgrades, minor enhancements, and maintenance activities are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred during the application development stage of the project are capitalized. Internal-use software is included in property and equipment and is amortized on a straight-line basis over 3 years.

For the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company capitalized $2,410 and $766, respectively, for internal-use software. Amortization expense related to capitalized internal-use software during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022 was $346 and $290, respectively.

(d)  Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and finite-lived intangibles, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, then an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. There were no long-lived asset impairment charges recorded during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022.

(e)  Intangible Assets

The Company has acquired intangible assets through various acquisitions. Intangible assets are recorded at fair value on the date of acquisition and are subject to amortization over the estimated useful lives of each asset. Estimates of fair value and useful lives are based on historical factors, current circumstances, and the experience and judgment of management. Estimates and assumptions used to value intangible assets are evaluated by management on an ongoing basis.

(f)  Goodwill

Goodwill is the excess of the cost of an acquired entity over the net amounts assigned to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Goodwill is not amortized, but is subject to evaluations of its recoverability annually and upon the identification of a triggering event. The Company has a single reporting unit and all goodwill relates to that reporting unit.

The Company performs an impairment analysis of goodwill on an annual basis in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year or more frequently if changes in circumstances or the occurrence of events suggest that an impairment exists. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recorded. A goodwill impairment loss was recorded during the three months ended May 31, 2022. See Note 5 for further information.

(g)  Revenue and Deferred Revenue

Revenue Recognition

The Company generates revenue by providing customers access to its advocacy, expert medical opinion, and virtual primary care services, as well as through utilization of its expert medical opinion and virtual primary care services. Contracts with customers that include expert medical opinion or virtual primary care services may contain either an access fee, a utilization-based fee, or both.

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, the Company recognizes revenue when control of the promised services is transferred to its customers, in an amount that

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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reflects the consideration to which it expects to be entitled in exchange for those services. Accordingly, the Company determines revenue recognition through the following steps:

At contract inception, the Company assesses the type of services being provided and assesses the performance obligations in the contract. The transaction price is allocated to the separate performance obligations on a relative standalone selling price basis. The Company determines the standalone selling prices based on overall pricing objectives, taking into consideration market conditions and other factors, using an expected cost plus margin approach. The Company considered the variable consideration allocation exception in ASC 606 for its advocacy contracts and concluded that such exception for allocating variable consideration to distinct performance obligations or distinct time periods within a series was not met primarily due to variability in its per-member-per-month (PMPM) pricing.

The majority of fees earned by the Company are considered to be variable consideration due to both the uncertainty regarding the total number of members, consultations or visits for which the Company will invoice the customer, as well as the variable PMPM fees that are dependent upon the achievement of performance metrics and/or healthcare cost savings. Performance metrics are measured monthly, quarterly, or annually, and with respect to the achievement of healthcare cost savings targets, annually (typically measured on a calendar year basis). Accordingly, at contract inception and on an ongoing basis, as part of the Company’s estimate of the transaction price, the Company determines whether any such fees should be constrained, and the Company includes the estimated consideration for those fees to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur (and is therefore considered to be unconstrained). Consideration related to the Company’s achievement of healthcare cost savings is typically constrained until the end of the applicable calendar year due to uncertainty related to factors outside of the Company’s control. Consideration related to other performance metrics is typically not constrained based on the Company’s prior success of achieving such metrics. On an ongoing basis, the Company reassesses its estimates for variable consideration, which can change based upon its assessment of the achievement of performance metrics and healthcare cost savings, as well as the number of members, consultations, or visits.

Access Fees

The Company generates revenue primarily from contracts with customers to access the Company’s advocacy, expert medical opinion, and virtual primary care services. The Company prices access fees primarily using a recurring PMPM fee, typically with a portion of the fee calculated as the product of a fixed rate times the number of members (fixed PMPM fee), plus a variable PMPM fee calculated as the product of a variable rate times the number of members (variable PMPM fee). The fees associated with the variable PMPM fee can be earned through the achievement of performance metrics and/or the realization of healthcare cost savings resulting from use of the Company’s services. Collectively, the fixed PMPM fee and variable PMPM fee are referred to as the total PMPM fee. The Company’s PMPM pricing varies by contract. In certain contracts, the maximum total PMPM fee varies during the contract term (total PMPM rate increases or decreases annually), while in other contracts, the total PMPM maximum fee is consistent over the term, yet the fixed and variable portions vary. For example, in certain contracts the fixed PMPM fee increases on an annual basis while the variable PMPM fee decreases on an annual basis, resulting in the same total PMPM fee throughout the term of the contract.

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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The PMPM fees for expert medical opinion and virtual primary care services may be tiered based upon the customer’s utilization.

Access to the Company’s services represent a single stand-ready performance obligation. The Company’s contracts include stand-ready services to provide eligible participants with access to the Company’s services and to perform an unspecified quantity of interactions with members during the contract period. Accordingly, the Company’s services are generally viewed as stand-ready performance obligations comprised of a series of distinct daily services that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer. For advocacy services, the Company satisfies these performance obligations over time and recognizes revenue related to its services as the services are provided using a measure of progress based upon the actual number of members eligible for the service during the respective period as a percentage of the estimated members expected to be eligible for the service over the term of the contract. The Company believes a measure of progress based on the number of members is the most appropriate measurement of control of the services being transferred to the customer as the amount of internal resources necessary to stand-ready is directly correlated to the number of members who can use the services.

For the majority of expert medical opinion services, the Company satisfies these performance obligations over time and recognizes revenue in the amount of consideration for which it has the right to invoice using the as-invoiced practical expedient. Access fees also include access to the Company’s virtual primary care services sold directly to consumers on a monthly or yearly fixed fee subscription basis. For these services, the Company satisfies these stand-ready performance obligations over time and recognizes revenue ratably over the subscription period.

Utilization-based fees

The Company also generates revenue when members utilize the expert medical opinion and virtual primary care services that are billed based on utilization. Many, but not all, contracts with customers contain utilization-based fees. For any utilization-based fees, the Company satisfies these performance obligations over time and recognizes revenue in the amount of consideration for which it has the right to invoice using the as-invoiced practical expedient for any consultations or visits sold to commercial customers as well as any non-insured consultations or visits related to virtual primary care services sold directly to consumers. For any consultations or visits that are paid through insurance claims, the Company recognizes revenue as the consultations and visits occur in an amount that reflects the consideration that is expected based upon then-current prices and historical experience from insurance payors.

Deferred Revenue

The Company typically invoices its customers in advance of the services performed on a monthly or quarterly basis, and the amount invoiced typically represents the maximum total PMPM fee for the estimated number of eligible members over the applicable invoice period. The total PMPM fee covers the stand-ready services in the Company’s typical contracts (i.e., the performance obligations are not separately priced or invoiced). The maximum total PMPM fee that is invoiced includes both the fixed PMPM fee and the variable PMPM fee related to the performance metrics and/or the realization of healthcare cost savings that can be achieved during the period. These fees are classified as deferred revenue on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet until such time that revenue can be recognized. In the event the Company fails to satisfy any of the performance metrics and/or realization of healthcare cost savings that are billed in advance, the Company will refund the applicable portion of the fee or offset the amount against a future invoice. These amounts are included in due to customers on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The Company’s accounts receivable represent rights to consideration that are unconditional.

(h)  Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains its cash primarily with domestic financial institutions of high credit quality, which may exceed federal deposit insurance corporation limits. The Company invests its cash equivalents in highly rated money

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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market funds and U.S. treasury bills with original maturities of three months or less. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts. The Company believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalents and performs periodic evaluations of the credit standing of such institutions.

(i) Leases

Whenever the Company enters into a new arrangement, it determines, at the inception date, whether the arrangement is or contains a lease. This determination generally depends on whether the arrangement conveys to the Company the right to control the use of an explicitly or implicitly identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Control of an underlying asset is conveyed to the Company if the Company obtains the right to direct the use of, and obtain substantially all the economic benefits from, the use of the underlying asset.

For each lease, the Company then determines the lease term, the present value of lease payments, and the classification of the lease as either an operating or finance lease. The Company has elected, for all of its leases, to not separate lease and non-lease components. The lease term is the period of the lease not cancellable by the Company, together with periods covered by: (i) renewal options the Company is reasonably certain to exercise, (ii) termination options the Company is reasonably certain not to exercise, and (iii) renewal or termination options that are controlled by the lessor.

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The present value of lease payments is calculated based on:

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In making the determination of whether a lease is an operating lease or a finance lease, the Company considers the lease term in relation to the economic life of the leased asset, the present value of lease payments in relation to the fair value of the leased asset and certain other factors, including the lessee’s and lessor’s rights, obligations, and economic incentives over the term of the lease.

The Company does not recognize leases with an initial term of 12 months or less on its consolidated balance sheets and recognizes these payments in the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Certain leases contain variable payments which are based on usage or operating costs, such as utilities and maintenance. These payments are not included in the measurement of the lease liability or corresponding right-of-use asset due to the uncertainty of the payment amount and are recorded as lease expense in the period incurred.

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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(3) Revenue

The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated by revenue source:

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As of May 31, 2023, revenue is expected to be recognized from remaining performance obligations as follows:

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The expected revenue includes variable fee estimates for the non-cancellable term of the Company’s contracts. The expected revenue does not include amounts of variable consideration that are constrained.

Significant changes to the contract liability balances during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022 were the result of revenue recognized and net cash received. Significant changes in the deferred revenue balances during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022 were the result of recognized revenue of $24,746 and $24,447, respectively, that were previously included in deferred revenue. In addition, significant changes to the contract asset balances during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022 were the result of revenue recognized as well as transfers to accounts receivable. Contract assets relating to unbilled revenue are transferred to accounts receivable when the right to consideration becomes unconditional.

Revenue related to performance obligations satisfied in prior periods that was recognized during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1,433 and $1,829, respectively. These amounts relate to the ratable recognition through the minimum contract term of performance obligations satisfied in prior periods related to the Company’s achievement of healthcare cost savings.

Cost to obtain and fulfill a contract

The Company capitalizes sales commissions paid to internal sales personnel that are both incremental to the acquisition of customer contracts and recoverable. These costs are recorded as deferred contract acquisition costs in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company capitalized commission costs of $642 and $838 for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company defers costs based on its sales compensation plans only if the commissions are incremental and would not have occurred absent the customer contract. Payments to direct sales personnel are typically made upon signature of the contract. The Company does not pay commissions on contract renewals.

Deferred commissions paid on the initial acquisition of a contract are amortized ratably over an estimated period of benefit of five years, which is the estimated customer life. The Company determined the period of amortization for deferred commissions by taking into consideration current customer contract terms, historical customer retention, and other factors. Amortization is included in sales and marketing expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and totaled $838 and $592 for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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periodically reviews deferred contract acquisition costs to determine whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could impact the estimated period of benefit. There were no impairment losses recorded during the periods presented.

For certain customer contracts, the Company may incur direct and incremental costs related to customer set-up and implementation. The Company recorded deferred implementation costs of $107 and $86 for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These implementation costs are deferred and amortized over the expected useful life of the Company’s customers, which is five years. Amortization is included in cost of revenues in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and totaled $278 and $225 for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

(4)   Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The Company’s goodwill balance at May 31, 2023 and February 28, 2023 was $278,191. As a result of sustained decreases in the Company’s stock price and market capitalization, the Company conducted an impairment test of its goodwill and intangible assets as of May 31, 2022 resulting in an impairment loss of $299,705. Goodwill at May 31, 2023 and February 28, 2023 is net of this impairment loss.

Annually, and upon the identification of a triggering event, management is required to perform an evaluation of the recoverability of goodwill. Triggering events potentially warranting an interim goodwill impairment test include, among other factors, declines in historical or projected revenue, operating income or cash flows, and sustained declines in the Company’s stock price or market capitalization, considered both in absolute terms and relative to peers. While management cannot predict if or when additional future goodwill impairments may occur, additional goodwill impairments could have material adverse effects on the Company’s operating income, net assets, and/or the Company’s cost of, or access to, capital.

Intangible assets consisted of the following:

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Amortization expense for intangible assets was $10,372 during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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(5)   Fair Value Measurements

The following table sets forth the fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities within the fair value hierarchy:

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The estimated fair value of the convertible senior notes (Note 6) was $233,795 as of May 31, 2023, based on quoted market prices of the Company’s instrument in markets that are not active and are classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. Considerable judgment is necessary to interpret the market data and develop an estimate of the fair value. Accordingly, the estimate is not necessarily indicative of the amount at which this instrument could be purchased, sold, or settled.

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(6)   Debt

(a)  Convertible Senior Notes and Capped Call Options

Convertible Senior Notes

The Notes consisted of the following:

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In March 2021, the Company completed a private convertible note offering, pursuant to an Indenture dated as of March 29, 2021 between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the Indenture), and issued $287,500 of 0.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the Notes) that mature in April 2026, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased. The Notes bear interest at a rate of 0.50% per annum, payable semiannually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year, beginning on October 1, 2021 and are convertible into cash, shares of the Company’s common stock or a combination of cash and shares of common stock, at the Company’s election. The Company incurred costs of $8,428 in connection with the Notes and the capped calls, of which $8,368 was allocated to the Notes and recorded as a debt discount and $60 was allocated to the capped call and recorded directly to additional paid-in capital. Net proceeds from the issuance of Notes were $279,132, and the Company used $34,443 of the net proceeds to pay the costs of the capped call transactions described below. For the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded interest expense of $781 and $779, respectively, of which $419 and $417, respectively, was associated with the amortization of the debt discount.

Pursuant to the terms of the Notes, a holder may convert all or any portion of its Notes at its option at any time prior to October 1, 2025 and only under the following circumstances: (1) during any fiscal quarter commencing after the

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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fiscal quarter ending on August 31, 2021, if the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock for at least 20 trading days during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day; (2) during the five business day period after any ten consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price (as defined in the Indenture) per $1 principal amount of Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; (3) if the Company calls such Notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close of business on the scheduled trading day immediately preceding the redemption date, but only with respect to the Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption; or (4) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. On or after October 1, 2025 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert all or any portion of their Notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances.

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The initial conversion rate is 19.8088 shares of the Company’s common stock per $1 principal amount of Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $50.48 per share of the Company’s common stock). The conversion rate is subject to adjustment in some events but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, following certain corporate events that occur prior to the maturity date, or if the Company delivers a notice of redemption, the Company will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert its Notes in connection with such a corporate event or convert its Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption in connection with such notice of redemption, as the case may be.

The Company may not redeem the Notes prior to April 6, 2024. On or after April 6, 2024, the Company may redeem for cash all or any portion of the Notes (subject to the partial redemption limitation set forth in the Indenture), at its option, if the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days, including the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption, during any 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. No sinking fund is provided for the Notes.

Upon a fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture), holders may, subject to certain exceptions, require the Company to purchase their Notes in whole or in part for cash at a price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be purchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date (as defined in the Indenture). In addition, upon a Make-Whole Fundamental Change (as defined in the Indenture), the Company will, under certain circumstances, increase the applicable conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert its Notes in connection with such Make-Whole Fundamental Change.

Under the Indenture, the Notes may be accelerated upon the occurrence of certain customary events of default. If certain bankruptcy and insolvency-related events of default with respect to the Company occur, the principal of, and accrued and unpaid interest on, all of the then outstanding Notes shall automatically become due and payable. The Indenture provides that the sole remedy for an event of default relating to certain failures by the Company to comply with reporting covenants, including timely filings, consists exclusively of the right to receive additional interest on the Notes.

As of May 31, 2023, none of the conditions of the Notes to early convert have been met. The Notes are the Company’s senior, unsecured obligations that rank senior in right of payment to the Company’s future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to the Notes, rank equally in right of payment with the Company’s future senior unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated, effectively subordinated to the Company’s existing and future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness, and structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables and preferred equity (to the extent the Company is not a holder thereof)) of the Company’s subsidiaries. The Notes contain both affirmative and negative covenants. As of May 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all covenants in the Notes.

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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​

The Company concluded the Notes are accounted for as debt, with no bifurcation of the embedded conversion feature. Transaction costs were recorded as a direct deduction from the related debt liability in the consolidated balance sheet and are amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the Notes. The effective interest rate for the Notes is 1.1%.

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Capped Call

Concurrent with the pricing of the Notes, the Company entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions with two of the initial purchasers and/or their respective affiliates and another financial institution (the Option Counterparties). The capped call transactions are expected to offset the potential dilution to Accolade’s common stock as a result of any conversion of Notes, with such offset subject to a cap initially equal to $76.20 (which represented a premium of 100% over the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock on March 24, 2021). The capped call transactions are separate transactions, entered into by the Company with the Option Counterparties, and are not part of the terms of the Notes.

As the capped call options are both legally detachable and separately exercisable from the Notes, the Company accounts for the capped call options separately from the Notes. The capped call options are indexed to the Company’s own common stock and classified in stockholders’ equity. As such, the premiums paid for the capped call options were included as a net reduction to additional paid-in capital in the consolidated balance sheet.

(b)  Revolving Credit Facility

During July 2019, the Company entered into a revolving credit facility (the 2019 Revolver) with a syndicate of two banks. Under the 2019 Revolver, the Company has the capacity to borrow up to $80,000 on a revolving facility.  Availability of borrowings on the 2019 Revolver is calculated as a multiple of the Company’s eligible monthly recurring revenues (as defined in the 2019 Revolver). As of May 31, 2023, the Company had outstanding letters of credit to serve as office landlord security deposits in the amount of $1,311, which are secured through the revolving credit facility and reduce our borrowing capacity. The capacity of the revolving credit facility was $70,497 as of May 31, 2023. No amounts are outstanding as of May 31, 2023.

The 2019 Revolver term ends on July 19, 2024. The interest rate on the outstanding borrowings are at the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index (BSBY) rate plus 350 basis points or Base Rate (as defined) plus 250 basis points, with the BSBY rate and Base Rate subject to minimum levels.  Interest payments are to be made in installments of one, two, or three months as chosen by the Company.

The Company incurred lender and third-party fees when entering into the 2019 Revolver, all of which were deferred at the onset of the facility and have been fully amortized. During the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded interest expense of $51 and $52, respectively, related to the revolving credit facility.

On July 19, 2022, the Company entered into an amendment to the 2019 Revolver which extended the term until July 19, 2024, documented the transition from the LIBOR interest rate index to the BSBY rate, and established new minimum covenant revenue targets. The term will automatically be extended to July 19, 2025 if the Company has at least $200,000 in consolidated net cash as of May 31, 2024.

The 2019 Revolver is collateralized by substantially all of the assets of the Company.

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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(7)  Stock-based Compensation

The following table summarizes the amount of stock-based compensation included in the consolidated statements of operations:

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In July 2020, the Company adopted the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the Incentive Plan), which authorized the Company to grant up to 4,300,000 shares of common stock to eligible employees, directors, and consultants to the Company in the form of stock options, restricted stock units, and other various equity awards, including any shares subject to stock options or other awards granted under the Company’s prior stock option plan that expire or terminate for any reason (other than being exercised in full) or are cancelled in accordance with the terms of the prior stock option plan.   The Incentive Plan also includes an annual evergreen increase, and the amount, terms of grants, and exercisability provisions are determined by the board of directors. The term of an award may be up to 10 years and options generally vest over four years, with one quarter of an award vesting one year after grant and the remainder vesting on a monthly basis over three years. As of May 31, 2023, there was a total of 12,135,039 shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the Incentive Plan, of which 4,857,528 were available for future grants.

(a) Stock Options

The following is a summary of stock option activity under the Incentive Plan:

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For the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized $2,215 and $2,692 in compensation expense related to stock options, respectively. As of May 31, 2023, approximately $10,768 of unrecognized compensation expense related to our stock options is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.6 years. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $3,132 and $349 for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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(b)PlushCare Stock Options

In connection with the acquisition of PlushCare, Inc. (PlushCare) on June 9, 2021, the Company assumed all stock options that were awarded under the PlushCare Plan and that were outstanding as of the closing of the acquisition.  These options were converted into options to purchase the Company’s common stock at a ratio determined in the purchase agreement. The Company has no intent to grant any further options under the PlushCare Plan beyond the options granted and outstanding as of the Company's acquisition of PlushCare.  The following is a summary of stock option activity under the PlushCare Plan:

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For the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized $1,340 and $1,244, respectively, in compensation expense related to PlushCare stock options. As of May 31, 2023, approximately $773 of unrecognized compensation expense related to PlushCare stock options is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.1 years. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $535 and $261 for the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

(c)  Restricted Stock Units

Time-based restricted stock units have generally been subject to a vesting period of two to four years. For two-year grants, one-eighth of an award generally vests quarterly for the first year after the grant with the remainder vesting ratably on a monthly basis over the subsequent year. For three-year grants, one-third of an award generally vests one year after grant with the remainder vesting ratably on a monthly basis over the subsequent two years. For four-year grants, one quarter of an award generally vests one year after grant and the remainder vests ratably on a monthly basis over the subsequent three years.

The following is a summary of activity for the three months ended May 31, 2023:

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For the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized $6,679 and $6,632, respectively, in restricted stock unit compensation expense with $48,288 remaining total unrecognized compensation costs related to these awards as of May 31, 2023. The total unrecognized costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average term of 2.2 years. The weighted average grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted during the three months ended May 31, 2023 was $14.08.

In connection with the PlushCare acquisition, the agreement provided for the issuance of time-based restricted stock units for 64,694 shares of common stock to existing PlushCare shareholders upon the achievement of the contingent

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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consideration revenue milestones. During the second quarter of fiscal 2023, 57,124 of these restricted stock units were issued. These restricted stock units are included in the table above.

(d)  Performance Stock Units

During fiscal 2023, performance-based restricted stock units (PSUs) were approved to be issued as part of the Company’s fiscal 2023 corporate bonus program. In association with the Company’s fiscal 2023 corporate bonus payout, 747,687 fully-vested PSUs were issued in May 2023. During the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded $0 and $1,312, respectively, in stock-based compensation expense related to these performance-based restricted stock units.

(e)  Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In July 2020, the Board of Directors adopted the Company’s 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP), which became effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement for the Company’s initial public offering (IPO). The total shares of common stock initially reserved under the ESPP was limited to 1,100,000 shares. On March 1, 2023, there was an automatic annual increase, which increased the total available common shares to 3,058,760.

Under the ESPP, eligible employees can purchase the Company’s common stock through accumulated payroll deductions at such times as are established by the compensation committee. Eligible employees may purchase the Company’s common stock at 85% of the lower of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the first day of the offering period or on the last day of the offering period. Eligible employees may contribute up to 15% of their eligible compensation. Under the ESPP, a participant may not accrue rights to purchase more than $25,000 worth of the Company’s common stock for each calendar year in which such right is outstanding.

Employees who elect to participate in the ESPP commence payroll withholdings that accumulate through the end of the respective period. In accordance with the guidance in ASC 718-50 – Compensation – Stock Compensation, the ability to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock for 85% of the lower of the price on the first day of the offering period or the last day of the offering period (i.e. the purchase date) represents an option and, therefore, the ESPP is a compensatory plan under this guidance. Accordingly, share-based compensation expense is determined based on the option’s grant-date fair value as estimated by applying the Black Scholes option-pricing model and is recognized over the withholding period. The Company recognized share-based compensation expense of $468 and $411 during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to the ESPP.

During the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, employees who elected to participate in the ESPP purchased a total of 280,162 and 343,310 shares of common stock, respectively, resulting in cash proceeds to the Company of $1,992 and $1,788, respectively. ESPP employee payroll contributions accrued as of May 31, 2023 and February 28, 2022 totaled $191 and $1,384, respectively, and are included within accrued compensation in the consolidated balance sheet. Cash withheld via employee payroll deductions is presented in financing activities as proceeds from stock purchases under employee stock purchase plan on the consolidated statement of cash flows.

(f)  Other

In connection with the acquisition of Innovation Specialists, LLC d/b/a 2nd.MD (2nd.MD) on March 3, 2021, several 2nd.MD individuals entered into agreements with the Company whereby these individuals are eligible to receive an aggregate of 608,332 shares that required continued employment with the Company. These shares are excluded from the above restricted stock units table. Included in the 608,332 shares are 281,531 shares that were also contingent upon the achievement of the contingent consideration milestones. These shares are considered compensatory in the post business combination periods due to the additional service requirement for these individuals. These shares vested 50% on the first anniversary of the acquisition date and 50% on the second anniversary of acquisition date. The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $3,358 during the three months ended May 31, 2022.

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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In connection with the acquisition of PlushCare, certain PlushCare individuals entered into agreements with the Company whereby these individuals are eligible to receive an aggregate of 806,161 shares that require continued employment with the Company. These shares are excluded from the above restricted stock units table. These shares are considered compensatory in the post business combination periods due to the additional service requirement for these individuals. One third of these shares vested on the first anniversary of the acquisition date, one third vested on the second anniversary of acquisition date, and one third will vest on the third anniversary of the acquisition date. As of May 31, 2023, there were 537,401 unvested shares outstanding with a grant date fair value of $52.52 per share. The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $3,557 during the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022. The unamortized compensation expense of $14,461 will be recognized over a weighted average remaining period of 1.0 years.

(8)   Income Taxes

The provision (benefit) for income taxes consists of provisions for federal, state and foreign income taxes for separate U.S. tax filers and for entities in separate tax jurisdictions. As a result of the Company’s history of net operating losses (NOL), the Company has historically provided for a full valuation allowance against its U.S. deferred tax assets that are not more-likely-than-not to be realized. For the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded income tax provision (benefit) of $91 and $(3,899), respectively, which resulted in effective tax rates of (0.2)% and 1.1%, respectively. The tax benefit for the three months ended May 31, 2022 is primarily related to the reversal of the deferred tax liability associated with the basis difference in goodwill from the 2nd.MD acquisition. The goodwill impairment recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 required the Company to reverse that deferred tax liability during the three months ended May 31, 2022.

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(9)   Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to Accolade’s common stockholders:

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As the Company has reported net losses for each of the periods presented, all potentially dilutive securities are antidilutive. The following potential outstanding shares of common stock were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per common share for the periods presented because including them would have been antidilutive:

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Accolade, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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(10)   Commitments and Contingencies

(a)  Legal Proceedings

The Company is involved in various claims, inquiries and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or liquidity. As of May 31, 2023, the Company had accruals of $3,500 related to legal matters.

On May 8, 2021, a purported class action complaint (Robbins v. PlushCare, Inc. et al.) was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, PlushCare, Inc. The complaint, as amended, alleges that certain of PlushCare’s subscription payment practices violate California and other state automatic renewal laws and the Federal Electronic Funds Transfer Act, among other claims, arising from allegations that PlushCare failed to provide adequate disclosures to members. The lawsuit seeks restitution of subscription fees, statutory damages for each violation, subject to trebling, reasonable attorneys’ fees, and injunctive relief. Under the terms of the agreement to purchase PlushCare, the selling shareholders will indemnify Accolade for losses related to this matter, subject to a cap. The parties have tentatively agreed on a settlement and the Company has recorded a contingent liability. The majority of the Company’s liability is eligible to be paid through third-party insurance and the remaining indemnification from the selling shareholders of PlushCare. The remainder amounted to $1,244 at May 31, 2023.

(b)  Employment Agreements

Certain officers of the Company have employment agreements providing for severance, continuation of benefits, and other specified rights in the event of termination without cause, including in the event of a change of control of the Company, as defined in the agreements.

(c)  Purchase Obligations

The Company has minimum required purchase commitments of $40,323 pursuant to an agreement primarily related to cloud computing services. Portions of the total purchase commitment are required to be met prior to the end of each contract year, September 30, in each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. If total purchases in a contract year do not meet the portion of the commitment required for that year, the shortfall must be prepaid and can be used for future purchases through September 30, 2027. As of May 31, 2023, the Company has remaining future purchase commitments under this agreement of $30,232.

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share data) (continued)

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(11)   Restructuring

During the year ended February 28, 2023, the Company initiated certain measures to accelerate the integration of recent acquisitions through strategic reductions in the Company’s workforce, including increasing hiring in lower cost regions to support its growth, scale, and profitability objectives. As a result, severance expense was recorded for the impacted employees. The Company continued to incur costs associated with these measures during the three months ended May 31, 2023.

The following table summarizes the amount of severance costs included in the consolidated statements of operations:

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The following is a summary of the changes in the severance liabilities related to the workforce reductions. These liabilities are included within accrued compensation on the consolidated balance sheets:

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The Company expects remaining severance-related liabilities to be paid out in cash during fiscal 2024. Additional expenses associated with these restructuring activities are not expected to be material.

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes and the discussion under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023 included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our fiscal year ends on the last day of February, and our fiscal quarters end on May 31, August 31, November 30, and the last day of February.

This discussion, particularly information with respect to our future results of operations or financial condition, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties as described under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. You should review the disclosure under the heading “Risk Factors” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

Overview

We provide an advocacy-led, nationwide care delivery service comprised of personalized, technology-enabled solutions that help people better understand, navigate, and utilize the healthcare system and their workplace benefits. Our customers are primarily employers that deploy Accolade solutions in order to provide employees and their families (our “members”) a single place to turn for their health, healthcare, and benefits needs. We also offer expert medical opinion services to commercial customers (which includes employers, health plans, and governmental entities) and virtual primary care and mental health therapy, both directly to consumers and to commercial customers. Our innovative platform combines open, cloud-based intelligent technology with multimodal support from a team of empathetic and knowledgeable Accolade Health Assistants and clinicians, including primary care physicians, registered nurses, physician medical directors, pharmacists, behavioral health specialists, women’s health specialists, case management specialists, and expert medical opinion providers. We leverage our integrated capabilities, connectivity with providers and the broader healthcare ecosystem, and longitudinal data to engage across the entire member population, rather than focusing solely on high-cost claimants or those with chronic conditions. Our goal is to build trusted relationships with our members that ultimately position us to deliver personalized recommendations and interventions. We believe that our platform dramatically improves the member experience, encourages better health outcomes, and lowers costs for both our members and our customers.

Following the addition of the 2nd.MD and Plushcare offerings in 2021, we began integrating our suite of offerings and combining our operations. Subsequently, we announced new solutions and new naming for the solutions to reflect the expanded capabilities of Accolade’s historical navigation and advocacy solutions with our acquired primary care, mental health, and expert medical opinion services. We augment these solutions with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data-driven recommendations that are based on our expansive clinical expertise and data. The new solution bundles incorporate all of our existing solutions to reflect the evolution and maturation of our offering portfolio. With these changes, our current offerings include:

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These offerings are the successors to the historical Accolade Total Health and Benefits, Accolade Total Care, Accolade Total Benefits and 2nd.MD solutions. Accolade Total Health and Benefits has historically been our most comprehensive offering and most closely aligns to our “Premier” solution on which the company was founded and from which the majority of our revenues are derived today.

We were founded in 2007 and launched our initial offering in 2009. We have seen significant growth in recent years since the changes to our executive management team in 2015 and the subsequent investments we have made in product, technology, sales, and distribution. As of February 28, 2023, we had over 800 commercial customers comprising more than 12 million members. Our customers represent a diversified set of industries, including technology, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, education, retail, and the public sector. Additionally, as of February 28, 2023, we had more than 150,000 consumers subscribed to virtual primary care services through our PlushCare solution.

For the three months ended May 31, 2023, our total revenue was $93.2 million, representing 9% year-over-year growth compared to total revenue of $85.5 million for the three months ended May 31, 2022. For the three months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, our net loss was $38.4 million and $342.8 million, respectively. Net loss for the three months ended May 31, 2022 included a goodwill impairment charge of $299.7 million.

Our Business Model

We provide our solutions primarily to employers that deploy Accolade offerings to our members and to consumers who directly purchase our PlushCare virtual primary care services. We earn revenue from providing personalized health guidance solutions, expert medical opinion services, and virtual primary care services to the members of our commercial customers' health plans and to members of fully insured plans offered via health insurance companies. Our advocacy solutions are priced based on a recurring per-member-per-month (PMPM) fee, typically consisting of both a base fee and a performance-based fee component. As a result, generally, a portion of our potential revenue is variable, subject to our achievement of performance metrics and the realization of savings in healthcare spend by our customers resulting from the utilization of our solutions. We typically achieve a substantial portion of the contractual performance metrics and realization in savings of healthcare spend. We also provide expert medical opinion services, which are typically charged on a PMPM or case rate basis, and virtual primary care services which are typically priced on a fee per visit basis for consumers and a visit fee basis or PMPM plus visit fee basis for commercial customers.

The primary cost of delivering our service includes the personnel costs of Accolade Health Assistants and clinicians, including registered nurses, physician medical directors, pharmacists, behavioral health specialists, women's health specialists, case management specialists, expert medical opinion providers and virtual primary care physicians, as well as software and tools for telephony, workforce management, business analytics, allocated overhead costs, and other expenses related to delivery and implementation of our solutions. As we support more customers with an increasing number of members over time, we expect that our support costs per member will decline due to economies of scale and improved operational efficiencies driven by continued enhancements of our technology platform and capabilities. We have experienced and expect to continue to achieve operational efficiencies realized from continued enhancements of our technology platform and capabilities.

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We employ a multipronged go-to-market strategy to increase adoption of our solutions to new and existing customers. We principally sell our solutions through our direct salesforce which is stratified by account size (i.e., strategic (more than 35,000 employees), enterprise (5,000 to 35,000 employees), and mid-market (500 to 5,000 employees)), region, and existing versus prospective customer. Our sales team possesses deep domain expertise in health benefits management and brings substantial experience selling to key decision makers within our current and prospective customer organizations (human resource officers, CFOs, benefits executives, consultants, and brokers). We believe the effectiveness of our sales organization is evidenced by growing adoption of our platform by large strategic customers, recent traction with enterprise and mid-market customers and demonstrated demand for add-on offerings from existing customers.

We have chosen to invest significantly in growing our customer base, and plan to continue both adding new customers and expanding our relationships with existing customers, which we believe will allow us to increase margins over time. When a customer renews their contract or purchases additional solutions or enhancements, the value realized from that customer increases because we generally do not incur significant incremental acquisition or implementation costs for the renewal or expansion. We believe that as our customer base grows and a higher percentage of our revenue is attributable to renewals and upsells or cross-sells to existing customers, relative to acquisition of new customers, associated sales and marketing expenses and other upfront costs will decrease as a percentage of revenue.

In addition, we have strategically curated our offering portfolio to ensure we have a compelling value proposition at an appropriate price point that resonates with each identified customer segment. Based on our experience, the opportunity to cross-sell is meaningfully enhanced once a customer has been on-boarded onto our platform and has benefited from a measurable and compelling return on their investment. Our customer success team provides strategic insights, point solution recommendations, and day-to-day account support to our customers. They are focused on existing customer retention, cross-sell, and upsell.

We maintain relationships with a range of third parties, including brokers, agents, benefits consultants, carriers, third-party administrators, suppliers in our Trusted Partner Ecosystem, and co-marketing and co-selling partners. These third parties provide an important source of referrals for our sales organization. We also selectively form strategic alliances to further drive customer acquisition and adoption of our solutions. We believe the breadth of our go-to-market and distribution strategy enables us to reach customers of nearly every size and across markets.

We have demonstrated a consistent track record of product and technology innovation over time as evidenced by continuous improvement of our platform and new offerings. This innovation is driven by feedback we receive from our customers, industry experts, and the market generally. Our technology platform has enabled us to unbundle aspects of our core navigation capability to create various offerings for our customers, while integrating capabilities from our recent acquisitions to deliver our Personalized Healthcare solution that combines our core navigation with expert medical consultations and virtual primary care. Our investments in product and technology have been focused on increasing the value we provide via our personalized member health guidance solutions and expanding the market segments we can serve with a portfolio of offerings and associated price points.

Business Environment and Trends

The healthcare sector continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of the pandemic, our operations and clinical leaders trained our frontline teams on evidence-based guidelines and continue to equip them with relevant resources to serve our members. We measure our performance through several key metrics, including but not limited to customer satisfaction, member engagement, and health assistant availability. As gauged by these core performance metrics, service levels have been high, and member engagement and satisfaction have remained strong.

While macroeconomic factors including high inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical risk have not had a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations to date, the future impact of these factors on our operational and financial performance will depend on certain developments, including U.S. unemployment and economic growth, changes in interest rates, the duration and spread of the potential future COVID-19 outbreaks, impact on our customers and our sales cycles, impact on our marketing efforts, and any decreases of workforce or benefits spending by our customers, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. Changing macroeconomic factors may

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affect our customers' desire to renew their contracts. If our customers undergo layoffs or reductions in force, our membership numbers would decrease, which would reduce our revenues. We may experience increased member attrition to the extent our existing customers reduce their respective workforces in response to changes in economic conditions. Any layoffs or reductions in employee headcounts by our commercial customers would result in a reduction in our base and variable PMPM fees. When customer headcount reductions occur, we may not experience the impact of changes to our customers’ headcounts immediately because employees that are on furlough or are receiving continued health coverage pursuant to COBRA may still have access to our services during such periods and would be included in our member count.

We believe our value proposition resonates with a broad audience of employers. Disruptions to traditional care consumption ignited by the COVID-19 pandemic have reinforced the need for navigation services, and that projected increases in healthcare costs (due to some combination of COVID-19-related testing and care, complications stemming from neglected non-COVID conditions, pent-up demand for elective services, and strain on individuals’ mental health) prompt the need for solutions such as ours that bend the cost curve, and improve health outcomes, by driving good utilization up and wasteful utilization down.

Factors Affecting Our Performance

The following factors have been important to our business and we expect them to impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition in future periods:

Growth and Retention of Our Customer Base

We believe there is a substantial opportunity to further grow our customer base in our large and under-penetrated market through our sales and marketing strategy. Across our existing customer base and as we acquire new customers, we intend to expand and deepen these relationships. As we build trust through our proven model, we seek to cross-sell our Accolade Expert MD and Accolade Care solutions as well as Accolade partner ecosystem programs. We plan to continue to invest in sales and marketing in order to grow our customer base and increase sales to existing customers. Any investments we make in our sales and marketing organization will occur in advance of experiencing any benefits from such investments, so it may be difficult for us to determine if we are efficiently allocating our resources in these areas.

Adoption of Current and Future Solutions

We are constantly innovating to enhance our model and develop new offerings. Our ability to act as a trusted advisor to our members and customers positions us to identify new opportunities for additional offerings that can meet their existing and emerging needs. Our open technology platform also allows us to efficiently add and integrate new offerings and applications on top of our existing technology stack that target specific challenges faced by our customers. Our open technology platform is instrumental for integration of the capabilities acquired through our acquisitions of 2nd.MD and PlushCare. We believe that as we expand our customer base and enter into new markets, we will be adept at identifying and deploying innovative new solutions whether developed internally or through acquisitions. In September 2021, we announced two new solutions – Accolade One and Accolade Care – that combine some or all of the elements of Accolade’s historical solutions and the acquired capabilities from 2nd.MD and PlushCare.

Achievement of Performance-Based Revenue

In most of our contracts, a portion of our potential fee is variable, subject to our achievement of performance metrics and the realization of savings in healthcare spend by our customers resulting from the utilization of our solutions, and thus we might record higher revenue in some quarters compared to others. Examples of performance metrics included in our customer contracts are achievement of specified member engagement levels, member satisfaction levels, and various operational metrics. Although we have earned over 90% of the aggregate maximum potential revenue under our contracts (measured on the corresponding calendar year basis) in fiscal years 2023 and 2022, our revenue and financial results in the future may vary as a result of our ability to earn this performance-based revenue. In addition, because our customers typically pay both the base PMPM fees and variable PMPM fees in advance on a periodic basis, any required refund as a result of our failure to earn the performance-based revenue could have a negative impact on cash flows.

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Investments in Technology

Significant investments in our technology platform have enhanced our capabilities with respect to how we engage with our members and deliver our solutions and care interventions. By leveraging our technology in areas such as machine learning, predictive analytics, and multimodal communication, we believe we can generate more efficiencies in our operating model while simultaneously improving our ability to deliver better health outcomes and lower costs for both our members and our customers. We will continue to invest in our technology platform to empower our Accolade Health Assistants, our clinicians, and our members to further improve and optimize efficiencies in our operating model. However, our investments in our technology platform may be more expensive or take longer to develop than we expect and may not result in operational efficiencies.

Seasonality

There are seasonal factors that may cause us to record higher revenue in some quarters compared with others. We have historically recorded a disproportionate amount of revenue during the fourth quarter of our fiscal year relative to the first three quarters of our fiscal year. This timing is caused, in part, by the measurement, achievement, and associated revenue recognition of performance metrics and healthcare costs savings components of certain of our customer contracts during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. Additionally, services launch on January 1 for the majority of our commercial customer contracts which is during our fiscal fourth quarter. While we believe we have visibility into the seasonality of our business, our rapid growth rate and acquisitions over the last several years have made seasonal fluctuations more difficult to detect.

Basis of Presentation and Components of Revenue and Expenses

We operate our business through a single reportable segment. We operate on a fiscal year ending at the end of February of each year, and our fiscal quarters end on May 31, August 31, November 30, and the last day of February.

Revenue

We earn revenue from providing personalized health guidance solutions (advocacy), expert medical opinion, and virtual primary care services to the members of our commercial customers' health plans and to members of fully insured plans offered via health insurance companies. Access fees for these services are priced primarily using a recurring PMPM fee, typically with a portion of the fee calculated as the product of a fixed rate times the number of members, and a variable PMPM fee calculated as the product of a variable rate times the number of members. The fees associated with variable PMPM charges are earned through the achievement of performance metrics and/or the realization of healthcare cost savings resulting from use of our services. We also earn revenue from providing virtual primary care services directly to consumers on a monthly or yearly fixed fee subscription basis. Our expert medical opinion and virtual primary care services typically also include a variable rate charged based on utilization for commercial customers (i.e. case rate or fee-per-visit). As a result, a portion of our total potential fee is typically variable, subject to our achievement of performance metrics, the realization of savings in healthcare spend by our customers resulting from the utilization of our solutions, and the number of eligible members during the respective period.

Cost of Revenue, Excluding Depreciation and Amortization

Our cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization, consists primarily of personnel costs including salaries, wages, bonuses, stock-based compensation expense and benefits, as well as software and tools for telephony, workforce management, business analytics, allocated overhead costs, and other expenses related to delivery and implementation of our personalized technology-enabled solutions, expert medical opinion services, and virtual primary care services. We expect cost of revenue, excluding depreciation and amortization, to increase along with revenue growth over time.

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Operating Expenses

Product and technology. Product and technology expenses include costs to build new offerings, add new features to our existing solutions, and to manage, operate, and ensure the reliability and scalability of our existing technology platform. Product and technology expenses consist of personnel expenses, including salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation expense, and benefits for employees and contractors for our engineering, product, and design teams, and allocated overhead costs, as well as costs of software and tools for business analytics, data management, and IT applications that are not directly associated with delivery of our solutions to customers. In the short-term, we expect product and technology expenses to moderate and grow at a lower rate than the rate of growth experienced in fiscal 2022 and 2023 due to the workforce realignment actions taken by management in fiscal 2023. Over time, we expect product and technology expenses to decrease as a percentage of revenue.

Sales and marketing. Sales and marketing expenses consist of personnel expenses, including sales commissions for our direct sales force and our market and business development workforce, as well as digital marketing costs, promotional costs, customer conferences, public relations, other marketing events, and allocated overhead costs. Personnel expenses include salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation expense, and benefits for employees and contractors. We expect sales and marketing expense to increase in absolute dollars but remain relatively stable as a percentage of revenue over time.

General and administrative. General and administrative expenses consist of personnel expenses and related expenses for our executive, finance and accounting, human resources, legal, and corporate organizations. Personnel expenses include salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation expense, and benefits for employees and contractors. In addition, general and administrative expenses include external legal, accounting, and other professional fees, as well as tools for financial and human capital management, and allocated overhead costs. We expect general and administrative expenses to increase but at a lower rate than the rate of growth experienced in fiscal 2022 and 2023 due to the workforce realignment actions taken by management in fiscal 2023. Over time, we expect general and administrative expenses to decrease as a percentage of revenue.

Depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expenses are primarily attributable to our capital investments and consist of fixed asset depreciation, amortization of intangibles considered to have definite lives, and amortization of capitalized internal-use software costs.

Goodwill impairment. Goodwill impairment represents impairment charges incurred as a result of goodwill impairment testing.

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Results of Operations

The following table presents a summary of our consolidated statements of operations for the periods indicated:

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The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operation data expressed as a percentage of revenue:

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Comparison of Three Months Ended May 31, 2023 and 2022

Revenue