What level of assurance is provided by an audit of Healthsource Chiropractic's financial statements?
Healthsource_Chiropractic Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
inancial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and for the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, management is required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about HealthSource Chiropractic, LLC's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued.
Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not absolute assurance and therefore is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. Misstatements are considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that, individually or in the aggregate, they would influence the judgment made by a reasonable user based on the financial statements.
In performing an audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, we:
- Exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.
- Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks. Such procedures include examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.
- Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of\nexpressing an opinion on the effectiveness of HealthSource Chiropractic, LLC's internal control. Accordingly, no such opinion is expressed.
- Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluate the overall presentation of the financial statements.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 77–282)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Healthsource Chiropractic's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the audit of their financial statements aims to provide 'reasonable assurance' that the statements are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. The auditor's report includes their opinion on the financial statements. The audit was conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards in the United States of America.
'Reasonable assurance' is defined as a high level of assurance, but it is not absolute. Therefore, it does not guarantee that an audit will always detect a material misstatement. There's a higher risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud compared to error, as fraud may involve more complex concealment. Misstatements are considered material if they could influence the judgment of a reasonable user of the financial statements.
The auditor's responsibilities include exercising professional judgment, maintaining professional skepticism, assessing the risks of material misstatement, obtaining an understanding of internal control, evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies, and concluding on Healthsource Chiropractic's ability to continue as a going concern. They are also required to communicate significant audit findings and internal control matters to those charged with governance.
For a prospective franchisee, this means that while the financial statements have been audited, there is still a risk of undetected misstatements. Franchisees should carefully review the financial statements and consider the auditor's report, but also understand the limitations of an audit. It is important to note that the auditors, Park & Illenberger, CPA's, Inc., issued their report from Lorain, Ohio, on March 26, 2025.