CVS 2014 Annual Report Download - page 53

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2014 Annual Report
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of CVS Health Corporation
We have audited CVS Health Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014,
based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). CVS Health Corporation’s
management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment
of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report
on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on CVS Health Corporation’s
internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
(United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about
whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included
obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness
exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk,
and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit
provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting
includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable
assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made
only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable
assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s
assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstate-
ments. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls
may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or
procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, CVS Health Corporation maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United
States), the consolidated balance sheets of CVS Health Corporation as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the
related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of
the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014 of CVS Health Corporation and our report dated February 10,
2015 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Boston, Massachusetts
February 10, 2015