Robert Michel
Until Robert L. Michel came along and founded The Dark Intelligence Group (DIG) two decades ago, the clinical laboratory industry and the anatomic pathology profession lacked a trustworthy source for information about the management and operations of medical laboratories. From its inception in 1995, The Dark Report quickly became the “go to” source of industry intelligence, innovations in lab management, and strategic market analysis.
This excellence in reporting has earned recognition from his peers. For example, twice Michel and The Dark Report have won national awards for best investigative reporting by the Specialty Information Publishers Association. In 2005, the award was for Michel’s coverage about how the anatomic pathology condominium laboratories (pod labs) operated by urologists and gastroenterologists came to be, who operated them, and how these owners marketed the AP condo labs to other physician groups. In 2009, Michel’s award for best investigative reporting resulted from his published interviews with Quest Diagnostics Incorporated when the company admitted that, for a period of 18 months, it had been reported inaccurate Vitamin 25(OH) D results because of problems with its laboratory-developed test methodology. The Dark Report’s story was picked up by The New York Times and was in the national news cycle for several days.
In his role as Editor-in-Chief, Michel brought unique capabilities to DIG and The Dark Report. His management training and diverse business experience—along with his skills as a concise writer and analyst—proved to be a winning combination for readers of The Dark Report. For that reason, Michel’s story has many intriguing elements.
Immediately prior to founding DIG, he had served in several executive positions for Nichols Institute based in Portland, Oregon, and San Juan Capistrano, California. This was during the time that Nichols Institute was an independent public lab company with annual revenues of about $280 million (prior to its acquisition by MetPath, Inc., now Quest Diagnostics Incorporated). He traveled extensively to many of the clinical lab business units owned by Nichols Institute in different regions of the United States and played a role in formulating effective market strategies in response to the emergence of closed-panel HMOs, capitated pricing, and full-risk managed care contracts, among other successful management initiatives.
Prior to his service at Nichols Institute, Michel served at three different Fortune 100 companies. These were Procter & Gamble, Centex Corporation, and Financial Corp. of America. Each was an opportunity to master new management techniques and apply them in different industries. Between these positions, he gained experience as an entrepreneur, having founded a real estate development firm and a general contracting company in the Southeastern United States.
Robert Michel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played rugby, a sport he participated in for another 22 years. He is a native of California and grew up in Santa Ana.
Articles by Robert Michel
Part II: Path Condo Labs As A Threat to Pathology
SPECIALIST PHYSICIAN GROUPS are taking active steps to capture anatomic pathology (AP) revenues that result from specimens generated by their groups’ patients. Yet the anatomic pathology profession is only now awakening to this threat. To educate and alert pathologists and their group practice adm…
LabCorp’s Smith Speaks On New Pathology Trend
CEO SUMMARY: During the past decade, Laboratory Corporation of America’s Brad Smith faced the spear point of evolving Medicare/Medicaid compliance initiatives which changed so many laboratory industry business practices. Smith believes that business models for in-house anatomic patholog…
Of Congress and the OIG: Speedy Action Ahead?
CEO SUMMARY: During the short life of AP laboratory condominium complexes, they have attracted the interest of both an influential Senator and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Last month, Senator Charles E. Grassley sent a letter to the OIG requesting that it investigate the AP …
Peeking Into Finances Of Pathology Lab Condos
CEO SUMMARY: In the possession of THE DARK REPORT is a copy of revenue and expense projections shown by a pathology condo laboratory complex promoter to prospective urology groups. They project that even smaller urology groups can realize worthwhile income if they invest in a pathology co…
Pathology Consultants See In-House AP Trend Unfolding
LOCAL PATHOLOGY GROUP PRACTICES are themselves the “canary in the coal mine” to provide early warning about the exploding interest of specialist physicians at capturing the anatomic pathology (AP) revenues generated by their patients. THE DARK REPORT interviewed three consultants, each of whom s…
AP Test Over-Utilization Will Be One Achilles’ Heel
CEO SUMMARY: Over-utilization is likely to be a prime concern when federal healthcare enforcers eventually investigate in-house anatomic pathology laboratories owned by specialist physicians. Some in-house pathology lab condo promoters are basing financial performance on 100% utilization …
Exposed: Who Created Path Lab Condo Scheme
CEO SUMMARY: It wasn’t pathologists and it wasn’t laboratory executives who started this scheme. Anatomic pathology condominium laboratory complexes were conceived by urologists in Florida. Some Texas urologists jumped on the bandwagon early, becoming enthusiastic promoters of the sch…
Visit To A Path Condo Lab: “You Are Not Welcome”
NO “WELCOME MAT” greets visitors to an anatomic pathology (AP) condominium complex. That was certainly true last month when an agent of THE DARK REPORT attempted to visit a lab condo complex in San Antonio, Texas. Operated by UroPath, LLC, the lab condo complex is located at 790…
Ex-UroCor Execs Face Criminal Indictments
CEO SUMMARY: Criminal charges filed against ex-UroCor executives center around several marketing practices that have much in common with marketing strategies used by many lab- oratories today. These include discounted pricing for non-Medicare specimens, offering to waive charges to payers…
UroCor’s Sales Tactics Violated Medicare Laws
CEO SUMMARY: By issuing a multi-count criminal indictment against three former UroCor executives, one federal attorney is creating new legal precedents for the laboratory industry. The criminal charges accuse UroCor of inducing physicians through such gambits as deeply-discounted pricing …
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 15 – October 27, 2025
The Dark Report examines the momentous decision by the VA to switch accreditors from The Joint Commission to CAP. Also, we analyze retractions in pathology journals to gain insight into scientific fraud.
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