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
“October 24, 2005 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
XIFIN, Inc. has been recognized as one of San Diego’s “Technology Fast 50” companies. XIFIN, based in San Diego, provides laboratories and hospital outreach programs with a Web-based software system for managing laboratory accounts receivables and financial operations. To make …
Our Tenth Anniversary Serving Your Needs
CEO SUMMARY: It was on September 25, 1995 that the first issue of THE DARK REPORT was published. The laboratory industry was in financial turmoil. There was widespread consolidation in both the commercial lab sector and among hospital laboratories. Reimbursement for lab testing services w…
AmeriPath Will Acquire Specialty Laboratories
CEO SUMMARY: It’s a surprise to most lab industry observers. AmeriPath, a company built around 400 anatomic pathologists working mostly in community hospitals, is acquiring a national reference/esoteric testing company. However, this deal may be better understood by looking at the motiv…
GE Healthcare Will Acquire IDX Systems for $1.2 Billion
BIG CORPORATIONS continue racing to create the universal EMR (Electronic Medical Record) and a fully-integrated healthcare informatics platform. Last Thursday, September 29, General Electric Co. announced that it would pay $1.2 billion to acquire IDX Systems Corporation …
Bio-Reference Labs Develops Regional & Niche Strategies
CEO SUMMARY: Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. (BRLI) of Elmwood Park, New Jersey is a lab company on a roll. In just five years, it has grown from $66 million to more than $160 million in annual revenues. For regional laboratories across the country, BRLI’s business strategies demon…
WSJ Slams Client Bill For Lab Test Services
CEO SUMMARY: In a front-page story last Friday, the Wall Street Journal published an investigative story on the topic of client billing for laboratory testing and anatomic pathology services. It’s a “must-read” story for all pathologists and lab managers. For years, the lab industry…
“October 3, 2005 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
It’s a small news item, but sometimes such tidbits presage a bigger story. On Monday, September 26, 2005, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated filed a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it had received a subpoena from the New York Office of the…
Sonic HealthCare In US: How Will Market Change?
CEO SUMMARY: LabOne, Inc.’s acquisition by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, announced in early August, removes, as a competitor, a lab company that was growing and beginning to credibly challenge the two blood brothers. Just weeks later, Sonic Healthcare Ltd.’s purchase of Clinical Pat…
HCA Buys IRL From MDS, Makes Plans for Future
CEO SUMMARY: When HCA purchased the MDS partner share in Integrated Regional Laboratory of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, it marked the end of MDS Laboratories’ ten-year “United States Adventure.” It also put HCA in full ownership of an automated core laboratory and a laboratory outreach …
“September 12, 2005 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Integration of healthcare information is attracting major investments. On August 29, 2005, Per Se Technologies, Inc. and Wolters Kluwer NV announced that they would acquire NDCHealth Corp. They will pay $700 million and assume $270 million in debt. P…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 12 – August 25, 2025
In an exclusive interview, a laboratory industry M&A specialist discusses what’s driving lab outreach sales to national lab companies. Also, The Dark Report analyzes ways in which pathology and clinical labs can profitably partner with pharmaceutical companies.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
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