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
Technology Can Now Enable “Card Swipe” for Draw Sites
COLLECTING SMALL AMOUNTS of money from patients for deductible, co-pay, and self-pay fees has always bedeviled laboratories. However, new technology holds the promise of solving this long-standing problem. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BCBC-SC) is currently offering a new …
Pinkus DermPath Earns ISO-9000 Certification
CEO SUMMARY: After learning about quality management systems at a recent Executive War College, the lab director at Pinkus Dermatopathology recognized how such techniques could be used in his lab to improve quality, reduce errors, and create a better working environment for both pathologi…
Molecular Diagnostics: How Beaumont Built A Successful Program
CEO SUMMARY: It was about 15 years ago when William Beaumont Hospital and Beaumont Reference Laboratories first began offering molecular diagnostic testing services to clinicians. This successful effort came about because of effective strategic planning, use of consulting expertise at key…
“August 1, 2005 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Redwood City, California-based Genomic Health, Inc. is considering an initial public offering (IPO) to raise as much as $75 million. The company filed preliminary documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 15, 2005. In January 2004, Genomic H…
Nichols Diagnostics Stops Product Sales
CEO SUMMARY: It’s an odd story. One of the nation’s most respected names in diagnostics quietly ceases delivering products—and no one in the laboratory industry pays much attention. Last month, Nichols Institute Diagnostics, acknowledging production problems it has not yet resolved,…
New OIG Opinion 05-08 On Phlebotomy Fees
CEO SUMMARY: At the request of a yet-unidentified laboratory, the Office of the Inspector General issued Advisory Opinion 05-08 last month. It is a negative opinion on a proposed arrangement where a laboratory would reimburse client physicians as much as $6 for each blood draw performed b…
Michel Wins Investigative Reporting Award from Peers
IN A PRESTIGIOUS JOURNALISM CONTEST conducted by NEPA (Newsletter and Electronic Publishers Association), THE DARK REPORT’S Editor-In-Chief, Robert L. Michel, was recognized last month in the category of “best investigative reporting” for his story series on anatomic pathology …
Payer Consolidation: United Buys Pacificare
CEO SUMMARY: For the second time in nine months, a health insurer company has spent around $9 billion to grow by acquisition. This time, it is UnitedHealth Group purchasing PacifiCare Health Systems. These types of deals impact local labs and pathology groups as existing contracts expire….
Consumer-Directed Healthcare by Mango
CEO SUMMARY: This former laboratory executive declares that Consumer-Driven Healthcare Plans (CDHPs) are “the most significant development in health insurance since the widespread introduction of HMOs in the 1980s.” Paul Mango, now at McKinsey & Co., has plenty of good news for la…
Techniques to Defend Against Patient ID Theft
CEO SUMMARY: It’s a crime that can strike anyone anywhere— and usually without warning. In fact, identity theft is the July 4 cover story in Newsweek Magazine. However, clients of THE DARK REPORT got the lab industry’s first warnings on this fast-growing crime months ago. To help la…
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?
Lab leaders rely on THE DARK REPORT for actionable intelligence on important developments in the business of laboratory testing. Maximize the money you make-and the money you keep! Best of all, it is released every three weeks!
Sign up for TDR Insider
Join the Dark Intelligence Group FREE and get TDR Insider FREE!
Never miss a single update on the issues that matter to you and your business.