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
Sonic Healthcare Ltd., Reports Full Year Earnings for FY 2011
ON AUGUST 23, Sonic Healthcare Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, released its financial results for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. This provided an opportunity to assess Sonic’s impact in the United States, where it has regularly expanded its testing activities. Sonic reported st…
How Digital Pathology Helps Pathologists Deliver Added Value
“Pathologists have the opportunity to take on a new clinical role as the integrator of all that digital pathology information, in combination with the patient’s other clinical data collected from a wide variety of sources.” —Dirk G. Soenksen, M.S., M.B.A., Founder…
Rhode Island Lab Educates Consumers about Lab Prices
TWIN TRENDS NOW CREATE an opportunity for clinical labs and pathology groups to build market share. But tapping these new buyers of laboratory tests will require labs to communicate more effectively with consumers. One trend is the growth in enrollment in health plans that require higher deductibles…
Georgia HIE Helps all Labs Feed Test Data to Docs
CEO SUMMARY: In Macon, Georgia, an innovative effort by a regional extension center and a health information exchange (HIE) will level the playing field for hospital labs and independent labs in the state. Their goal is to build a secure and flexible clinical integration platform…
September 6, 2011 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Cleveland Heart Lab closed on a Series B financing round that totals $18.4 million. The money was provided by Excel Venture Management, Healthcare Ventures, and existing investors. Executives at Cleve- land Heart Lab said the new funds will be used t…
Congress Again Considers Co-Insurance for Lab Tests
CEO SUMMARY: Congressional cost-cutters are putting the 20% patient co-pay/coinsurance requirement for lab testing back on the table. The added complication this year is that the new Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is mandated to produce its own list of cuts to the Me…
Bostwick Laboratories Puts Facilities on Market
CEO SUMMARY: Events are unfolding rapidly at Bostwick Laboratories, Inc., of Glen Allen, Virginia. In recent months, the company has listed its facilities in Arizona, Tennessee, New York, and Virginia for sale or lease. In July, it agreed to pay a civil fine of $129,000 to settle…
Myriad Wins Federal Appeal In Important Gene Patent Suit
IN THE CLOSELY-WATCHED COURT CHALLENGE involving gene patents, Myriad Genetics, Inc., of Salt Lake City, Utah, recently won a favorable decision from the federal appeals court. However, legal experts believe that the plaintiffs are likely to ask the Supreme Court to review the case. …
How One Pathology Group Survived Its First RAC Audit
CEO SUMMARY: Last summer, InCyte Pathology in Spokane, Washington, found itself facing demand letters from the recovery audit contractor (RAC) responsible for that region. The RAC auditor was questioning claims for technical component (TC) services and seeking repayment from InCy…
Why Canada Has Growing Shortage of Pathologists
CEO SUMMARY: In Canada, it is known that the supply of pathologists and laboratory physicians has diminished since 1998. Further, a federal program that measures patient wait times for certain surgical and imaging procedures does not measure how long patients wait for ana…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 13 – September 15, 2025
The Dark Report examines a new bill that would reform PAMA and avoid reimbursement rate cuts scheduled for January 2026. Clinical laboratory leaders are urged to make their voices heard in Congress. Also, an expert describes how labs can fix pre-analytical errors and avoid disaster.
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.