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
Liquid Prep Testing Market Causing Much Aggravation
SEVERAL RECENT ISSUES of THE DARK REPORT addressed issues that resonated with our clients and regular readers. The mailbag has been plenty full of late. These responses are interesting in their own right. Among those with a point to make is Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings…
Lab Director Takes a Stand On Patented Genetic Testing
THIS LETTER APPEARED in the mailbag after our special intelligence briefing on how genetics will transform healthcare and before our look at how high-priced specialty esoteric testing is causing budget headaches for regional labs. (See TDRs, December 30, 2002 and …
Quest Finally Owns Unilab, New Market Cycle To Begin
PERSISTENCE FINALLY PAID OFF for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. On February 26, it took ownership of Unilab Corporation, capping almost 11 months of effort. In completing this acquisition, Quest Diagnostics completes the two blood brothers’ acquisition sweep of m…
“March 3, 2003 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Not too many issues ago, THE DARK REPORT was bemoaning the fact that the pathology profession has yet to replace those pathologist-entrepreneurs of the 1970s and 1980s who built some of the largest laboratory companies still operating today. But that overlooks recognition to pathologist Tom Grogan, M…
Needless Mastectomy Draws National Attention
CEO SUMMARY: This widely-reported case of misdiagnosis at an Allina hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota is a powerful reminder to pathology practices and clinical laboratories that breakdowns in medical quality will draw increasing attention and scrutiny. Both the patient and the community ar…
LabCorp Starts Tinkering With DIANON Systems
CEO SUMMARY: For almost two decades, DIANON Systems supported one of the most successful sales and marketing programs in the public laboratory sector. However, despite its pre-acquisition statements that it would retain DIANON’s operational integrity, LabCorp has already begun to implem…
Labs In United Kingdom Study U.S., Canadian Labs
CEO SUMMARY: It was a groundbreaking first for both sides of the Atlantic. Senior pathologists and laboratory directors in the United Kingdom spent two days learning from their North American counterparts about the challenges and difficulties in laboratory consolidation and regionalizatio…
Jamaica Med Techs, Kaiser Permanente, Cytyc, Myriad Genetics, Bayer, CLMA
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS IN JAMAICA STAGE WALK-OUT IN JANUARY LABORATORY TECHS ARE NOT KNOWN to be a radical component of the labor movement. But that doesn’t seem to be the case in Jamaica, where more than 80 of that country’s medical technologists walked off their jobs twice in January in…
Quest Ready to Move on Unilab, Announces Its 2002 Earnings
PERSISTENCE IS ABOUT TO PAY OFF for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. After ten months of effort, it expects to finalize its acquisition of Unilab Corporation within weeks. But the Unilab acquisition soon to close looks different than the acquisition that was original…
“February 10, 2003 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
IMPATH, Inc. has replaced its long-time Chairman and CEO in the wake of a scandal involving expense accounts. The resignation of Anu D. Saad, Ph.D., was accepted and became effective today. In her place, IMPATH named Carter H. Eckert, an existing Director, as the new Chairman and CEO…
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.
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