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
COVID-19 Variant Sequencing Offers Clinical Opportunities
This is an excerpt of a 2,987-word article in the March 1, 2021 issue of THE DARK REPORT (TDR). The full article is available to members of The Dark Intelligence Group. CEO SUMMARY: In Wisconsin, an oncology research lab started sequencing variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and fou…
New Year Brings Three New Clinical Lab Trends
CEO SUMMARY: Since the year began, three trends have affected clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups. First is a continuing surge in COVID-19 test volume. Second is inconsistent payment from government and commercial insurers for SARS-CoV-2 test claims. Third is growing…
Whistleblowers Disclose Issues in California’s COVID Lab
SUMMARY: Whistleblowers at the State of California’s brand-new COVID-19 Valencia Branch Laboratory are telling reporters about staff sleeping on the job, unlicensed staff handling specimens, and other significant issues. Given the reports of several news outlets, one relevant ques…
Pathology Lab Transforms, Runs 1M COVID-19 Tests
CEO SUMMARY: Last spring, a histopathology lab in Illinois began running molecular COVID-19 tests and decided the clinical side of the lab would focus exclusively on PCR testing for COVID-19. The challenge was how to access a reliable source of test kits, reagents, and supplies to o…
SARS-CoV-2 Variant Sequencing Offers Clinical Opportunities
CEO SUMMARY: In Wisconsin, an oncology research lab started sequencing variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and found multiple uses for such test results to help hospitals, health systems, schools, and municipalities identify infection sources and track the virus’ spread. In one case,…
Pathologist’s Prison Term Is a Warning for AP Groups
CEO SUMMARY: In January, a former VA pathologist was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison following his conviction on charges of involuntary manslaughter and mail fraud. The facts in this case show why leaders of clinical labs and pathology groups need to be aware of individuals …
Hospitals Say New UHC Policy on Lab Network Is Anticompetitive
IT’S NOT OFTEN THAT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATIONS WILL DIRECTLY OPPOSE the changes that health insurers want to make in how they pay for clinical laboratory tests. But that is now happening with UnitedHealthcare’s new lab test payment policy that directly reduces what many hospital labs are paid fo…
March 1, 2021 Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News
Even as the nation’s clinical laboratories work to expand the number of molecular COVID-19 tests they can perform daily, the demand for such tests is plunging. That’s one conclusion in a news story published by the Associated Press in recent days. The AP illustrated this fact with t…
What’s Ahead for Labs? It’ll Be Quite Different
CEO SUMMARY: In many ways, the nation’s clinical laboratories performed magnificently in response to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak last winter. But that magnificent performance has taken its toll on the infrastructure and personnel within these labs. The Dark Report…
Academic, Commercial Collaboration for Testing
CEO SUMMARY: In several important ways, this collaboration involving an academic clinical laboratory and a commercial company has paid big dividends, not just for the two partners, but also the parent university that oversaw the project. The two partners developed a SARS-CoV-2 test, t…
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.
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