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
“Disease Management” Firms, Niche Labs Release Financials
Two DISEASE MANAGEMENT FIRMS enjoyed strong revenue growth during the first quarter of 1998. UroCor, Inc. and Impath Inc. posted revenue increases of 31% and 49%, respectively, over first quarter 1997. UroCor is the disease management company which serves urologists…
“June 15, 1998 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Clinical laboratories continue to find their customers undergoing major consolidation. This time it involves two giants in long term care Health Care Corporation of Toledo, Ohio and Manor Care Inc. of Gaithersburg, Maryland are merging. The combined company will operate 292 long term…
Premier & Quest Devise New Service Arrangement
CEO SUMMARY: Pressure is intense for hospital buying consortiums to justify themselves and deliver added savings and services to their members. The recent announcement of a new national contract between Premier and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated demonstrates that both buying groups and la…
New Alliance Is Example Of Coming Paradigm Shift
CEO SUMMARY: This strategic alliance represents a fundamental shift within the clinical laboratory industry. It is a response to market forces which should not be ignored by laboratory executives and pathologists anywhere in the country. Whether the alliance succeeds or fails, it will lau…
AutoPap System Cleared For Primary Screening
CEO SUMMARY: It is time for pathologists and cytologists to buckle their safety belts. The marketplace for automated cytology is entering a new cycle of rapid change. NeoPath’s AutoPap System is now poised to demonstrate that it is economical and clinically viable. Expect continual impr…
Hospital Lab-Commercial Lab Partnering Is Upcoming Trend
CEO SUMMARY: At this year’s Executive War College in New Orleans, laboratory innovators convened to study hot new trends in the industry.They were surprised to learn that partnering relationships between hospital laboratories and commercial laboratories are finally gaining wider accepta…
Substance Abuse Testing Gains Increasing Favor
CEO SUMMARY: Here’s an update to our earlier predictions that clinical laboratories would find substance abuse testing to be a profitable adjunct to clinical testing. Evidence accumulates that competition in the drugs of abuse marketplace is intensifying. While still a relatively small …
Unilab & LabOne Demonstrate Improved Revenues and Profits
AFTER AN EXTENDED MULTI-YEAR financial siege, Unilab Corporation seems to be regaining its balance. First quarter financials demonstrate respectable gains in revenue and net income at the California based laboratory. Big gains were posted by LabOne, Inc. of Lenexa, …
“May 26, 1998 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Another pathologybased PPM received venture capital funding. Pathology Consultants of America, (PCA) based in Nashville, Tennessee, just closed a $16 million deal with two venture capitalists. ABS Capital Partners of Baltimore invested $15 million. An affiliate of …
A Fable For Our Times: Lab Industry’s Golden Era
CEO SUMMARY: The clinical laboratory industry’s “Golden Era” is gone forever. Replacing it is a healthcare environment best described as “Darwinian.” It is now survival of the fittest, as hospital laboratories and commercial laboratories struggle to reinvent themselves. Case stu…
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?
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