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
Where’s The Write-down ? LabCorp Faces Key Decision
CEO SUMMARY: Commercial laboratories are recognizing declines in the market value of their assets. LabCorp has yet to do the same. Taken cumulatively, these write-downs demonstrate the sizable revenue erosion that large commercial laboratories experienced during the past three years. Soon…
LabCorp Struggling To Regain Financial, Operational Balance
CEO SUMMARY: 1997 will be a “make or break” year for Laboratory Corporation of America. The company is challenged on many fronts. As LabCorp’s management focuses on internal issues, nimble laboratory competitors have an opportunity to capture additional market share. …
Laboratory War College To Highlight Innovation
CEO SUMMARY: Quickly establishing itself as the premiere event for the management of clinical laboratories, this year’s Executive War College in New Orleans offers specialized advice and experience for laboratory administrators. Expect to hear the first public presentations about innova…
“April 21, 1997 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated reported quarterly earnings last week. It is the first look at the financial performance of the newly-independent spin off from Corning Incorporated. The company reported net income of $4.0 million on revenues of $388.1 million. Revenues declined 3.3% f…
Florida Medicare Carrier Raises Kickback Issues
CEO SUMMARY: When Florida’s Medicare carrier published a notice which defined certain pathology practices to be possible violations of anti-kickback laws, it created uncertainty for labs. DIANON took immediate steps to insure compliance while seeking clarification from regulators on thi…
Meditech & LabSoft Top 1996 LIS Sales Rankings
CEO SUMMARY: Turnover and turmoil are the big news in the LIS field. Hospitals and commercial laboratories are upgrading or replacing their existing LIS software at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, mergers and consolidations within the LIS industry create new power players. LIS conversion project…
New Features Slated For Lab Information Systems
CEO SUMMARY: Two processes are transforming healthcare: managed care and quality management. Laboratory information systems must incorporate radically new features if they are to support changes to clinical laboratory operations. This makes it imperative that laboratory executives select …
Questions, Answers & Viewpoints
Dear Editor: The story in your February 17 issue about laboratory automation as viewed by an industrial engineer was fascinating. He did a great job of helping me understand how to look at clinical laboratory automation. However, you say nothing about the centralized/decentralized issue. …
“March 31, 1997 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
After THE DARK REPORT’S Executive War College on Medical Laboratory Networking in New Orleans on May 20-21, two other interesting laboratory meetings are scheduled. First up is the 15th annual symposium presented by the University of Michigan’s Department of Pathology. S…
SmithKline Announces $325 Million Settlement
CEO SUMMARY: Prosecutors continue to investigate. Criminal charges could be forthcoming against the company and individuals. Allegations against SmithKline expand the scope of laboratory practices that government regulators consider to be violations of existing statutes. De…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 14 – October 6, 2025
The Dark Report examines increasing healthcare costs for employers and how clinical labs can help those employers. Also, an in-depth case study shows how one hospital system regained its outreach program after originally ceding it to a national lab company, adding millions to the system’s bottom line.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
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