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
May 15, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
There is a new development in one of the whistleblower lawsuits filed against several lab companies that offered specialty cardiology tests. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice announced a settlement with Quest Diagnostics involving its acquisition of …
April 24, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
Theranos, Inc., is again in the news. On April 17, the company disclosed a global settlement with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to resolve “all outstanding legal and regulatory proceedings between CMS and Theranos.” The company sa…
April 3, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
For readers with a continuing interest in Theranos, the latest development at the troubled lab testing company involves an offer by Founder and CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, to its current shareholders. Various news outlets report that, for existing shareholders who agree not to sue Therano…
Texas Lawmakers Asked to Stop UHC and BeaconLBS
CEO SUMMARY: In a letter to the Texas Legislature, 20 Texas medical societies say UnitedHealthcare’s BeaconLBS program would be detrimental to patient care. The Texas Medical Association and the Texas Society of Pathologists said they were concerned that the program increases the admini…
March 13, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
There’s bad news for clinical labs and pathology groups that lack the capability of collecting copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket payments from patients at time of service. As of October, 2016, four out of every 10 Americans under the age of 65 with health insurance had a high-deductible health…
Sale to LabCorp to End Most of PAML’s Lab JVs
CEO SUMMARY: It will take several years to understand how the market for lab testing services will change in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, once Laboratory Corporation of America becomes the owner of PAML, based in Spokane, Wash. Price and financial terms of the sale were not disclose…
February 21, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
Theranos, Inc., was in the news again recently. On Feb. 16, The Wall Street Journal reported that Theranos had just $200 million in cash. The information came from a conference call the discredited lab testing company conducted with its investors. During the call, Theranos officials …
Mount Sinai Health System Sells Outreach Lab to LabCorp
ANOTHER ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER decided to cash in on the value of its outreach lab. On Jan. 10, Laboratory Corporation of America announced it would acquire the lab outreach business of Mount Sinai Health System of New York City. Terms of the transaction and purchase price were not disclosed. The…
Lab Innovators Advocate Need for Clinical Lab 2.0
CEO SUMMARY: It is generally recognized that the clinical lab industry faces a financial squeeze of unprecedented dimensions. Lab test prices are falling steadily and more major cuts are coming to Medicare Part B fees in just 11 months. At the same time, obtaining favorable coverage and r…
January 30, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
In New Jersey, a U.S. attorney has put laboratory sales reps on notice that they can be prosecuted for violating federal anti-kickback laws and sent to prison. On January 18, Paul Fishman, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, announced the sentencing of Michael J. Zarrelli, of Berkeley Heights, N.J., forme…
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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