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
50,000 Patients to Retest After Invitae Finds Errors
CEO SUMMARY: In recent weeks, a client notified Invitae of discordant results on a patient. The notification caused the genetic testing company to discover it had a systemic error that failed to test for a specific rare mutation associated with inherited cancer. Company officials believe …
August 28, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
Genetic testing for dogs is the goal of Embark Veterinary, of Boston, Mass. Founded in 2015, the company just raised $4.5 million from investors, including Anne Wojcicki, founder of 23andMe. Company executives say the genetic testing will help vets, pet owners, and b…
LabCorp, Quest Talk about Medicare Lab Price Cuts
CEO SUMMARY: In an effort to forestall CMS’ efforts to implement the PAMA final rule on market price reporting, Laboratory Corporation of America and Quest Diagnostics are meeting with members of Congress, officials in the administration, and the new leadership of CMS. During recent con…
Delay and Fix Is Message From Labs to Congress
CEO SUMMARY: Only a few months remain before the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services makes deep price cuts to Medicare Part B clinical laboratory test fees. Before those cuts go into effect, lab associations and lab professionals are educating members of Congress and the ne…
August 7, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
PAML of Spokane, Washington, was the subject of an unusual public disclosure recently made by Laboratory Corporation of America. The lab company sent a statement to the Spokane Journal of Business stating its plans to make PAML “its primary lab site in the western…
Labs: Watch for Whistleblowers! You Can’t Predict Who’s Filing
NEWS STORIES ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT FEDERAL WHISTLEBLOWER CASES against lab companies provide a reminder that managers of every clinical laboratory and pathology group must be vigilant about compliance, because potential whistleblowers can emerge from the unlikeliest of places. The first example involv…
Quest Diagnostics Exits 31-Year-Old Lab Venture
CEO SUMMARY: News that Quest Diagnostics had exited the long-running CompuNet Clinical Laboratory joint venture in Dayton, Ohio, caught many observers by surprise. The only clues as to possible problems and the motivation of Premier Health, the 51% owner, to buy out Quest’s ownership sh…
Mississippi Blue Cross Sues Hospital, Tox Labs
CEO SUMMARY: Last month’s lawsuit filed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi against a small rural hospital in Mississippi and multiple defendant lab companies in Texas is the latest attempt by health insurers to rein the widespread fraud that threatens to overwhelm the pain managem…
31st Physician Pleads Guilty In Federal Lab Fraud Case
AN INTERNAL MEDICINE PHYSICIAN who practiced in Yonkers, N.Y., is the latest physician to admit to taking bribes in connection with a laboratory test referral scheme that Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), of Parsippany, N.J., operated for years. The physician, Ricky J. Sayegh, MD, 44, of …
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 …
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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