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
Tactics to Standardize Point-of-Care Testing
CEO SUMMARY: Managing point-of-care testing (POCT) at a multi-hospital health system like Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) often means overseeing thousands of nurses and staff members who perform such tests. Lessons learned at JHM in standardizing POCT, training staff, and maintaining q…
Shortage of Pathologists a Factor in Adoption of Digital Pathology
WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, it is now recognized that the demand for surgical pathologists exceeds the available supply. There are more vacant positions than qualified applicants to fill them. The question yet to be answered is when this shortage of patho…
2021 Rankings of the World’s Top 12 IVD Companies
WHILE THERE WAS SOME JOCKEYING FOR NEW positions, in vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturers remain entrenched in their market based on The Dark Report’s 2021 ranking of the Top 12 IVD Companies. COVID-1…
Public Laboratory Companies Eye More Lab Outreach Acquisitions
PUBLICLY-TRADED CLINICAL LABORATORY COMPANIES released second quarter 2022 financial reports that confirmed a softening demand for COVID-19 tests, even as their base business revenues grew compared to last year. While continuing to address ongoing needs…
August 29, 2022 Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News
Interesting things may be unfolding in the genetic testing marketplace. In the past few weeks, at least two high-profile genetic testing companies announced major layoffs. First was Invitae, a genetics testing company in San Francisco. At the end of July, it announced plans to eliminate 1,000 …
Powerful Lab Market Forces Impacting the Industry
This is an excerpt of a 1,584-word article in the August 8, 2022 issue of THE DARK REPORT. The full article is available to subscribers. CEO SUMMARY: These are challenging times for the nation’s hospitals, health systems, and clinical labs. A perfect storm of three lab market f…
News and Insights from AACC Meeting in Chicago
CEO SUMMARY: There was plenty of positive energy last month when the 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting and Exhibition of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) took place in Chicago. Attendees seemed pleased to be gathering and networking in person. However, there was re…
Tough Times Ahead for Hospitals and Their Labs
CEO SUMMARY: These are challenging times for the nation’s hospitals, health systems, and clinical labs. A perfect storm involving unprecedented shortages of lab staff, nurses, and other professionals with inflation-fueled cost increases and deteriorating hospital finances was a major topic of…
Hospital Lab Outreach Taps On-Demand Testing
CEO SUMMARY: In this case study, clinical laboratory managers from Bryan Health in Nebraska explain how they expanded their lab outreach program to include direct-to-consumer tests. The project involved researching what tests were most appropriate without the need for a physician’…
Coverage, Reimbursement Still Difficult for New Lab Tests
CEO SUMMARY: Bringing a new proprietary diagnostic test to market is an arduous process. It takes patience and planning to complete the journey from test development to payer reimbursement. This slow process stems from the fact that the healthcare reimbursement system is fragmented,…
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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