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
By 2027, Walgreens Wants 1,000 Primary Care Clinics
PRIMARY CARE IS COMING TO A RETAIL CLINIC NEAR YOU! It may not happen overnight, but it will happen. Walgreens Boots Alliance just announced its goal of building 1,000 primary care clinics at its retail pharmacies by 2027. CVS and Walmart have similar plans. These plans were a…
Federal Rule to Revise Out-of-Network Billing
CEO SUMMARY: Remaining out of network with health insurance companies may boost revenue for providers, including anatomic pathologists and emergency room physicians. But the good times may soon end. Last month four federal agencies issued rules that implement new requirements under …
UnitedHealth’s Lab Test Registry Implementation Delayed Again
ANOTHER DELAY WAS ANNOUNCED FOR IMPLEMENTATION of UnitedHealthcare’s Laboratory Test Registry Protocol, which requires clinical laboratories to register each of their tests with the health insurer. This latest delay likely is the result of operational issues on behalf of the managed care com…
SUNY Hospital Uses Drones to Move COVID Test Kits
CEO SUMMARY: One healthcare trend accelerated by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is the use of drones to move COVID-19 test kits, specimens, and medical supplies. Earlier this year, the SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse tested the reliability of drones to move unused COVI…
CAP Introduces Features to Aid CLIA Inspections
CEO SUMMARY: Clinical labs are changing in multiple ways and the College of American Pathologists regularly revises its CLIA accreditation processes in response to these changes. One such change is the growth in the number of integrated delivery networks that operate multiple hospit…
October 18, 2021 Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News
One interesting development from the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak is a new ability to collect genetic data on the virus and its variants from a growing number of countries across the globe. The World reported that “In March, the one millionth genomic sequence for the new coronavirus came from Chile; …
New Class of IVD Firms Wants to Serve in Near-Patient Settings
This is an excerpt of a 3,644-word article in the September 27, 2021 issue of THE DARK REPORT (TDR). The full article is available to members of The Dark Intelligence Group. …
First Digital Path AI Tool Cleared for Market by FDA
CEO SUMMARY: In a first for the anatomic pathology profession, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for market a digital pathology image analysis product intended to aid pathologists in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Developed by New York City-based Paige, the Paige…
Paige’s Digital AI Tool Aids in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
CEO SUMMARY: Study data provided to the FDA “demonstrated increased diagnostic accuracy” when pathologists used the Paige Prostate system, said Paige’s Medical Director. The artificial intelligence-powered pathology image analysis tool is trained to help pathologists detect ev…
Digital Pathology Image Service Delivers AI via the Internet
IN GERMANY, AN EMERGING DIGITAL PATHOLOGY (DP) COMPANY has introduced a novel feature that could be a low-cost way for pathology groups to access artificial intelligence (AI) for digital image analysis. This would appeal to pathologists who may be reluctant to invest the substantial cost and time req…
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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