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
Lab Acquisitions in 2002 Changed National Market
NEVER IN THE PAST THREE DECADES has there been so few laboratory companies—public and private—competing to offer lab testing services to office-based physicians. At the end of 2002, THE DARK REPORT’S annual ranking of public laboratory companies showed just 11 firms. Of these, two (Uni…
Genomic Health, LabCorp, DIANON Systems
GENETIC ANALYSIS FROM TISSUE BLOCKS UNVEILED IN CHICAGO IT WAS A SPECTACULAR DEBUT for a Northern California company now developing technology to allow genetic analysis of tissue blocks as a way to classify tumors. The company is Genomic Health, Inc., based in Redwood City,…
“Companion Diagnostics” Enter Lab Marketplace
CEO SUMMARY: Although the field of pharmacogenomics is still in its infancy, it has begun to develop sub-specialty areas. “Companion diagnostics” describes the marriage of a therapeutic drug with a specific diagnostic assay that can identify which patients will benefit from a prescrip…
“June 16, 2003 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Not all segments of the laboratory testing industry are pushing intensely to oppose an expected attempt to reintroduce legislation restoring the 20% patient co-payment for Medicare Part B lab testing services. (See …
New Lab Management Directions Now Visible
CEO SUMMARY: Seat-of-the-pants laboratory management is on its way out, replaced by numbers-driven methods. Judging by the presentations given at this year’s Executive War College on Lab and Pathology Management, a growing number of laboratory administrators and pathologists are activel…
‘Health Lawyers News’ Attacks Pathology Part A
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists should take time to read the cover story in the May 2003 issue of Health Lawyers News. Although the story nominally addresses questions involving how hospitals should reimburse physicians for administrative duties, it deals mostly with clinical pathology…
Focus Technologies Offers SARS Test to Clinicians
EARLIER THIS MONTH, Focus Technologies reference laboratories of Cypress, California announced the development of a “first-generation, real-time PCR test” designed to detect the presence of the coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). “Focus devel…
HealthcheckUSA Makes Progress With Consumers
CEO SUMMARY: There’s a story behind the story at HealthcheckUSA, one of the nation’s best-known sources offering consumers direct access to laboratory testing. Its primary business is holding community screens and grocery store lab testing programs throughout the United States. Becaus…
Conventional Needle Sales To End at Becton Dickinson
IN RESPONSE TO DECLINING SALES of many types of conventional needles and other “sharps” devices, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) announced plans to discontinue offering these products in the United States. “The market in the U.S. is converting to safety-engineered sharps de…
Con Man Rips Off Lab In Kingsport, Tennessee
CEO SUMMARY: It will certainly rank as one of the major executive frauds in the clinical laboratory industry. In the wake of MEDex Laboratories’ Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filing in April, an amazing tale of deceit and deception began unfolding. At the center of the story is ex-MEDex CEO Mic…
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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