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 27, 2003 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Here’s an early sign that health-insurance premiums will rise by significant amounts for 2004. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index for general acute care hospitals posted its highest-ever one-month increase, jumping 1.4% in April. For the 12 months ending in…
Eritrea Uses St. Louis For Reference Testing
CEO SUMMARY: On one level, it’s the classic story of volunteerism and help for a developing nation. But on another level, it’s a dramatic demonstration of how new technologies allow two hospital laboratories in St. Louis, Missouri to effectively provide reference laboratory tests and …
Beaumont Reference Labs Earns ISO-9000 for Outreach
MOTIVATED BY THE GOAL of improving all aspects of its laboratory outreach program, Beaumont Reference Laboratories (BRL) of Royal Oaks, Michigan recently earned its ISO-9000:2001 certification. “In the competitive market for lab testing, we wanted to raise the bar,” stated Joseph E. Skrisson, D…
Nine Key Trends Are Shaping Nation’s Healthcare Informatics
CEO SUMMARY: During the 1990s, hospital spending on information technology was devoted primarily to acquiring upgraded versions of software systems for clinical services such as laboratory, pharmacy, and radiology. That’s no longer true. As the following nine key trends in healthcare in…
SARS Contained in Toronto, Labs Still in Caution Mode
IN RECENT DAYS, public health officials in the Canadian province of Ontario have declared the SARS outbreak to be contained. As described in the last issue of THE DARK REPORT, the outbreak of SARS in Ontario had a significant operational impact on clinical laboratories in the province. (See TDR,…
Specialty Laboratories, IMPATH, Roche, Abbott Laboratories, Celera Diagnostics
SPECIALTY LABORATORIES RESTORING STABILITY IN SPECIMEN VOLUME IT’S NO SURPRISE THAT COMPETITORS of Specialty Laboratories, Inc. have been willing to spread a variety of rumors about the laboratory company, given its well-publicized troubles with government regulators last …
“May 5, 2003 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
There are rumors coming from the West Coast that government laboratory regulators are targeting at least one laboratory company for some significant violations. Because allegations of compliance violations by the government can severely damage a lab company’s reputation, there is a tight lid on infor…
Toronto Hospital Labs Cope With SARS Impact
CEO SUMMARY: Canada has become one of the world’s hot spots for SARS. Concern about the unexpected number of hospital workers who contracted the disease triggered a halt to all but the most life-threatening patient care needs in many hospitals in Ontario. The manner in which this diseas…
Commercial Labs React To Ontario SARS Outbreak
CEO SUMMARY: Ontario’s SARS outbreak has affected commercial laboratory companies in the province. Because so many healthcare workers were contracting SARS, laboratory directors at MDS Diagnostic Services took swift action to protect both patients and laboratory staff—to prevent expos…
LabCorp’s MacMahon Provides Insights About Lab Marketplace
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists will be particularly interested in what Thomas MacMahon has to say about the evolution of laboratory medicine. As Chairman, President, and CEO of Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, he has continuous access to some of the best strategic analysis about the…
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?
Lab leaders rely on THE DARK REPORT for actionable intelligence on important developments in the business of laboratory testing. Maximize the money you make-and the money you keep! Best of all, it is released every three weeks!
Sign up for TDR Insider
Join the Dark Intelligence Group FREE and get TDR Insider FREE!
Never miss a single update on the issues that matter to you and your business.