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
Useful Info at War College On Molecular, Lean, et al
CEO SUMMARY: When the nation’s leading laboratory administrators and pathologists gather in New Orleans on April 27- 28, they will get the best and latest developments in laboratory management. From Aetna’s National Medical Director to the former Chief of the Industry Guidance Branch …
“March 15, 2004 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Bar codes will soon be an essential element in most laboratories. Final regulations published on February 26 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will take effect during the next two years. The FDA is requiring that prescription and over-the-counter drugs given to hospital patients have bar code…
LabOne in Cincinnati: Watch Events Unfold
CEO SUMMARY: It’s another example of a commercial laboratory taking over the laboratory assets of a multi-hospital consolidated laboratory. Will LabOne manage these assets and get more growth, more cost savings, and more profit? If this happens, it will mark the third time in r…
Spectrum Lab Network Expands Into Tennessee
CEO SUMMARY: During the past four years, this energized hospital laboratory joint venture has posted significant growth in its laboratory outreach program. One notable accomplishment has been the effective deployment and use of Web browser-based lab test orders and results reporting with …
Catholic Hospital in Illinois Loses Tax-Exempt Status
HOW HOSPITALS BILL and collect from uninsured patients is becoming a national issue. The latest shot fired is a ruling by the Illinois Department of Revenue revoking the state property tax exemption of Provena Covenant Medical Center, located in Urbana, Illinois. Th…
New Healthcare Change Cycle Is Opportunity to Fix Problems
CEO SUMMARY: Healthcare’s new cycle of change will be greatly influenced by geneomics, proteomics, the Internet, consumer-driven healthcare, and political decisions that affect the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The launch of a such a new cycle of change presents the laboratory industr…
Price Discount Practices May Prove Troublesome
CEO SUMMARY: Some laboratories continue to offer deeply-discounted prices to the nation’s largest managed care plans as a way to maintain provider status and keep market share. In one case, these deep discounts surprised a long-time lab executive, who decided to share the information, a…
“February 23, 2004 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
There’s a new player offering clinical diagnostic services in oncology. Genomic Health, Inc., based in Redwood City, California, is now accepting specimens. Last month, its laboratory received all the regulatory clearances required to conduct business. The company’s proprietary technology is inco…
When Laboratory Vendors Go Bankrupt
BANKRUPTCY AMONG VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS in the laboratory industry is an uncommon event. Since it is so rare, that is one less issue about which laboratory directors and pathologists must worry. However, occasionally there are reminders that it is good management practice to track the financial stab…
LAB-Interlink Hangs On Despite Financial Woes
CEO SUMMARY: It’s an uphill struggle at LAB-Interlink, based in Omaha, Nebraska. Short of funds, staffed with only a few employees, and urgently seeking capital, the company has so far managed to avoid filing for protection under bankruptcy laws. It is an unwelcome turn of events, since…
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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