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
Dynacare’s Business Plan Includes New Direction
CEO SUMMARY: Look for Dynacare, Inc. to undergo a significant transformation. Although it will not abandon its efforts to partner with hospital laboratories, Dynacare has made a renewed commitment to expand and market itself as a provider of esoteric and reference testing. These changes a…
Number of Hospital Deals Declines Again in 2000
CEO SUMMARY: Probably the single biggest contributing factor to consolidation of hospital laboratories is when new owners or new healthcare systems take control of a hospital. For 2000, merger and acquisition activity in the hospital industry declined in 2000 by 40%. A total of 318 hospit…
Consumers Taking Active Role In Their Laboratory Testing
CEO SUMMARY: Two recent Internet surveys revealed that consumers rank access to their personal lab test results as the number one most wanted feature in healthcare services. This is an early warning for laboratories and pathology group practices. Today’s consumers have changing expectat…
HIPAA Hits Radar Screen, Expected to be Expensive
CEO SUMMARY: HIPAA is beginning to generate controversy as implementation dates are announced. The American Hospital Association is painting a black picture, despite protestations of certain experts. Meanwhile, managed care companies are finding it difficult to come together and form a un…
DNA Diagnostics Market, Kaiser Permanente, TriPath Imaging, LifeScan
DNA DIAGNOSTICS MARKET GROWTH TO BE DOMINATED BY PCR TECHNOLOGY FOR THE YEAR 2000, total DNA diagnostic technology sales were estimated to be $517 million. By 2005, this number should increase to $771 million, a growth rate of 8.4% per year. This is the conclusion of Laura Roth, author of â…
“January 15, 2001 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
In Cincinnati, the CHIN (community healthcare information network) effort of the mid-1990s has evolved into HealthBridge, a “secure, private Intranet that provides physician access to hospital clinical records, insurance eligibility, e-mail, and on-line medical reference material.â…
DARK REPORT Presents “White Paper†Summary Of Laboratory Industry
INTRODUCTION: To celebrate five eventful years of service to the laboratory industry and pathology profession, THE DARK REPORT is pleased to present its first “White Paper†on the laboratory industry. Our goal is help laboratories and their suppliers accurately identify relevant market dynami…
Business Premises Underlying Lab Industry Dynamics
This chapter addresses the characteristics of the laboratory industry which define the starting point for changes and ongoing evolution. The eight business premises listed in this White Paper describe unique situations which directly influence the ability of clinical laboratories to serve the medical…
Strategic Business Failures Of The Laboratory Industry During the 1990s
If analysis is to be accurate and objective, it must recognize and praise successful accomplishments while at the same time recognizing and criticizing failures. Human nature being what it is, however, criticism of failed business decisions is painful and bound to generate denials by the parties invo…
Competitive Dynamics In the Laboratory Testing Marketplace
This section of the White Paper deals with the marketplace for laboratory services. For brevity and clarity, I will address five components: 1) independent commercial laboratories; 2) hospital-based laboratories; 3) esoteric, reference, and specialty testing laboratories; 4) anatomic pathology lab- o…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 12 – August 25, 2025
In an exclusive interview, a laboratory industry M&A specialist discusses what’s driving lab outreach sales to national lab companies. Also, The Dark Report analyzes ways in which pathology and clinical labs can profitably partner with pharmaceutical companies.
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