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
Three Blood Brothers Release Year-End Financial Performance
FINANCIAL REPORTS RELEASED by the three national laboratories for the fiscal year 1998 reveal a definite improvement in their financial performance and cash flow. One sign of this improvement is the fact that none of the three blood brothers disclosed any huge write-downs similar to those experience…
“March 15, 1999 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
As expected, the wave of hospital mergers and acquisitions is slowing. During 1998, the number of mergers and acquisitions fell 28% from 1997. This is the first time since 1993 that the number of transactions declined. As reported by the Hospital Acquisition Report, only 144 transactions wer…
Quest to Pay $1.27 Billion To Buy SB’s Lab Division
CEO SUMMARY: Consolidation is the story of the clinical laboratory industry during the 1990s. The decade will close out with the granddaddy laboratory consolidation of them all! When Quest Diagnostics Incorporated completes its acquisition of SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories later…
Integrating Quest & SBCL Presents a Big Challenge
CEO SUMMARY: Will lessons learned during the commercial lab industry’s consolidation frenzy be learned and applied in the Quest-SBCL merger? History has a way of repeating itself. But Quest Diagnostics’ CEO has a different plan. He also has a tool not utilized by lab executives earlie…
Successful Laboratories Share Winning Methods
CEO SUMMARY: Leading laboratory organizations from three countries will take the podium at the EXECUTIVE WAR COLLEGE in New Orleans on May 11-12, 1999. Their objective: to share up-to-date information on effective laboratory management strategies and methods used to deal with the challeng…
Pathology Consolidation Offers Many Local Benefits
CEO SUMMARY: Consolidation of pathology practices can be a complex and drawn-out process. But it doesn’t have to be that way. During the 1990s, Bayless Pathmark of Cleveland grew from a two-man practice into a regional pathology resource numbering 22 pathologists and serving 10 hospital…
Bio-Reference Labs, Tenet Healthcare, IMPATH
BIO-REFERENCE LABS QUIETLY IMPROVING LAB INFORMATION CAPABILITY LABORATORY INFORMATION is the strategic business plan driver at Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. of Elmwood Park, New Jersey. The company has begun to install an information management system throughout its labo…
Automated Pap Smear Screening Expected to Build Market Share
EXPECT 1999 TO BE A PIVOTAL YEAR in automated Pap smear screening. This new technology is now poised to enter general clinical usage. As it does, an increasing volume of clinical data will make the case: either automated screening of Pap smears is clinically effective and economically justified—or…
“February 22, 1999 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Here’s more validation that laboratories can use information links to doctors’ offices as added value. A recent survey of hospital CIOs was completed by PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Zinn Enterprises and Modern Healthcare Weekly. It revealed that the number on…
IMPATH Creates Its Brand Of Value-Added Pathology
CEO SUMMARY: IMPATH Inc. is a pathology company with an interesting twist. It doesn’t compete directly with community hospital-based pathologists like some national AP providers. Instead, it offers AP services which supplement the capabilities of the local pathologist. The formula must …
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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