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
At Kaiser Permanente, Real-Time Lab Results Are a Hit with Patients
CEO SUMMARY: Should patients be allowed to see their own lab test results when they are available to their physicians? Kaiser Permanente believes so. Since 2005, Kaiser Permanente has given members real-time access to most laboratory test results in their personal health record (PHR) on w…
Lab Testing, Pathology Is Fast-Growing in China
CEO SUMMARY: It was record attendance at the major pathology congress which took place in Hangzhou, China, last month. Because of the ongoing growth of China’s economy, the demand for healthcare—and for high-quality clinical lab and pathology testing—is rising at an accelerated pace…
November 7, 2011 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Many experts were impressed when General Electric Co. ponied up $587 million to acquire pathology testing company Clarient, Inc., in October 2010. Now comes further insight behind this transaction. At an investment conference in Boston on November 3, John Dineen, CEO…
Congress Likely to Pass Deep Cuts in Lab Test Fees
CEO SUMMARY: All signs point to a potentially dismal financial outcome for the clinical lab testing industry as Congress tries to trim spending by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. At least three proposals to significantly cut lab test reimbursement are in active debate by fe…
In Massachusetts, AG Targets Drug Testing Labs
CEO SUMMARY: Since taking office in 2007, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has aggressively pursued civil charges against drug testing labs. Last month, Coakley announced a criminal arrest in one ongoing investigation after a grand jury indicted a physician in a kick…
In-Practice Histology Lab Splits Biopsies; ID’s Patient with DNA
In response to continuing requests by clients and readers of THE DARK REPORT, this issue institutes a new feature titled “Lab Fraud Watch.” It will provide information about activities in the medical laboratory testing marketplace which could be interpreted as violatin…
Hospital Lab Uses HIE To Win Outreach Clients
CEO SUMMARY: Health information exchanges (HIEs) are operating nationwide, but few handle lab test orders and results with ease the way HealthBridge does. This long-established HIE in Cincinnati, Ohio, allows physicians to send lab test orders from their electronic health record …
Why Pathologists Benefit from Growth of In-Office Path Labs
Dear Editor: Your article on the trend of office-based physicians building in-clinic anatomic pathology laboratories was fascinating, but in my opinion, it was off the mark. In the article, “AP Labs in Doc’s Clinics Now an Established Fact” (See TDR, September 6, 20…
Are Prosecutors Afraid of Big and Little Lab Firms?
CEO SUMMARY: Settlements in the big whistleblower suits involving major lab companies typically generate national headlines. But seldom do the views of the “quiet majority” of lab owners and lab executives get much attention. These are the majority of lab professionals workin…
Rosetta Genetics, Aureon Biosciences, Plus Diagnostics, Atherotech, Sequenom
ROSETTA GENOMICS TO LAY OFF 35 EMPLOYEES TO CUT EXPENSES AND SHIFT MORE FUNDING toward sales of its proprietary molecular tests, Rosetta Genomics says it will eliminate 35 jobs. The company, based in Israel, operates a clinical laboratory in Philadelphia, Pe…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 14 – October 6, 2025
The Dark Report examines increasing healthcare costs for employers and how clinical labs can help those employers. Also, an in-depth case study shows how one hospital system regained its outreach program after originally ceding it to a national lab company, adding millions to the system’s bottom line.
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.