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
Powerful Trends Reshaping Anatomic Path Profession
CEO SUMMARY: THE DARK REPORT presents its newest biannual review of macro trends reshaping the anatomic pathology profession. These macro trends reveal a profession undergoing change and transformation on multiple fronts. New competitors are crowding into the market, payers and accreditin…
February 11, 2008 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
In an attempt to stop or delay the start of the Medicare Laboratory Competitive Demonstration Project for the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos SMA (statistical metropolitan area), a lawsuit has been filed in federal court by Internist Laboratory of Carlsbad, Sharp Healthcare …
Labs Face “Coercive” Bid, Not Competitive Bidding
CEO SUMMARY: In the weeks since the December 5 bidders’ conference in San Diego, where Medicare officials took the wraps off the complete requirements for the Laboratory Bidding Demonstration Project, the Clinical Laboratory Coalition has begun to consider strategies to delay or cancel …
FDA Approves New Test For Respiratory Viruses
CEO SUMMARY: Respiratory viruses are responsible for 75% of all visits to physicians and yet physicians struggle to identify whether an infection is viral or bacterial. Now there is a new molecular assay with FDA clearance that allows physicians to test for 12 common vira…
CMS Spotlights AP as It Delays Anti-Markup Rule
CEO SUMMARY: When Medicare officials postponed implementing a new anti-markup rule late last month, it did so because of questions about how the new rule will be applied. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did implement an aspect of the anti-markup rule on Jan…
New Study Demonstrates How Lean Labs Outperform Peers
CEO SUMMARY: A new study provides powerful evidence that laboratories using Lean, Six Sigma, and similar process improvement methods consistently outperform conventionally managed laboratories. Using data sets from 100 laboratories, including 14 Lean/Six Sigma laboratories, consultant Tho…
Total Health Spending Rises 6.7%, Tops $2.1 Trillion during 2006
HEALTHCARE COSTS totaled $2.1 trillion in 2006, according to the January/ February issue of Health Affairs. That is an increase of 6.7% over total spending in 2005, wrote researchers in an analysis titled “National Health Spending In 2006: A Year Of Change For Prescription Drugs.” Outside of a b…
January 21, 2008 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
It’s a laboratory acquisition that shows the importance of anatomic pathology in today’s competitive laboratory marketplace. Carilion Labs of Roanoke, Virginia, acquired Innovative Pathology Services (IPS), an anatomic pathology and cytology lab in Knoxville, Ten…
Three Strikes Against CMS Before Bid Demo Begins
CEO SUMMARY: There’s a touch of irony in the fact that the Medicare program is a national leader in encouraging hospitals, physicians, and other providers to pay greater attention to the voice of patients. Yet within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), officials task…
Using a 1997 Bid Model In a 2007 Health Market
CEO SUMMARY: It’s been a long path from concept to implementation for a competitive bidding demonstration involving clinical lab services. It was in the mid-1980s when CMS commenced work on designing such a demonstration. In the 1990s, RTI International continued devel…
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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