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
Omnicom Group, CareSoft, eMedicine.com, Verisign, RSA Security
AD AGENCIES PREPARING “DIRECT TO PATIENT†MARKETING CAMPAIGNS HERE’S MORE EVIDENCE that healthcare providers like laboratories and pathology groups will increasingly market their services directly to consumers. One of the largest consolidated advertising agencies in the world has take…
National Anatomic Pathology Companies Continue to Grow
IT’S BOOM TIME IN ONE SEGMENT of the clinical laboratory world. The national anatomic pathology companies are posting record rates of growth and profits. The sustained and strong financial performance at DIANON Systems, Inc. and IMPATH, Inc. has not gone unnoticed…
“September 11, 2000 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Here’s an interesting rumor. The September 11 is- sue of Business Week magazine says that Abbott Laboratories Inc. may acquire Beckman Coulter, Inc., based in Fullerton, California. Business Week quoted a financial analyst who believed the rumor w…
HMO Decline Predicted As PPOs Gain Enrollment
CEO SUMMARY: Managed care analyst Michael Casey believes HMO enrollment will peak, possibly in 2000. PPOs (preferred provider organizations) are gaining members at an increasing rate. Within California, the provider revolt over deficient reimbursement levels is escalating. Orange County 
Genesis Clinical Laboratory Hits Outreach Home Run
CEO SUMMARY: Commercial laboratory consolidation has left Chicago with only a handful of laboratory providers. New management at MacNeal Hospital’s for-profit laboratory division recognized this opportunity. During the past three years, the outreach program was revitalized and the sales…
Market Hesitates to Embrace Automated Screening Products
CEO SUMMARY: Technology to enhance and improve conventional Pap smear screening was introduced into the clinical marketplace almost five years ago. But the clinical laboratory industry has yet to embrace these various technologies in any meaningful way. Like the introduction of liquid pre…
Predict Steady Decline In Fees For Web-Based Lab Information
EVEN THOUGH WEB-BASED LAB TEST ordering and results reporting is in its infancy, the free market already seems to be driving prices down. Late in 1999, Healtheon/WebMD, Inc. was reportedly signing contracts to provide Web-based information services for fees ranging between 60¢ and …
IMPATH, AmeriPath, LabOne, MedTox, Genomics Collaborative, PharmChem, CARESIDE, Luminex, Fisher Scientific
EMERGING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IN TISSUE BANKS & CANCER DATA EVEN AS THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM squeezes pathologist incomes in a variety of specific professional services, it opens up business opportunities in other segments of the pathology field. Researchers and pharmaceutical companies wa…
“August 21, 2000 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. (BRLI) announced that its physician Web portal service, CareEvolve.com, gained 200 enrolled physicians in the first eight days following its August 1, 2000 release. As a laboratory company, BRLI recognizes that its physician network is the real asset …
Lab Industry Attracting New Investment Dollars
CEO SUMMARY: Professional investors with access to hundreds of millions of dollars of investment capital are closely scrutinizing the clinical laboratory industry. They are encouraged by the recent financial performance of public laboratory companies. For independent laboratory owners, th…
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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