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
Exposed: Who Created Path Lab Condo Scheme
CEO SUMMARY: It wasn’t pathologists and it wasn’t laboratory executives who started this scheme. Anatomic pathology condominium laboratory complexes were conceived by urologists in Florida. Some Texas urologists jumped on the bandwagon early, becoming enthusiastic promoters of the sch…
Visit To A Path Condo Lab: “You Are Not Welcome”
NO “WELCOME MAT” greets visitors to an anatomic pathology (AP) condominium complex. That was certainly true last month when an agent of THE DARK REPORT attempted to visit a lab condo complex in San Antonio, Texas. Operated by UroPath, LLC, the lab condo complex is located at 790…
Ex-UroCor Execs Face Criminal Indictments
CEO SUMMARY: Criminal charges filed against ex-UroCor executives center around several marketing practices that have much in common with marketing strategies used by many lab- oratories today. These include discounted pricing for non-Medicare specimens, offering to waive charges to payers…
UroCor’s Sales Tactics Violated Medicare Laws
CEO SUMMARY: By issuing a multi-count criminal indictment against three former UroCor executives, one federal attorney is creating new legal precedents for the laboratory industry. The criminal charges accuse UroCor of inducing physicians through such gambits as deeply-discounted pricing …
Lawyer Argues: UroCor Charges Are a Concern
CEO SUMMARY: Criminal charges in the case against three ex-UroCor executives will likely alter existing compliance practices that affect how a lab offers price discounts to physicians and the way a lab uses “waiver of charges” in situations where it is an out-of-network provider. Atto…
Linking UroCor Indictments With Specialist Doc Pathology
IS THE TIMING of the criminal indictments of three ex-UroCor executives going to be a fortuitous event for the anatomic pathology profession? I ask this question because the exploding trend of specialist physician groups internalizing anatomic pathology services was slated to be the…
Urology & GI Physicians Bring Pathology In-House
CEO SUMMARY: Increasing numbers of urology and gastroenterology specialist groups are deciding to bring anatomic pathology services in-house. This phenomenon has gathered speed during the past year and is becoming a threat to the long-term financial and clinical stability of the anatomic …
Pathology “Condo Labs” Are New Business Ploy
CEO SUMMARY: We call ‘em pathology condominium laboratories. Other names are “pod labs” and “salon labs.” Whatever name is used, this new scheme by specialist physicians to capture pathology revenues may be the most significant threat to the anatomic pathology profession since t…
In-House Versus Off-Site: Different Concerns
CEO SUMMARY: Three methods are available to specialist physician groups to capture anatomic pathology revenues generated by their patient population. Two methods have been around a long time. The pathology condo lab method is a new ploy. Of the three, one is generally accepted and more ea…
Changing Economics Motivate Urologists & GIs
CEO SUMMARY: Over the past 18 months, more specialist groups have created their own anatomic pathology laboratories than were created in the past five years. It’s a gold rush to tap and capture profits generated by the anatomic pathology services provided to their patient populations. T…
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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