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
Columbia/HCA’s $745 Mil Settlement Announced
CEO SUMMARY: Although Columbia/HCA will pay the feds $745 million as part of its recent settlement, the facts of “Medicare fraud” are far from convincing. Wall Street Journal analyst Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. makes a strong argument that the government was able to pick on Columb…
Columbia/HCA, AmeriPath, Epitope, STC Technologies, Quest Diagnostics
COLUMBIA/HCA GETS NEW NAME; ACQUIRES FOUR LONDON HOSPITALS NOW THAT IT HAS A SETTLEMENT with the federal government on civil claims of Medicare fraud, expect a rapid cascade of changes at Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital company…
“May 30, 2000 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Expect an announcement this week that Pathology Consultants of America, Inc. (PCA), based in Nashville, Tennessee, has acquired PathSOURCE, Inc. of Port Chester, New York. Both are single specialty physician practice management (PPM) companies devoted exclusively to …
LAB-InterLink Acquires Labotix Automation, Inc.
CEO SUMMARY: Here’s an interesting combination of expertise. LAB-InterLink has one of most sophisticated process control software products for running automated laboratory systems. Its acquisition of Labotix, resulting in the largest installed base of lab automation hardware in the Unit…
New Automation Tools Ready for Clinical Labs
CEO SUMMARY: Evidence grows that workstation automation and modular automation can be cost-effective solutions in the clinical laboratory. But the newest generation of automation technology presents lab administrators with a new challenge. Financial analysis and workplace reengineering ar…
LIS Vendors Moving to Internet
SALES OF LIS SYSTEMS SLOWED DURING 1999 due to concerns about Y2K problems. But the real story in the LIS arena was the impending arrival of technology that takes advantage of the Internet and the Web. Sales champs in THE DARK REPORT’s annual ranking of the Top Ten LIS Vendors for 1999 ar…
Luminex Raises $83 Mil In Public Stock Offering
CEO SUMMARY: During the past year, Luminex Corporation moved swiftly to push its LabMAP™ multiplex testing technology into the bioassay marketplace. It found high interest among companies in the pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and bioresearch industries. Luminex executives say that a numbe…
Quantum Dot Corporation, Healtheon/WebMD, Illumea
QUANTUM DOT CORP. TO COLLABORATE WITH GENENTECH PROGRESS IS SWIFT AT Quantum Dot Corporation, based in Palo Alto, California. Quantum Dot announced an agreement to collaborate with Genentech, Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California. The goal is to e…
LabCorp Buys Two More California Laboratories
CEO SUMMARY: Laboratory Corporation of America is serving notice that it intends to increase its competitive presence in California, the largest market for diagnostic testing in the United States. It recently signed agreements to purchase two respected independent laboratory companies, on…
“May 8, 2000 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
There’s another healthcare Ecommerce company starting up. This one’s directed at the clinical laboratory industry. To be called “LabPortal.com,” it’s connected to Golder, Thoma, Cressey, Rauner Inc., Park City Solutions, and American Medical Laboratories. L…
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.
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