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
Shortage of Med Techs Stimulates Innovation
CEO SUMMARY: In Western Tennessee, a seven-hospital rural health system is pulling out all stops to solve the staffing crisis in its laboratory division by implementing programs that address both retention and recruiting. “Bench bonuses,” college loan repayment programs, recruitment b…
Catfight in New York Over Lab Supplies Law
CEO SUMMARY: All labs serving physicians’ offices worry about the delicate balance between complying with laws governing inducement and protecting clients against competing labs who interpret those same laws more liberally. Recent events in New York state graphically demonstrate the com…
Clinical Decision Support System Improves Lab Test Ordering
CEO SUMMARY: Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s “WizOrder” demonstrates that a well-designed clinical decision support system can help physicians make better use of laboratory tests. The early successes of WizOrder demonstrate that the need for improved utilization and applicati…
New Lab Test Technology Must Meet Five Payer Requirements
HOSPITALS ARE NOT THE ONLY healthcare player wary of the high cost of new diagnostic test technologies. Insurance companies all over the United States have increased their scrutiny of new medical technology, including laboratory tests. In a visit to Wall Street last week, THE DARK REPORT attended …
First-Ever “Black Belt” Certified In an American Hospital Lab
IT WAS A BIG DEAL in the laboratory of Grant Riverside Hospital of Columbus, Ohio when Lab Site Manager Sandra Hood received her certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt on January 23, 2002. That’s because hospital administrators had selected the laboratory to be hospital’s guine…
“April 1, 2002 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Genaissance Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced it has identified genetic markers useful in identifying which people will respond best to cholesterol-lowering drugs. A study of 500 patients taking Lipitor, Pravachol, and Zochor compared their response to drugs over 16 weeks with a genetic…
Michigan Lab Network Wins Major HMO Deal
CEO SUMMARY: By winning the contract for Health Alliance Plan (HAP), Joint Venture Hospital Laboratories (JVHL) captured another major exclusive managed care contract for lab testing services in Southeast Michigan. Its victory demonstrates that local hospital lab outreach programs can com…
Cytyc Acquires Digene To Expand Product Line
CEO SUMMARY: Cytyc Corporation will pay more than one half billion dollars to purchase Digene, Inc., and its DNA Capture HPV test. For Cytyc, this may prove to be a strategic masterstroke. In the short term, it alters the competitive balance in the market for liquid preparation Pap testin…
Lab Test Manual Now Available on Handheld PDA Devices
HERE’S ANOTHER EXAMPLE of how technology is changing traditional laboratory practices. Lexi-Comp, Inc.’s Laboratory Test Handbook with information on 1,200 tests is now available as a software program for downloading onto the Palm Pilot handheld PDA (personal digital ass…
Pathology Part A Comp Under Attack by Both Hospitals and Insurers
CEO SUMMARY: In steadily-growing numbers, hospitals and insurers are taking active steps to reduce or eliminate compensation for clinical pathology professional services, also commonly referred to as “Part A” services. Unfortunately, many pathology groups fail to anticipate this situati…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 11 – August 4, 2025
The Dark Report takes a look at new and more complex claims denials by payers, and suggests ways to battle this trend. Also, we offer 6 expert strategies for properly evaluating claims made by AI vendors.
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