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
Digene, Ivax Diagnostics, Myriad Genetics, Bioscientia, LabOne, Aetna
ROTARY CLUBS LAUNCH MEXICO-BASED CERVICAL SCREENING EFFORT IN MEXICO, Rotary International will attack the problem of cervical cancer among Mexican women by supporting a screening program that utilizes human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. Called “Test for Life,” the prog…
“July 23, 2001 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Chairman and CEO Mark Chandler recently disclosed that researchers within Luminex Corporation are developing new detection capabilities that would permit its LabMap system to “simultaneously perform a broad range of cellular, microbial, and related tests, such as complete blood cou…
Memorial Hermann Lab Launches Crash Rebuild
CEO SUMMARY: This 600-bed hospital and core laboratory are in a crash rebuilding program as a result of flooding from tropical storm Allison. One important management lesson learned is the value of consolidating and integrating laboratory services within a health system. Previous lab inte…
Connecticut Hospital Labs Win HMO Test Contracts
CEO SUMMARY: Connecticut Hospital Laboratory Network, LLC was formed in 1996 with the specific goal of winning managed care lab testing contracts. During the past five years it has steadily increased the number of patients covered by such contracts. Along the way, it has learned important…
Lab Competitors Form Common Test Data Repository for Doctors
CEO SUMMARY: Integrated hospital systems, government health plans and private insurers can frequently threaten the status quo for commercial laboratories in both the United States and Canada. Motivated by the desire to offer greater value, two commercial lab companies in British Columbia …
Hospital Association Studies Nurse & Lab Staffing Issues
WIDESPREAD PUBLICITY about the nursing shortage is not coincidence. The American Hospital Association (AHA) is making “staffing relief” a primary reason why the current Congress should increase reimbursement and provide funding for training and recruiting healthcare workers. A v…
Bio-Reference Labs, Sunquest, Beckman Coulter, Vysis
BIO-REFERENCE LABS REPORTS STRONG GROWTH IN REVENUE & EARNINGS LIKE MOST PUBLIC LAB COMPANIES, the financial news continues to be good at Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc., based in Elmwood Park, NJ. For second quarter ending April 30, 2001, the lab reported revenues of …
“July 2, 2001 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Late last week DIANON Systems, Inc. announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire UroCor, Inc., based in Oklahoma City. In recent years, the two companies have competed intensely for case referrals from urologists. Valued at $180 million, the deal is expe…
Managed Care’s Next Evolutionary Step
MANAGED CARE IS IN THE MIDST OF SHIFTING from a volume-buying discount club to a value-added partner in healthcare. During the past two years, THE DARK REPORT has identified developments in the marketplace supporting this trend and provided these insights to our clients and regular readers. Further …
LIS Sales Decline in 2000 As Labs Shift Emphasis
CEO SUMMARY: THE DARK REPORT’S annual ranking of the Top Ten LIS Vendors reveals that sales of new LIS products declined for the second consecutive year. This is evidence that the influence of multi-hospital health systems is changing the way LIS is purchased and implemented. It is also…
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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