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
Lab Trends In Canada Run Ahead of U.S.A.
CEO SUMMARY: In specific ways, laboratories in Canada are already confronting the future that awaits laboratories in the United States. Many of the challenges are identical, including shrinking reimbursement and funding, as well as a shortage of skilled lab staff. One unfolding developmen…
November 6, 2006 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
There’s regulatory relief for California labs in the important area of technical staff licensing. California’s Department of Health Services (DHS) has approved the Board of Registry medical technologist (MT) examination administered by the American Society of Clinical Pat…
United Health: Quest Is “Out”–LabCorp Is “In”
CEOSUMMARY: Effective on January 1, 2007, UnitedHealth Group will have one national contract laboratory. On that date, Laboratory Corporation of America becomes the preferred provider and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated becomes an out-of-network laboratory. With access to 34 million United…
Evolving Strategy Guides American Esoteric Labs
CEO SUMMARY: Back in April 2004, when American Esoteric Laboratories, Inc.(AEL)launched operations, its declared ambition was to become a national esoteric testing firm. However, given the positive experiences from its acquisition of Memphis Pathology Laboratories in September 2004, AEL h…
LabCorp Exec Discusses Reasons Behind Its 10-Year Pact with United
“This 10-year agreement is unique in the laboratory industry. It speaks to the long-term commitment of both parties.”—Brad Smith, Executive Vice President, Laboratory Corporation of America CEO SUMMARY: It was unprecedented when UnitedHealth …
New Book Offers Guidance About Management of POCT
WHENEVER A TREND COMES OF AGE, books appear to offer guidance on how to best benefit from such a trend. In the laboratory profession, point-of-care testing (POCT) is an example of a trend which is now ubiquitous in most large healthcare organizations. Another trend currently gathering momentum in bo…
October 16, 2006 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
American Esoteric Laboratories, Inc. today announced that it has signed an extended, five-year contract to provide reference and esoteric testing services to the 14-hospital Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation (BMHCC) in Memphis, Tennessee. This relationship was…
Increased Competition For Hospital Lab Referrals
CEO SUMMARY: It’s a buyer’s market for hospital send-out testing because the supply of such tests exceeds demand. To fill excess capacity in their labs, some reference/esoteric lab companies are willing to offer rock-bottom prices to new clients. This situation is also motivating nati…
Buyer of MDS’ Canadian Labs Agrees to Pay C$ 900 Million
CANADA’S LARGEST CHAIN OF CLINICAL LABORATORIES will change hands in a deal revealed on September 7, 2006 by Toronto’s The Globe and Mail. MDS Inc. will apparently sell its diagnostics division to Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc., a private equit…
Some Random Insights About LabCorp’s Thinking
CEO SUMMARY: Having scooped up a number of mid-sized laboratory companies in recent years, Laboratory Corporation of America is working to integrate these operations and continue to expand its market share. In a recent conversation with financial analyst Bill Bonnello of Wachovia Securiti…
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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