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
More Labs Opt to Use and Lab Automation
CEO SUMMARY: Many of the nation’s more innovative laboratory organizations are paying closer attention to laboratory productivity and operational performance. To achieve improved operations, these labs are putting three tools to greater use. They are using targeted automation solutions …
Good News for Regional Labs Competing Against Nationals
CAN REGIONAL LABORATORIES compete effectively against the two blood brothers? This question lies at the heart of the business strategy for most hospital laboratory outreach programs in the United States. After all, in their community, the toughest competitors they face are likely to be Quest…
June 12, 2006 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Many changes are unfolding across the laboratory industry, so we begin with some of the more significant developments involving people: TRANSITIONS •One of clinical pathology’s respected veterans is preparing to retire. Elkin Simson, M.D., Medical Director at th…
Focus Diagnostics, Inc. To Be Acquired by Quest
CEO SUMMARY: Another national laboratory company loses its independence and consolidation of the lab industry continues. Last Friday it was announced that Quest Diagnostics Incorporated would acquire the laboratory testing and diagnostic…
New Lab Firm Life Cycle Demonstrated by Focus
CEO SUMMARY: When an investment group bought Focus Diagnostics, Inc. in 2000, its business objective was to increase the value of the business and sell it between year five and ten of its ownership. Thus, the announcement last Friday that Focus Diagnostics would be acquired by Quest Diagn…
Terabytes Will Soon Arrive In Pathology IT Systems
IN MANY PATHOLOGY GROUP PRACTICES across the country, digital imaging is playing a bigger role. That’s the message from Mark Newburger, CEO of Apollo Telemedicine, Inc., based in Washington, DC. Newburger’s firm was initially launched in 1993 to support the evol…
Technical/Professional Billing Has Risks for Labs, Doctors
IT’S A HOT TOPIC ACROSS THE ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY PROFESSION. Increasing numbers of physician groups are hiring laboratories to perform the technical component of an anatomic pathology case and engaging pathologists to diagnose the cases. This phenomenon is often called TC/PC, to repr…
Thermo Electron, Fisher To Do “Reverse Merger”
CEO SUMMARY: Bigger is expected to be better as Fischer Scientific International, Inc. and Thermo Electron Corporation come together by year’s end and form a $9 billion behemoth in the laboratory supply industry. With 350,000 customers in 150 countries,…
More IVD Consolidation: DPC Sells to Siemens
CEO SUMMARY: It is a significant acquisition, and not just because Diagnostic Products Corporation has a major presence in immunodiagnostics. Siemens Medical Solutions is one of the dominant competitors in radiology. Its willingness to pony up almost $2 billion t…
MDS Sells Calgary Lab, May Spin Off Other Labs
CEO SUMMARY: Nine months after it declared that it would exit the laboratory testing business in Canada by selling its laboratories, MDS, Inc. has finally closed its first sale. Calgary Health Region, already a 50% owner of Calgary Laboratory Services, has purcha…
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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