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
June 09, 2014 Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News”
Inpatient utilization has declined in Boston, Indianapolis, and Newark. That’s the finding of a new report issued May 27 by Kaufman Hall, a consulting firm based in Skokie, Illinois. The data was collected by Tufts Medical Center in Boston; Barnabas Health in West Or…
Speakers in New Orleans Offer Important Insights
CEO SUMMARY: In coming years, there will be multiple challenges and opportunities for the nation’s clinical laboratories and pathology groups. That was one common theme heard from the 90 speakers and panelists at the 19th annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Manageme…
May 19, 2014 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
How about a hospital that doesn’t have a medical laboratory but issues lab test reports to patients? This unusual development happened in India recently. The Free Press Journal of Mumbai, India, reported earlier this month that government health officials had conducted a surprise inspectio…
Labs Face Bad Debt Exposure from New Patients in ACA Plans
LABS MAY BE AT RISK for the total cost of lab testing performed for patients who enroll in a subsidized insurance plan through the ACA’s health insurance exchanges (now called the marketplaces), but never pay their premiums during the 90-grace period. The federal Centers for Medicare &…
UCLA Pathologists to Open Joint Venture Lab in Shanghai
PATHOLOGISTS at the University of California Los Angeles Department of Pathology will participate in a unique commercial laboratory company that will be based in Shanghai, China. On April 8, UCLA announced a partnership agreement with Centre Testing International Corp….
April 28, 2014 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
In recent years, a series of decisions involving molecular diagnostics tests made by Medicare officials and the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have caused much disruption in the clinical laboratory industry. In response to these developments, on April 16, the California Clinical L…
New Federal Law Changes How CMS Sets Lab Prices
CEO SUMMARY: CMS wanted more power to cut the prices it pays for clinical lab testing. A significant part of the lab industry wanted more transparency and consistency in how CMS established coverage guidelines and prices for new lab tests. Congress appears to have attempted to craft a law…
New ISO 15189 Book Published to Help Clinical Lab Managers
THERE IS NOW A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE for lab executives and lab managers interested in learning more about ISO 15189:2012, the latest version of the quality management system (QMS) for medical laboratories. It is a book titled: “A Practical Guide to ISO 15189 in Laboratory Medicine” and was publis…
Whole Genome Sequencing Is Poised for Clinical Use
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists and clinical lab managers interested in following the advances in use of whole human genome sequencing for clinical purposes should follow the money. Within weeks of obtaining FDA clearance for its MiSeqDx system and reagents, Illumina had inked major agreements …
April 07, 2014 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service’s (NHS) biggest consolidation of clinical laboratory services is expected to take place in May, after the government’s Office of Fair Trading said it will conduct no further investigation into the project. Six health trusts are c…
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?
Lab leaders rely on THE DARK REPORT for actionable intelligence on important developments in the business of laboratory testing. Maximize the money you make-and the money you keep! Best of all, it is released every three weeks!
Sign up for TDR Insider
Join the Dark Intelligence Group FREE and get TDR Insider FREE!
Never miss a single update on the issues that matter to you and your business.