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
Are Feds Ready to Strike at TC/PC Arrangements?
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists and laboratory directors will want to pay attention to the proposed rules published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on July 2, 2007. The document is a grab bag of proposals and rules that would significantly curb many common ancillary services a…
August 27, 2007 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Something different is happening when the Associated Press does a story about how the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA), a lab industry trade group, has spent money lobbying Congress. The Associated Press used federal records to confirm that ACLA, paid …
Siemens Acquires Dade, Builds IVD Powerhouse
CEO SUMMARY: In just 15 months, Siemens AG has pulled out its checkbook three times to spend more than $14 billion to acquire major in vitro diagnostics (IVD) companies. When it closes the purchase of Dade Behring, Siemens will be in the first rank of global IVD manufacturers. It has also…
Quest, LabCorp Slug It Out In Battle for Market Share
CEO SUMMARY: In reporting second quarter earnings, both Laboratory Corporation of America and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated discussed market developments. There were no surprises in the comments made by executives of both companies. Quest Diagnostics emphasized that it is hanging on to a…
PSA, MED3000 Merger Creates Opportunities
CEO SUMMARY: Pathology Service Associates, LLC, has found a merger partner that will allow it to offer more products to its pathology clients and to expand into new service areas. By merging with MED3000 of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PSA also gains access to enhanced informatics capabiliti…
Unprecedented Activity Across Lab Medicine
CEO SUMMARY: Laboratory medicine is now considered one of the best opportunities to profit as the demand for healthcare services skyrockets, both in the United States and throughout the world. This is why a flood of investment capital is washing into the laboratory industry. Loaded with c…
Misys Health Restructures By Selling Two Divisions
CEO SUMMARY: Misys Healthcare Systems of London, England, has sold its diagnostic LIS systems to Vista Equity Partners of San Francisco, California, for $381.5 million. The deal raises several questions, particularly for those labs currently running Misys laboratory information systems (L…
August 6, 2007 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
These days, it seems as if all sorts of physicians want to cut themselves a slice of the anatomic pathology pie. Now its podiatrists! Sources tell THE DARK REPORT that a large podiatric group in Atlanta has opened its own in-office pathology lab. Reportedly, this lab is generating more than $100,000 …
Sonic Lands in New York with Sunrise Purchase
CEO SUMMARY: Sonic Healthcare Limited of Sydney, Australia, continues to open its checkbook and purchase independent laboratory companies here in the United States. The latest deal is its agreement to purchase Sunrise Medical Laboratories of Hauppauge, New York, for as much as $168 millio…
GE’s Deal for Abbott IVD Collapses Last Week
CEO SUMMARY: Both companies have said little about their mutual decision, announced last week, to kill the pending sale of Abbott Diagnostics and Point-of-Care businesses to General Electric. One probability is that GE decided, during due diligence, that its willingness to pay a premium p…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 15 – October 27, 2025
The Dark Report examines the momentous decision by the VA to switch accreditors from The Joint Commission to CAP. Also, we analyze retractions in pathology journals to gain insight into scientific fraud.
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