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
CDC Seeks to Identify Best Laboratory Practices
CEO SUMMARY: To advance the goal of enhancing the practice of laboratory medicine, the CDC has organized two teams of laboratory experts. They will study best practices and proficiency testing in medical labs nationwide. Such approaches as lab standards, voluntary reporting of adverse eve…
January 29, 2007 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
To make its laboratory test results available to physicians via cellular telephones and wireless PDAs, Spectrum Laboratory Network of Greensboro, North Carolina, will use the MercuryMD service of Thompson Healthcare . Spectrum sales reps will install MercuryMD on th…
Key Trends Drive Change for Clinical Laboratories
CEO SUMMARY: Technology plays an ever-growing role in reshaping the organization and operation of clinical laboratories. New technologies figure prominently in THE DARK REPORT’S 2007 list of key trends in the clinical laboratory industry. Technological advances in instr…
January 8, 2007 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
It’s fast becoming a wireless world in the nation’s hospitals. A survey of 300 healthcare executives and upper-level managers published by Healthcare Informatics reveals that 72% of those surveyed have a combination of wireless and hard-wired systems in their hospitals. Another 5% of those survey…
Sonic Pays $180 Million In Acquisition of AEL
CEO SUMMARY: In a transaction that was quietly negotiated, Sonic Healthcare Ltd. will purchase American Esoteric Laboratories, Inc. (AEL). News of the sale was released Friday and the sale may close in early January. Once it owns AEL, Sonic will have a major presence in Memphis, Tennessee…
Product Cuts Claim Denials, Boosts Payment from Insurers
ONE CONSEQUENCE OF THE GROWTH of high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts (HSAs) is that clinical labs and pathology groups need to collect larger amounts directly from patients. As predicted by THE DARK REPORT last year, bad debt levels are rising in communities where enrollment in …
2006’s Top Lab Stories Identify New Threats
CEO SUMMARY: Presented here are THE DARK REPORT’S “Ten Biggest Lab Stories of 2006.” Compared to earlier years, 2006 was not transformative for the laboratory industry. But it was an eventful year, particularly influenced by Siemens’ decision to acquire DPC and Bayer Diagnostics, …
Pathologist Is on Board Of Central Florida RHIO
CEO SUMMARY: Participation in the development and implementation of Central Florida’s nascent regional health information organization (RHIO) is helping Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL), of Austin, Texas, achieve four strategic goals. Philip Chen, M.D., Ph.D., CPL’s Vice Presiden…
There is Steady Convergence In Lab Operations Worldwide
IS THERE AN ACCELERATING CONVERGENCE OF LABORATORY OPERATIONS by major clinical laboratories throughout the world? In recent weeks, THE DARK REPORT has seen tantalizing evidence that the answer to this question should be “yes.” This trend has strategic implications for independent commercial lab…
December 18, 2006 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Last Friday, Luminex Corporation of Austin, Texas announced that it would acquire Tm Bioscience Corp. of Toronto, Ontario. Luminex will pay $44 million, which represents a 41.5% premium for Tm shares based on the December 14 closing price. Tm Bioscience has tests for DNA-based diagno…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 14 – October 6, 2025
The Dark Report examines increasing healthcare costs for employers and how clinical labs can help those employers. Also, an in-depth case study shows how one hospital system regained its outreach program after originally ceding it to a national lab company, adding millions to the system’s bottom line.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
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