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
Michel Wins Investigative Reporting Award from Peers
IN A PRESTIGIOUS JOURNALISM CONTEST conducted by NEPA (Newsletter and Electronic Publishers Association), THE DARK REPORT’S Editor-In-Chief, Robert L. Michel, was recognized last month in the category of “best investigative reporting” for his story series on anatomic pathology …
Payer Consolidation: United Buys Pacificare
CEO SUMMARY: For the second time in nine months, a health insurer company has spent around $9 billion to grow by acquisition. This time, it is UnitedHealth Group purchasing PacifiCare Health Systems. These types of deals impact local labs and pathology groups as existing contracts expire….
Consumer-Directed Healthcare by Mango
CEO SUMMARY: This former laboratory executive declares that Consumer-Driven Healthcare Plans (CDHPs) are “the most significant development in health insurance since the widespread introduction of HMOs in the 1980s.” Paul Mango, now at McKinsey & Co., has plenty of good news for la…
Techniques to Defend Against Patient ID Theft
CEO SUMMARY: It’s a crime that can strike anyone anywhere— and usually without warning. In fact, identity theft is the July 4 cover story in Newsweek Magazine. However, clients of THE DARK REPORT got the lab industry’s first warnings on this fast-growing crime months ago. To help la…
Amazing New IT Products Arriving in Healthcare Market
TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS are triggering a flow of remarkable new information technology (IT) products into the healthcare marketplace. Not all of these products will gain a foothold, but some have the potential to trigger radical changes in how information flows between patient, provider, and payer. H…
“July 11, 2005 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
There’s been strong growth at two companies featured in Fortune Magazine’s 2005 list of “America’s Fastest-Growing Small Public Companies.” Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. earned a ranking as number 28 on the list. Bio-Reference Laboratories, Inc. was ranked …
DOJ Sends Subpoenas To Quest & LabCorp
CEO SUMMARY: In Newark, New Jersey, the Office of the U.S. Attorney served subpoenas to each of the two blood brothers, seeking information on “capitation and risk-sharing arrangements with government and private payers for the years 1993 through 1999.” At this point, little is known …
Crime In the Lab Industry: A Poor Track Record
CEO SUMMARY: In a remarkable finding, THE DARK REPORT demonstrates how 17.5% of the public laboratory companies in operation since 1990 have had an existing or former CEO indicted for federal crimes! This is a powerful statement about business practices in the laboratory industry and the …
National HIPAA Conference Overlooks Patient ID Theft
IN APRIL, SEVERAL THOUSAND PRIVACY OFFICERS and HIPAA compliance officers gathered in New Orleans for the Health Care Compliance Association’s (HCCA) “2005 Compliance Institute.” THE DARK REPORT was in attendance to learn about new issues and concerns for provider compliance w…
Patient ABNs Can Save On Expensive Send-outs
CEO SUMMARY: Throughout the United States, the growing number of high-priced, patent-protected specialty tests is eating into the laboratory budgets of many hospitals. At Hospital Consolidated Laboratories in Southfield, Michigan, this budget-busting threat triggered an innovative respons…
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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