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 $280 million (prior to its acquisition by MetPath, Inc., now Quest Diagnostics Incorporated). He traveled extensively to many of the clinical lab business units owned by Nichols Institute in different regions of the United States and played a role in formulating effective market strategies in response to the emergence of closed-panel HMOs, capitated pricing, and full-risk managed care contracts, among other successful management initiatives.
Prior to his service at Nichols Institute, Michel served at three different Fortune 100 companies. These were Procter & Gamble, Centex Corporation, and Financial Corp. of America. Each was an opportunity to master new management techniques and apply them in different industries. Between these positions, he gained experience as an entrepreneur, having founded a real estate development firm and a general contracting company in the Southeastern United States.
Robert Michel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played rugby, a sport he participated in for another 22 years. He is a native of California and grew up in Santa Ana.
Articles by Robert Michel
October 16, 2006 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
American Esoteric Laboratories, Inc. today announced that it has signed an extended, five-year contract to provide reference and esoteric testing services to the 14-hospital Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation (BMHCC) in Memphis, Tennessee. This relationship was…
Increased Competition For Hospital Lab Referrals
CEO SUMMARY: It’s a buyer’s market for hospital send-out testing because the supply of such tests exceeds demand. To fill excess capacity in their labs, some reference/esoteric lab companies are willing to offer rock-bottom prices to new clients. This situation is also motivating nati…
Buyer of MDS’ Canadian Labs Agrees to Pay C$ 900 Million
CANADA’S LARGEST CHAIN OF CLINICAL LABORATORIES will change hands in a deal revealed on September 7, 2006 by Toronto’s The Globe and Mail. MDS Inc. will apparently sell its diagnostics division to Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc., a private equit…
Some Random Insights About LabCorp’s Thinking
CEO SUMMARY: Having scooped up a number of mid-sized laboratory companies in recent years, Laboratory Corporation of America is working to integrate these operations and continue to expand its market share. In a recent conversation with financial analyst Bill Bonnello of Wachovia Securiti…
Middleware Produces Data In Real Time for Lab Managers
CEO SUMMARY: With sustained pressure on laboratories to cut costs, reduce errors, and raise quality, lab managers need faster access to detailed information about lab work processes. One solution is to use middleware to collect data in real time from the LIS and other sources, then analyz…
Walk-In Clinics in Retail Stores Is Hot New Healthcare Trend
HERE’S A NEW HEALTHCARE BUSINESS MODEL THAT IS POISED to transform primary care in the United States and is likely to upset any number of traditional clinical relationships in this country. The business model is the walk-in, 15-minute clinic located in a retail store. These types of clinics can al…
September 25, 2006 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
On September 8, Becton, Dickinson & Company (BD) announced that it would acquire TriPath Imaging, Inc. for a purchase price of approximately $350 million. TriPath’s share price has not moved significantly over the past five years, so many shareholders were push…
Sonic Healthcare & CPL Make First Acquisition
CEO SUMMARY: Expanding from its base in Texas, Clinical Pathology Laboratories, Inc. (CPL) has acquired Cognoscenti Health Institute, LLC of Orlando, Florida. The deal was done discreetly and gives Sonic Healthcare, Ltd., parent of CPL, a solid foothold in Florida. Cognoscenti has also ma…
Bio-Reference Enters DNA Sequencing Market
CEOSUMMARY: Bio-Reference Laboratories has just placed an unexpected bet on the wide-open opportunities in genetic testing. The acquisition of GeneDX brings it a respected team of geneticists, capabilities in full DNA sequencing, and a proven track record in testing for rare and complex h…
Pathologists Contribute To Women’s Hospital
CEO SUMMARY: Speedier pathology reports and more active involvement with clinicians are two ways that the 15 pathologists at Pathology Group of the Mid-South help Baptist Memorial Women’s Hospital meet its goals of improved outcomes and a patient-friendly environment. Even with an off-s…
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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