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
Michigan’s JVHL Partners With AMA to Use LOINC
CEO SUMMARY: Office-based physicians in Michigan can use a program offered by the American Medical Association (AMA) to get assistance in adapting their electronic medical record (EMR) systems to utilize LOINC for lab test ordering and lab test results reporting. This service is …
July 05, 2011 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Two laboratory companies based in Spokane, Washington, were recently recognized in a list of Washington State’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2011. One was Incyte Pathology, Inc., an anatomic pathology group. The other was Pathology Associates Medical Laboratori…
Will Medi-Cal Price Case Bring More Enforcement?
CEO SUMMARY: It was on May 19 that the California Attorney General and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated signed an agreement to settle allegations that Quest Diagnostics overcharged Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. It is expected that the California Attorney General will no…
Quest Diagnostics Settles Medi-Cal Qui Tam Case
CEO SUMMARY: On May 19, the California Attorney General announced a $241 million agreement with Quest Diagnostics Incorporated that represents the largest settlement in the history of California’s False Claims Act. At issue in this whistle- blower lawsuit were allegations that Qu…
Understanding the Deal With Medi-Cal and Quest
CEO SUMMARY: It is now possible to see the specific language in the “Settlement Agreement and Release” document executed by the California State Attorney General and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. For those clinical lab managers—and the attorneys who represent their labora…
Quest Diagnostics to File Regular Reports with DHCS
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists, clinical lab executives, and lawyers in California are going to find some surprises when they study the “Settlement Agreement and Release” that was recently signed by the California Attorney General and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. Quest Diagnost…
Medi-Cal Deal Raises Interesting Questions
CEO SUMMARY: From the perspective of the average citizen, it would appear that Quest Diagnostics scored two major “wins” over the California Attorney General in the negotiations as to how the whistleblower lawsuit was to be settled. Language in the settlement agreement would …
What Comes Next in Battle Over Discount Lab Prices?
CEO SUMMARY: Now that the settlement involving Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and the California Attorney General has been announced, attention turns to what comes next with the four remaining defendant lab companies in the whistle-blower lawsuit. There are several different scen…
June 13, 2011 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
In coming weeks, Agendia, probably best known for its genetic breast cancer test, hopes to complete an initial public offering (IPO). Agendia is a company based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands with offices in Irvine, California. Its stock symbol will be “AGDX” and the shares will t…
Labs Learn About ACOs And Medical Homes
IN JUST SEVEN MONTHS, the age of accountable care organizations (ACO) begins. On January 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will commence contracting with ACOs. ACOs are one of the major reforms spelled out in the 2,700-page health reform law that President Obama si…
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.
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