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
Abaton.com Will Not Be Offered As Stand-Alone Lab Solution
EARLY-ADOPTER LABS now using Abaton.com for Web-based lab test ordering and results reporting will have to switch to a new software product. McKesson HBOC notified existing laboratory users of the Abaton.com product that it will no longer be supported as a stand-alo…
Public Labs Enjoy Boom Times As Revenues & Profits Climb
TAKEN COLLECTIVELY, second quarter earnings reports by public lab and pathology companies send a strong message: the lab industry is in the midst of a revenue and profit boom. It’s been more than a decade since every public lab and pathology company reported strong growth in both revenues and oper…
“May 21, 2001 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
As predicted in the last issue of THE DARK REPORT, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated did acquire all the remaining shares of MedPlus, Inc. which it didn’t already own. MedPlus offers a variety of clinical information products, including one to create and manage electr…
New England’s Path Lab Is Acquired by LabCorp
CEO SUMMARY: With growing regularity, owners of larger independent clinical laboratories are opting to sell to one of the public lab companies. This time it’s New Hampshire-based Path Lab, which agreed to be acquired by Laboratory Corporation of America. One intriguing aspect of…
Bigger Labs Have Always Coveted Hospital Testing
CEO SUMMARY: For almost two decades, the nation’s largest laboratory companies have, for all intents and purposes, been “locked out” of the market of hospital inpatient lab testing. Executives at commercial labs have long viewed hospital inpatient lab testing as an untapped market. …
Wall Street Journal Addresses Error Rates by Pathologists
MEDICAL ERRORS HAVE TAKEN center stage in the public eye, and recently the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) printed a prominent story about errors made by the pathology profession. On Friday, April 13, the WSJ’s “Health Journal” column on the front page of section two tackled the topic of pa…
Institute of Medicine Calls For 12 Medicare Lab Reforms
CEO SUMMARY: Since 1987, the clinical lab industry has endured almost non-stop cuts in the absolute level of Medicare reimbursement for lab testing. But the time may be ripe for laboratories to work together to effect far-reaching reforms to Medicare laboratory payment policies. Just as t…
Luminex Test Technology Entering Clinical Usage
CEO SUMMARY: Multi-analyte diagnostic testing is moving closer to widespread clinical usage. During the past 12 months, several of the nation’s largest laboratory companies have begun to use Luminex Corporation’s LabMAP™ system to generate patient test results. At the same time, the…
“April 30, 2001 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
It seems some companies serving the laboratory industry have learned the importance of having a better understanding of the inner workings of Washington, DC. Both Cerner Corporation and Specialty Laboratories, Inc. will add Nancy-Ann DeParle to their respective Board…
THE DARK REPORT Honors Lab “Movers & Shakers”
CEO SUMMARY: It’s time again to recognize and honor the lab industry’s strong leaders in innovative management. These laboratory executives are implementing business strategies designed to position their lab organizations to serve the changing needs of the healthcare system. Their vis…
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.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
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