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
Walgreens to Close 60 VillageMD Locations
From the Volume XXXI, No. 5 – April 8, 2024 Issue
CEO SUMMARY: Following substantial losses in fiscal 2023, Walgreens is working to cut costs and reduce overhead. One casualty in this effort will be the closure of 60 of the 360 primary care clinics in retail pharmacy stores built by Walgreens in recent years. These actions demonstrate th…
Pathologist Paul A. Brown, MD, MetPath Founder, Dies at 85
From the Volume XXXI, No. 5 – April 8, 2024 Issue
EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE PATHOLOGY PROFESSION LOST one of what some call “the two Lions of Pathology.” On January 24, 2024, Paul A. Brown, MD, aged 85, died at his home in Palm Beach, Florida. In 1967, Brown was the founder of Metropolitan Pathology Laboratory, Inc., based in Ne…
April 8, 2024, Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News
From the Volume XXXI, No. 5 – April 8, 2024 Issue
UnitedHealth Group stated that the cyberattack against Change Healthcare, a business unit of UnitedHealth’s Optum division, disrupted processing of approximately $14 billion in claims. The company discovered the cyberattack on Feb. 21 and said it d…
Final Rule on AI Transparency Can Benefit Clinical Labs
From the Volume XXXI, No. 5 – April 8, 2024 Issue
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND MACHINE LEARNING are becoming ubiquitous in today’s modern hospital systems and clinical laboratories. In response to these developments, federal officials issued a new rule that has major implications on how healthcare providers use artificial intelligence. T…
Change Healthcare Hit by Major Cyberattack
From the Volume XXXI, No. 4 – March 18, 2024 Issue
CEO SUMMARY: It was a classic ransomware attack against Change Healthcare, the business unit of Optum that is itself a division of UnitedHealth Group. On Feb. 21, this cyberattack shut down critical systems at Change Healthcare, such as those involved in accepting and forwarding prescript…
Examining the Worldwide Pathologist Shortage
From the Volume XXXI, No. 4 – March 18, 2024 Issue
CEO SUMMARY: Demand for pathology services is growing faster than the number of pathologists available to meet that demand. This is true for the United States and most other nations. Consequently, efforts are underway to more accurately measure the number of pathologists practicing in eac…
Genetics Company 23andMe Shares Update on Cyberattack
From the Volume XXXI, No. 4 – March 18, 2024 Issue
CONSUMER GENETICS HEALTHCARE AND BIOPHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY 23ANDME recently revealed that unauthorized access to millions of its customers’ personal information may have started earlier than the company previously reported. In its original U.S. Securities and Exchange Co…
Labcorp, Quest Diagnostics Discuss Q4 & 2023 Earnings
From the Volume XXXI, No. 4 – March 18, 2024 Issue
DURING RECENT EARNINGS CALLS WITH FINANCIAL ANALYSTS AND INVESTORS, both Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics discussed their fourth quarter (Q4) and full year 2023 financial results. Each reported some stability in the market for clinical laboratory testing services, reflected in the numbe…
March 18, 2024, Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News
From the Volume XXXI, No. 4 – March 18, 2024 Issue
In California last month, Quest Diagnostics entered into a settlement agreement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and nine local district attorneys. KCRA News of Sacramento reported that the “settlement resolves allegations that the company unlawfully disposed of …
Attorney Discusses Federal Cases Involving EKRA Violations by Labs
From the Volume XXXI, No. 4 – March 18, 2024 Issue
IT’S BEEN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS since Congress passed the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (EKRA). Lab managers and their attorneys quickly recognized that, whereas the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) has a safe harbor that permits percentage-based sales commissions to W2 employees, EKRA does…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXI, No. 6 – April 29, 2024
Laboratory managers will want to note that The Dark Report itself was targeted by the fraudsters who hit Change Health in a cyberattack. Also, one lab has some innovative methods of combatting the chronic staffing shortage, including hiring college graduates and students.
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