MercyOne, a top health care provider in Iowa, has a new leader.
The nonprofit announced Wednesday, May 20, that Robert Baxter will take over as its president and CEO on June 22.
The announcement comes six days after the Toledo Blade reported Baxter, who goes by Bob, had left his role as Toledo, Ohio, market president of Bon Secours Mercy Health, Ohio’s largest health care system, a position he had held since 2017. He will replace interim President and CEO Michael Taylor, a retired senior health care executive from Texas who has served since January.
Taylor, who replaced the retiring Robert Ritz, will remain part of MercyOne’s leadership through July 1 to help facilitate the transition, MercyOne said in a news release.
It said Baxter has more than 30 years of health care experience. In Toledo, he is credited with creating strategies to improve trauma performance, increase retention and recruitment, regionalize and negotiate new joint health ventures while leading Mercy Health to a five-star rating by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the release said.
He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and a MBA and a master’s in hospital and health administration from the University of Iowa. Prior to Toledo, his experience included leading St. Rita’s Health Partners in Lima, Ohio, and serving as chief operating officer of Rapid City Regional Hospital in South Dakota.
“Bob brings the right combination of leadership and operational expertise, which will allow us to build on the progress already underway while driving toward our goals for growth and long-term sustainability in our MercyOne communities,” Rob Casalou, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Trinity Health., owner of the MercyOne system, said in the release.
Baxter arrives at a challenging time in the health care industry. MercyOne, announcing March layoffs at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, said Trinity Health was facing an annual revenue reduction of $1.5 billion from recent and future government funding policy changes as well as reductions to coverage, payment and access to Medicaid and Medicare.
In April, MercyOne said it will close its South Des Moines Family Medicine and Urgent Care office on June 26.
Des Moines’ other major health care provider, UnityPoint, also has announced layoffs.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines’ MercyOne getting new president and CEO
Reporting by From staff reports, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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