Robert Baxter, a longtime healthcare executive, has been named as the new president and CEO of MercyOne after a nationwide search.
The Iowa-based MercyOne announced his appointment in a news release Wednesday, May 20. He will begin his new duties on Monday, June 22.
Mr. Baxter will succeed Michael Taylor, who has served in an interim capacity since the beginning of January. Mr. Taylor, who replaced the retiring President and CEO Robert “Bob” Ritz, will remain at MercyOne through Wednesday, July 1, to ensure a smooth transition, the release said.
Mr. Baxter is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), the premier board certification credential in healthcare management.
He brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience to his new post. Most recently, he served as president of the Toledo, Ohio, market for Bon Secours Mercy Health – Ohio’s largest healthcare system. There, he created strategies to improve trauma performance, increase retention and recruitment, regionalize and negotiate new joint ventures while leading Mercy Health to a CMS Five-Star rating.
In joining MercyOne, Mr. Baxter returns to the state where he earned his MBA and MA in Hospital and Health Administration at the University of Iowa. He will be based in Des Moines.
MercyOne is headquartered in central Iowa and is a member of Trinity Health, based in Livonia, Michigan, one of the largest not-for-profit Catholic healthcare systems in the nation.
“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, Trinity Health’s executive vice president and associate chief operating officer, said in the release.
MercyOne reach
In his new position, Mr. Baxter will be responsible for setting strategic direction, advancing the Mission and ensuring operational excellence across all MercyOne. The organization employs more than 20,000 colleagues across its more than 230 clinics, medical centers, hospitals and care locations throughout the state of Iowa and beyond.
In the Quad Cities region, MercyOne employs about 5,500 including employees at MercyOne Genesis hospitals in Davenport and MercyOne Genesis Silvis. Genesis joined MercyOne, an Iowa-based system of health services, on March 1, 2023. In October of 2024, the health care system rolled out the MercyOne Genesis name and brand in the Quad Cities area market.
