Baptist Health Floyd names new Chief Medical Officer

NEW ALBANY, IN (June 2, 2026) - Eric Loeliger, MD, an emergency medicine physician with extensive leadership experience, has been named chief medical officer at Baptist Health Floyd.

Loeliger joined Baptist Health Floyd in April after spending the past 17 years in Oregon at Asante, where he rose through the ranks, serving as an emergency room physician, medical director, vice president of medical affairs, and chief clinical officer.

He said he was looking for a change and was impressed with Baptist Health Floyd after meeting hospital president Mike Schroyer and the leadership team.

“Mike has built a phenomenal executive team that is focused on the right things,” Loeliger said. “He is highly relatable and leads by example. He knows the people and is connected with the community. He advocates for health care at the state and even national level and is elevating the right leaders. After interviewing at many other hospitals, I was attracted to the energy at Baptist Health Floyd.”

Loeliger said his role as chief medical officer is to remove barriers for medical staff and nurses so they can continue to do their best work.

“We always want to look for growth opportunities and ways to better connect with the community while improving quality. It starts with an engaged workforce,” he said. “I have been deeply impressed by the dedication of the people here.”

Loeliger was born in Indiana but spent only a few months in the state before his family moved to Tokyo when he was 5. His father was a professor at a university in Tokyo. After finishing high school there, Loeliger returned to the United States for college.

Rather than attending medical school immediately after earning his undergraduate degree, he accepted a position with a chemical manufacturing company, where he worked for 10 years. During that time, he focused on business development, helping launch operations in Central and South America and the Far East. After relocating back to Tokyo and later to Canada, he decided to change career paths.

Loeliger began medical school at age 32 at New York Medical College, where he was the oldest student in a class of 200. After graduating, he completed his residency at the University of New Mexico and began practicing medicine at age 40.

“I always had a desire to go to medical school,” he said. “I wanted to give something back.”

He worked for three years as an emergency room physician in North Dakota before spending 17 years at Asante in Oregon.

“We are very honored and excited to have Dr. Loeliger join our executive team as chief medical officer at Baptist Health Floyd. He brings an extensive amount of knowledge, skill and experience that will be instrumental in helping us to continue to maintain and improve our overall quality, safety, outcomes, and patient satisfaction,” Schroyer said. “He has already established himself as a strong leader for our medical staff and hospital.” 

Loeliger, who is married and has two children, said he is eager to connect with the community and is excited about living in southern Indiana and serving as chief medical officer at Baptist Health Floyd.

“The beauty of a CMO role is listening to the community,” he said. “Health care doesn’t start when you walk through the door — it starts with prevention, increasing access, and partnering with the community. That is happening here. Every initiative we take should begin with the question: ‘Does this improve patient outcomes and make our patients better off?’ We always put patients first.”

He added that he strives to be accessible and available to medical staff.

“I want people to feel like I am part of the team and available to help however I can,” he said. “And to the community, I am truly happy to be here.”