Robert Yonash, a registered nurse, has been with the Patient Safety Authority (PSA) since 2009 as the patient safety advisor for the Southwest region of Pennsylvania. In this role, he is responsible for working with his regional medical facilities to assist them in the reduction and elimination of medical errors. In this position, Robert has been assigned to a number of projects including the statewide CMS Partnership for Patients Hospital Engagement Network Wrong-Site Surgery Prevention Collaboration and the Patient Safety Authority/Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists Wrong-Site Block Initiative. Robert is a Core Team Lead for the PSA’s Center of Excellence for Improving Diagnosis. He provides guidance and support for healthcare facilities, systems, providers, and patients to decrease harm from diagnostic errors. Robert is a member of the American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety and has attained certification as a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) and Certified Six Sigma Lean Green Belt in Healthcare. He is also a master trainer in TeamSTEPPS.
Before coming to the PSA, Robert worked as a Health Facility Quality Examiner (Surveyor) in the Pittsburgh Field Office for the Pennsylvania Department of Health Division of Acute and Ambulatory Care. He also held a similar position with the Department of Health Division of Nursing Care Facilities. In these positions, he was charged with surveying a range of healthcare facilities including hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, and nursing homes for compliance with state and federal (CMS) regulations as well as federal organ transplant regulations.
Robert is a graduate of Penn State University and has held numerous registered nursing positions in a number of hospitals and nursing homes in southwestern Pennsylvania.
