CORAZON FOUNDER NAMED FINALIST FOR ERNST & YOUNG
'ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR'
Annual Award to Recognize Entrepreneurial Business Leaders Around the World

May 27, 2003 - Pittsburgh, PA—Jackie Johnson, President and Founder of Pittsburgh-based Corazon Consulting, has been selected as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year. This annual award recognizes the most successful entrepreneurial business leaders in more than 30 countries around the world.

Based on her reputation for innovation in bringing successful strategic planning and implementation to top performing cardiovascular programs, Johnson has assisted dozens of top-notch healthcare organizations across the country in devising best business practices and delivering outstanding clinical expertise to all types of cardiac and vascular service lines.

Starting with just a handful of employees, she has built Corazon Consulting into a multi-million dollar enterprise in just two years to become one of the fastest growing companies in the highly specialized business of cardiovascular program development and design.

“I share this recognition with the entire team of Heart Experts at Corazon,” said Johnson. “We have achieved remarkable entrepreneurial success as a result of each individual’s dedication and commitment to excellence in the cardiac care service industry. When I started this business, it was under a single premise – to be the best quality provider of strategic business planning and clinical expertise to healthcare executives and physicians.”

Johnson holds one of the most impressive track records in strategic cardiovascular program development in the country, and she has revolutionized the industry designing proven business models and strategies for success. Johnson led the introduction of a packaged cardiovascular product into the Pittsburgh market and successfully pioneered the service line management model.

Johnson and her team of “Heart Experts” have just launched their first book, “Getting to the Heart of It: Proven Strategies to Bypass the Competition in Cardiovascular Services.” As lead author, this first-of-its-kind industry publication is infused with Johnson’s insights and methodology, along with the many experiences and comments from her consulting team. It includes extensive peer review from more than 70 healthcare leaders across the country.

Johnson began her career as a coronary care nurse and was the first Executive Director of The Heart Institute at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. She holds an RN, a BSN from Pennsylvania State University , and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Her community involvement is reflected in her commitment to the charitable efforts she supports in the Pittsburgh are such as The Family Hospice, where she serves on the Board of Directors; and Heart Camp, a special place for children and teens with heart disease. (A portion of the proceeds of Corazon’s new book benefits Heart Camp.)

Corazon is a recognized leader in strategic cardiovascular program development, assisting clients through the full spectrum of consulting services from feasibility study and business planning through implementation of services. The Corazon team of Heart Experts has assisted healthcare leaders and physicians in tertiary centers and community hospital settings to bring specialized advice and progressive thinking in cardiovascular services to strategic planning, market assessments and financial analyses, clinical operations and new technology, Heart Centers and Heart Hospitals, physician-hospital partnering, best practice benchmarks, and staffing models and staff education for well-developed or newly established cardiovascular programs. Corazon pioneered the application of the Universal Bed in cardiovascular care delivery and brings firsthand experience with service line management as a progressive organizational means for healthcare providers. Corazon is a 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Company and one of the 2004 “ Pittsburgh 100” Companies.

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