Pioneer Award 2021 - Jeff Heaphy

Jeff Heaphy began his career working for a small Ohio-based nursing home group in Dayton for three years before joining Plante Moran in 1986. He spent the next thirty-five years at Plante Moran before retiring on June 30, 2021.

During his time in Dayton, Jeff worked very closely with the finance, operations, and clinical areas within the nursing home company. This was an invaluable period for Jeff as he became a Licenced Nursing Home Administrator and coupled those skills with his finance and accounting background to help him gain a deep understanding of how the senior care industry functions. Jeff opened Plante Morans Dublin office, now known as the Columbus office, in 1991 and became a partner in 1992. The Columbus office has grown from a team of two in 1991 to a team of over one hundred and twenty today.

During this time, Jeff and Plante Moran became active associate members of OHCA. He was introduced to OHCA by Pat Kriner and Harry Hooyenga and quickly became involved as a board member and treasurer of the OHCA Educational Foundation during its early years. Jeff also served on the OHCA board for several years. He was an active member of the OHCAs payment and reimbursement committee for over thirty years, chairing the group for several years. Jeff truly enjoyed working and interacting with clients and senior living professionals, helping them grow their businesses and helping their residents thrive. In addition, Jeff advocated for the profession numerous times with state and federal agencies, devoting his expertise to help develop and interpret reimbursement systems and rules. He enjoyed being a speaker at many educational events for OHCA and other healthcare associations across the country. He taught the finance and reimbursement portion of the core of knowledge for nursing home administrators for over twenty-five years.