Bios: Dr. Shane Purcell / Cristy Gupton / David Contorno
Dr. Shane Purcell
Restoring the patient-physician relationship every day.
Dr. Shane Purcell was born in Athens, GA and is a true Bulldog by birth. He graduated Mercer University School of Medicine after completing Armstrong State College in Savannah, GA. He went on to finish a family medicine residency in Anderson, SC were he continues to reside.
After completing residency, Dr. Purcell worked in private group practice for 3 years before opening his own cash-only primary care clinic in 2005. As he built his cash-only clinic, he was also working part time in a local urgent care facility. In 2008, he purchased a dormant medical clinic on the “wrong side of the tracks” and opened an urgent care and primary care clinic.
After gaining his freedom from third party captives, Dr. Purcell along with a colleague formed the first direct primary care clinic in Anderson County in 2015. Since then, he has been operating both his walk in clinic and the direct care clinic third party free. The direct primary care model has brought about a restoration of a relationship with patients broken by third party middlemen. Now, he can offer more access and more of his time to patients. Dr. Purcell firmly believes that the direct primary care model is the last hope for health care in America.
Dr. Purcell is an active member in several medical organizations including American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, Free Market Medical Association, Doc 4 Patient Care Foundation, DPC Alliance and American Academy of Family Physicians. He currently is the Vice Chair of the Direct Primary Care Member Interest Group for the AAFP and a founding member of the DPC Alliance and the Carolina’s Free Market Medical Association.
Cristy Gupton, PRESIDENT OF CUSTOM BENEFITS SOLUTIONS
Cristy Gupton is President of Custom Benefits Solutions, an employee benefits consulting firm serving WNC and surrounding areas. Cristy has seen that shining a light on the opaque nature of the cost/quality dilemma in healthcare can transform an employer's health plan, taking it from multi-year cost increases to a zero-trend, high-performing health plan with a sustainable outlook on the future. As she leads Custom Benefits Solutions, blazing new trails into the world of captives and group purchasing platforms, she is gaining the attention of national organizations as she attempts to reduce both the supply and demand for opiates as treatment for acute pain related to on-the-job injuries and musculoskeletal surgical procedures. Partnering with both state and federal agencies, Cristy endeavors to reform the culture of how pain management is provided by employer-sponsored health plans. A recent addition to the Health Rosetta Institute, an elite group of benefits advisers who employ high-performance techniques addressing the out-of-control healthcare costs in our current system, Cristy is sought after to help organizations bring their health plans back to being the employee retention tool they were originally intended to be. "
David Contorno
David is a native New Yorker and entered this field at the young age of 14 doing marketing for a major life insurance company. His customer focus, passion for his work, technology experience and performance plunged David into what would become a career of success.
During his 19 years in the insurance business, David has engaged in providing group insurance in various types of markets and industries ranging from manufacturing companies to privately held investment management companies. He has received numerous levels of recognition. To name a few: In 2004, he received a broker spotlight and was recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield as an outstanding broker of service and in 2005 through 2014, United Healthcare honored him with the Echelon Award reserved for the top 1% of agents nationally. David is a licensed agent in multiple states.
David serves on the Board of Directors for Healthreach Community Clinic. He also serves on the NC Insurance Commissioners Life and Health Agent Advisory Committee, as well as participating in the Technical Advisory Group that helped with the Market Reforms required under the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina. He is an active member in the Lake Norman and Moorseville-South Iredell Chambers of Commerce, and is also a member of the National, North Carolina, New York and Long Island Associations of Health Underwriters. In addition, he enjoys being a part of Rotary International, part of the membership drive for the United Way, assisting the local Habitat for Humanity Chapter, The Dove House Child Advocacy Center and participating in networking functions.
David’s background and visionary experience reflects his commitment to offer the finest access to affordable group benefits to all types of employer groups. When he is not working he enjoys boating, traveling, and being with his wife and their two children, Hannah and Ethan. See Full Resume