S3E01 - Clarifying Fiduciary Duties with Christin Deacon

Cristy Gupton and Christin Deacon have a great discussion about ERISA fiduciary duty and how Christin Deacon has been actively impacting the healthcare industry in positive ways.

Show Notes

Can the law impact healthcare?

Healthcare professional and lawyer, Christin Deacon, is known for her work as a public sector leader who oversaw the New Jersey State Health Plan. In this position, Deacon created positive change for the state of New Jersey and saved 2 billion dollars for the plan’s members.

Healthcare professional and host, Cristy Gupton, interviews Christin Deacon on the Mass. Health and Welfare Fund v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. During the interview, the two discuss and clarify confusion related to ERISA Fiduciary Duties.

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Christin Deacon

Our Guest

Christin Deacon has a deep understanding of the fiduciary role health plan administrators hold and should be leveraging in order to drive value for their plan sponsors and members. Deacon recently formed VerSan Consulting, LLC in order to educate and engage employers to be more prudent purchasers of healthcare. From creative procurement methodologies and demanding contracts, to population health initiatives and primary care investment, Deacon believes that large employer-sponsored health plans not only have an opportunity – but an obligation – to drive health care transformation that delivers value for the market.

Prior to founding VerSan Consulting, Deacon ran one of the largest health plans in the country for New Jersey Department of Treasury, which covered over 820k public sector lives, including state employees, teachers and uniformed professionals. During her tenure, Deacon was credited with helping the State save over $3 billion through a number of initiatives, including more oversight, procurement strategy, and strict accountability for the vendors with which the State engaged. Deacon has also served as a Deputy Attorney General, and then Special Counsel to Governor Christie where she oversaw Department of Banking and Insurance, Economic Development Authority and Treasury.

Cristy Gupton

Your Host

Cristy Gupton is an employee benefits advisor and President of Custom Benefits Solutions. Cristy has been part of the employee benefits industry since 1998 and has been named to Employee Benefits Advisor Magazine’s Top 20 Women in Benefits Advising in both 2018 and 2020. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Health from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in Health Benefits Design and Health Informatics from University of Lynchburg.

Cristy belongs to an elite group of benefits advisors called the Health Rosetta and another similar group called Mitigate Partners. Health Rosetta advisors commit to transparency in all their business endeavors, guiding and teaching employers and employees about health plan design and accessing the highest quality healthcare at the lowest possible cost. Cristy is a sought-after speaker on healthcare cost/quality issues and is a national thought-leader and expert on Direct Primary Care; specifically, how DPC doctors’ memberships can be embedded into employer-sponsored health plans, lowering costs, and improving the patient experience. Cristy has written articles for BenefitsPro Magazine and Physician Outlook Magazine. She leads the NC/SC Chapter of the Free Market Medical Association and the DisruptHR Asheville Chapter.


Copyright 2023, Cristy Gupton
The Healthcare Solutions Podcast

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