Member in Spotlight, Telios Care

Sun | 14.06.2020

Healthcare

Started in 2017, Telios Care, was created to provide leading edge telemedicine services to the people in Eastern Europe. Its mission is to empower patients with easier access to healthcare, thus enabling them to live better. Telios is the pioneer of telemedicine in Romania and has grown exponentially every year for the past three years as it continues to build its internal team to meet the ever-growing demand for its services.

With a strong and growing foothold in Romania, Telios is also working to expand internationally as demand for its services are coming from surrounding countries.

With access to health professionals by phone, video or online, Telios empowers patients to take control of their health.

CEO Biographic Information: Philip Choban

Philip Choban is the founder and CEO of the company, and the one leading Telios with all that entails: strategy, finance, implementation and marketing. His experience is rich and complex: investments, finance - banks, private placements, real estate, trade and manufacturing. Philips has been involved in successful start-ups all over the world, and has lived in Hong Kong, Indonesia, India and Romania.

Philip moved to Romania from the United States in 2009. He came to the country at the request of his wife Carmen, who was Romanian and had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease since 2005. He cared for Carmen until her death in 2015. It was during this time that Philip made a commitment to stay in Romania and do something to improve the access of ordinary people to a high-performance health system. Thus, Telios was born.

Philip Choban is, among others, the ambassador for Romania of the Purple Angel organization in Great Britain. The purpose of the association is to provide information and support to people who have relatives diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He continues to be involved in Alzheimer's education and awareness projects today.

He is also the ambassador for the HEART (Health Education and Research Talks) in Cluj-Napoca. This organization is part of UMF-Cluj and is dedicated to educating and opening the minds of future doctors. It is Philip's belief that the students of today are the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.

Dedicated interview with CEO of Telios Care SA, Philip Choban: Telemedicine Is the Future

‘Telemedicine’ is a new term for most of us. It is the process of using digital technology (ex: phone, video, online messaging) to foster healthcare interactions that improve a patient’s health status. As we all can agree, the ‘phone’ sitting in your pocket right now has radically altered the way we do life and now it is changing the way we do healthcare. What was once only a ‘cell phone’ is now a shopping cart, credit card, bank account, calendar, encyclopedia, phone book, game system, flashlight, camera, and more. This now ubiquitous device has become a medical clinic and a new access point to healthcare.

How does it work, in practice?

With its proprietary, GDPR compliant technology platform, Telios is able to provide patients 24/7 access to doctors by telephone and video. The board certified Telios physicians speak directly with the patient and are able to diagnose and prescribe treatment for the patient. The Telios patient portal also gives pacients the ability to directly message any of twenty different Telios medical specialty teams including pediatricians, dermatologists, psychologists, and many more. Patients are able to include attachments allowing the Telios online specialists the ability to view pictures, lab results, x-rays, patient records, etc. Whether a major health episode or a simple curiosity, patients can ask whatever they want, whenever they want and always get a personal answer from the Telios medical professional. Providing the most comprehensive telemedicine solution in Romania, no other company can match Telios in the various ways its members can access medical professionals or its breadth of available specialists.

Who benefits from your services, or in other words, what is the public that Telios tries to reach?

For the last three years Telios has been providing telemedicine service to companies and patients in Romania. Patients can use their phone or computer to access Telios physicians and specialists 24/7 by phone, video or secure online messaging. Patients can ask whatever they want, whenever they want and always get personal medical care from the medical team. Telios is covering a large and diverse number of patients that all need protection from Covid-19 and access to healthcare services delivered remotely.

What about companies, can they contract your services as part of the benefits package for their employees?

Telios is increasingly seeing demand from companies wanting to provide its telemedicine services to employees. Many companies are unable to pay for expensive healthcare coverage yet they want to provide affordable, valuable benefits like telemedicine. With Telios, full-time or part-time employees can have 24/7 access to healthcare. While companies can benefit from reduced absenteeism and fewer insurance claims, employees can catch problems earlier, save time and money on unnecessary office visits, and find peace of mind for those upsetting but non critical health issues and concern.

What about telemedicine in the context of the current pandemic?

Telemedicine is proving to be a key tool in providing care during this pandemic and it is finally getting the attention it deserves. Patients are able to have healthcare access without risking exposure by unnecessarily going to a clinic or hospital. For patients who may be sick or exposed to the virus, telemedicine can help monitor the patient and advise them on appropriate courses of action while they are in quarantine, thus reducing the potential for further spreading. While telemedicine can’t cure all that ails the healthcare space, it is certainly a key tool as we battle rising costs, doctor shortages, access issues, and more.

How do you see the future of telemedicine?

When I look at all the years of telemedicine experience among our management team, this is the most unique time any of us have ever encountered in the industry. It wasn’t until this pandemic that the idea of ‘telemedicine’ became mainstream in Romania and now we believe it is here to stay. The Covid-19 virus we face today is likely going to remain a menace for quite some time but it is only one of many reasons why telemedicine is so important. Telemedicine can help combat the pending doctor shortages and long wait times as it helps people make the most of their healthcare resources. Telemedicine is fast becoming the first line of defense in healthcare and it is best equipped to treat the simple health issues and help direct people to the right level of care when appropriate. The future of telemedicine remains bright as it starts to become a ‘normal’ part of our personal healthcare ecosystem. Many exciting enhancements are around the corner as telemedicine more closely integrates with clinics and embraces the upcoming medical revolution that will be enabled through the deployment of 5G internet. The best is yet to come.

SERVICES

Telios currently provides two service levels within its telemedicine program:

24/7 Telemedicine – In less than 20 minutes on average, patients can be connected by telephone or video with a board-certified Romanian physician that will personally diagnose the patient and provide a detailed treatment path.
Online Specialists – users can securely login to the Telios portal and personally message 20 different medical specialists. Users can ask whatever they want, whenever they want, and get personal answers from the specialist of their choice.

If you have any questions for Telios Care, please email Calin Buzan at calin.buzan@telios.ro

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