Ciprian Marius Bujor: Shaping the Future of Medicine and That Each One of Us Has a Voice and a Role in It

Telios Care is a pioneer of telemedicine in Romania and for the moment the real provider of these kinds of medical services in this market. We are registered as a medical clinic and we are actually in the process of building a brick and mortar clinic in one of the most innovative cities in the country, Cluj-Napoca.

The company’s founders brought more than 20 years of experience in the field of telemedicine from the US. The team is formed in an innovative and inclusive culture, oriented to bring value to the communities we work and live in. It is built from scratch, bringing together professionals from different business areas and medical specialists, doctors, nurses and other auxiliary personnel. We consider that we are shaping the future of medicine and that each one of us has a voice and a role in it.

Tell us about yourself?

I am a senior professional with expertise in sales, training, management of teams and financial services. I worked for almost 10 years in insurance, with some of the best teams in Romania, for insurers and brokers. I am really interested in innovation and I always tried to be part of it. When I first met the guys from Telios, especially our CEO and founder Philip Choban, I was seduced by the fresh approaches they were bringing and the perspective of being part of something great, innovative and challenging.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

We are inspired everyday by our clients and partners. We try to understand their needs and to deliver them the best solutions in the market. We are also very involved in our communities and our CSR efforts play a big part in our work. Telios’s services are designed to offer quick, easy and affordable care, not only for those that can pay, but also for those who need them the most: elderly or disabled people, children, those who are in financial distress or that can’t care properly for themselves.

What is your magic sauce?

Telios Care’s services are being used by more than 100 000 people right now with a degree of satisfaction of more than 97%. We provide access to a digital ecosystem where people can find answers to most of their medical challenges, but not for those that require an emergency response. From this perspective, we consider ourselves more of a complementary medical and wellbeing services provider than a competition to insurers or especially for the rest of the classical medical providers.

In recent years we partnered with insurers, brokers and other companies to implement new products. These products respond and are adapted to the needs of a society going through a process of automation and digitalization, boosted by the recent pandemic.  Our services can be accessed in a timely manner by anyone with an internet connection, using a browser or directly via our proprietary application, either from Android or iOS systems.

Where do you see your company going in 5 years time?

Our vision is to develop this ecosystem through which we provide hybrid care for everyone. We want to make sure this care is top notch, affordable and accessible anytime, anywhere. We work everyday to make this happen and to bring the best level of service, experience and satisfaction to our beneficiaries.

What has been your biggest setback so far?

I prefer to call them challenges. From the beginning we knew that our job will be difficult, especially in a country where legislation is still behind most EU countries and where health budgets, both in private and public sectors are somewhat limited.

Also, most Romanians don’t have continuous and free access to medical services and are used to going to see a doctor in person, even for the most minor matters, losing time and money. As more than 70% of medical problems can be addressed by telephone or using an online option, we managed to bring patients closer to the doctors and to help them find proper solutions most of the time in a matter of minutes.

What is the next big challenge for your business?

The pandemic showed us that we as a society have a great adaptation in times of distress. Also, in our field, we found resources to expand our partnerships and sales capabilities. At Telios, we invested massively in people and in technology, to be part of this shift in the way people will access medical services in the future, and that future is for sure digital and connected online.

There are still a lot of things to be done, like changing and adapting legislation and also mentalities. But we are very positive about this and we believe in our mission: affordable quality care, anytime, anywhere.

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

We are very open to partner with companies that share the same perspective and especially with people that can bring value to our mission. We started an internship program this year and we were very impressed by the way the new generations position themselves in a continuous fast paced and changing environment.

We also work closely with institutional and corporate partners. Those who are keen to learn more about our work or want to be part of our story can find us through our website telios.ro. We will always welcome constructive feedback or collaboration.