Most people know Sollis for our immediate, 24/7 in-person emergency care. We love being there for members during life's most critical moments—but we're just as committed to showing up for the smaller needs, too, from one-time prescription refills to middle-of-the-night medical questions, to helping them connect to the providers they need.

That's where our Virtual Care Team comes in. This behind-the-scenes group of coordinators and clinicians isn't simply available—it's here, wherever you are, whenever you need us. Our virtual care is what makes Sollis the most flexible, hands-on provider in concierge medicine.

We sat down with Ben Popescu, PA-C, Director of Virtual Care, to get to know the person behind the model and learn how his team shows up anytime, anywhere, to assist our members.

From Romania to the Bronx: Ben's Path to Virtual Care 

Ben's path to virtual care wasn't a straight line. Growing up in a first-generation Romanian family, he spent summers back home on medical mission trips, getting early exposure to healthcare and its many challenges.  

“I was sort of seeing the gap in the medical care that could be offered there,” he says, “and recognizing some of the gaps we have back in the States." 

He started college in chemical engineering before shifting into molecular biology and a master's in biochemistry, then trained as a physician assistant (PA) in New York, where he worked in emergency medicine in the Bronx. From there, he helped build and scale virtual care programs at various healthcare providers before joining Sollis Health. 

"What really drew me to this role was the way Sollis is set up as a market maker and what differentiates it,” Ben says. “The way Sollis is set up is very unique.” 

No App, No Waiting—Just Answers 

Traditional telemedicine is scheduled, with predictable slots where patients book ahead or, if they need care now, where they wait hopefully for an opening. Sollis is different.  

"Our virtual program really is on call at all times,” says Ben. “We’re here when the member needs us to be. The fact that it's such a seamless approach for our members is just so easy. They don't need to go on an app, they don't need to schedule, they don't need to coordinate with their calendar. They call in and get a clinician if that's ultimately what they need." 

Every Sollis call reaches a clinician with emergency medicine experience, most of it extensive. There's no bot or front-desk triage layer standing between a member and clinical judgment—just expert care. 

"We provide that immediate, real-time level of service, which I think is awesome,” says Ben. 

Bridging the Gap between Primary and Urgent Care 

Virtual care at Sollis isn't only for acute medical needs. For members managing chronic or ongoing conditions, Ben describes the team's role as “a front door”—they’re the first call when something feels off, even if the underlying cause is a longstanding condition like diabetes or a cardiac issue. 

"We're incredible at care coordination,” says Ben. “We're incredibly good at fostering relationships with members' care teams as a whole, in order to ensure that they're receiving the best care that can be provided.” 

This is different than traditional urgent cares and ERs, where patients are left to connect the dots between urgent care and whatever comes next. “They’re going to just tell you to follow up with your cardiologist or follow up with your PCP, and that's the end of it,” says Ben. “Not at Sollis. We'll call your PCP, we'll call your cardiologist. We want to make sure that they follow up with you." 

How Virtual and In-Person Care Optimize Outcomes 

For members who wonder whether virtual care can really substitute for an in-person visit, Ben explains that it's not meant to be a substitute at all. The strength of the Sollis model is that members don't have to choose—virtual and in-person care are designed to work together, so the limitations of one are covered by the other.

A virtual call can't replace certain things a clinician would pick up on in person, but it can offer something in-person care can't: immediate access and orientation to next steps, wherever a member happens to be, including out of their home state or abroad. 

Success Stories from Sollis’s Virtual Care Team 

• The Full Picture from the First Call: An 81-year-old member called about worsening abdominal pain while his primary care physician (PCP) was treating him for diverticulitis. Sollis called his PCP directly and worked through the case together, not just gathering his history but building the plan with the physician who knew him best. The member was rapidly evaluated at a Sollis center with labs and CT imaging, which raised concern for a possible aortic emergency. His care was escalated on the spot to advanced angiographic imaging that ruled it out. He went home the same night with his imaging, his results, and his own doctor already briefed on what came next. An emergency room would have run its own workup on a patient it had never met without the context that made ours the right one.
• Skipping the ER for Immediate Relief: A 21-year-old member went to the emergency room with a severe migraine and vomiting, where he was told to expect a long wait. He called Sollis from the waiting room. Our virtual team evaluated him, sent him to a nearby Sollis center, and had him on IV fluids and medication within minutes, including a careful workup for the serious causes a headache like that can signal. He left feeling better, with answers, before the emergency room would have even called his name.
• Answers—Not Overnight Anxiety: While recovering from a recent surgery, a 42-year-old member noticed new swelling in her calf late one evening and called our virtual team, concerned about a blood clot. This is exactly the kind of symptom that would send most patients straight to an emergency room, because that’s the only place to get after-hours imaging—besides Sollis. Within the hour, our team assessed her, ordered a venous ultrasound, and had her scanned at a nearby Sollis center. In under two hours, she had her answer: no blood clot. She spent that evening at home instead of in a waiting room, and she never had to wonder overnight whether something was seriously wrong. 

Sollis's virtual care functions the way our members need it to, immediately connecting them to expert, ER-trained clinicians without confusion or friction. As Sollis continues to grow, the goal isn't to feel bigger to members—it's to feel just as immediate, no matter where they're calling from.