
FAQs
Find answers to the most commonly asked questions about our services, appointments, and treatments.
Olive Branch Rheumatology is an adult rheumatology specialty medical practice providing expertise in the management of autoimmune diseases, musculoskeletal conditions, and osteoporosis. We provide medical office visits, joint aspirations, and joint steroid injections. Please see the Conditions We Treat page for more information about medical conditions that we diagnose and treat.
At Olive Branch Rheumatology, our practice is different from others. We do not have physician assistants or nurse practitioners in our practice. Dr. Zhang sees all of her patients herself and dedicates her undivided time to them during their visits. You can be rest assured that your problems will be evaluated by a double board-certified rheumatology physician. Your case will never be delegated to someone else with less training and medical knowledge.
Yes, we do offer appointments for second opinion evaluations in adult rheumatology. If you have previously been evaluated by another rheumatology practice, please request to have the medical records and work-up (e.g. previous lab tests, imaging tests, biopsies, etc.) forwarded to our office. Records can be brought to our office printed or faxed to us at (302) 992-8310.
Mondays: 8 am – 12 pm, 1 pm – 5 pm
Tuesdays: 8 am – 12 pm, 1 pm – 5 pm
Wednesdays: 9 am – 1 pm, 2 pm – 6 pm
Please call our office at (302) 992-8310 to speak to one of our staff about scheduling an appointment.
New patient evaluations: $300
Follow-up evaluations: $150
Our practice is a direct specialty care practice and does not participate with any insurance plans. We directly contract with our patients to ensure full price transparency. Patients who have commercial insurance plans (not Medicare or Medicaid) can inquire with their insurance company about whether their insurance plan has out-of-network benefits. If so, an out-of-network claim can be generated and submitted to the insurance company after the completion of your appointment to see if your insurance company will reimburse you directly for your visit fee. Our office is happy to assist with this process but cannot guarantee that your insurance company will reimburse you; that is dependent on the terms of your specific insurance plan. We use a company called Reimbursify to submit out-of-network claims to the insurance carrier, which allows patients to follow up on the reimbursement process themselves.
When a medical practice participates in an insurance company’s network, it creates a triangulated relationship between the patient, doctor, and the insurance company. The insurance company uses one-size-fits-all rules and algorithms for its members that dictate nearly all of the medical decisions for the patient and the physician. The insurance companies force the doctor to see more and more patients, while dedicating less and less time to each. Rheumatology is a complex medical specialty which requires a lot of time for the rheumatologist to complete the work accurately. Without this, disastrous errors can result. Insurance companies often restrict which tests can be ordered for the patient’s medical work-up and which medications the doctor can prescribe for the patient’s treatment. This increases the office's administrative burden and also results in an increased risk of both medical errors and poor medical outcomes for the patient.
At Olive Branch Rheumatology, our practice operates outside of the conventional insurance-based system. We believe that the relationship between the patient and the doctor should be pure and untainted from interference from any third-parties, such as insurance companies or the government. This allows for a direct and transparent relationship between the doctor and the patient, permitting the doctor to focus on creating personalized treatment plans that cater to each patient’s individual needs. It allows the doctor to include all healing modalities that can benefit the patient. It frees up the office staff’s time and human resources to helping patients navigate the complexities of the medical system, including how to get lab tests and medications at lower costs and more efficiently.
We believe that medical care should have full price transparency like any other product or service that people buy. Insurance companies hide the true cost to both the patient and the doctor’s office. Often times, patients are hit with surprise bills like deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance bills. At Olive Branch Rheumatology, we offer 100% full price transparency so you will always know what you will be paying upfront. You will never have to pay any hidden fees.
At Olive Branch Rheumatology, our goal is to help remove barriers between our patients and high-quality rheumatology care. Here are some real-life examples of how Olive Branch Rheumatology has helped patients get the medical care they need:
* A patient was referred by her primary care doctor who suspected a serious autoimmune disease that would have led to severe disability if not treated quickly. Our office was able to schedule the patient for a new patient appointment within 2 weeks, while other practices had a wait time over several months for an initial appointment. The patient was diagnosed promptly and started on life-saving medication, avoiding a lengthy and costly hospital admission.
* A patient came to office nearly unable to walk and had difficulty getting into her surgeon’s office for a follow-up appointment for months. The doctor discussed the case with her surgeon, had her admitted to the hospital, and the patient had emergency surgery within the next 2 weeks.
* After a patient’s insurance plan suddenly stopped covering his medication, the doctor helped the patient reduce his bill for a 90-day supply of medication from $1100 to $60!
* Our office helped an uninsured patient apply for a pharmaceutical company’s patient financial assistance program and the patient was able to obtain medication free for 1 year! Without this, the medication would have cost over $1000 per month.
Yes, you can still use your insurance benefits towards your lab tests, imaging tests, and medications. You can also use your insurance benefits toward physical therapy and occupational therapy, as long as they are in-network with your insurance. If you have any questions about what tests, medications, or therapies are covered by your insurance, contact your insurance carrier directly.
Many commercial insurance plans have benefits toward out-of-network doctor’s offices and may reimburse you for your visits. Contact your insurance carrier directly to inquire if your insurance plan has out-of-network benefits. After your visit has been completed, our office can submit an out-of-network claim to any commercial health insurance plan (e.g. not Medicare or Medicaid plans). We use a company called Reimbursify which allows the doctor’s office or submit an out-of-network claim on behalf of the patient. Patients can then use the Reimbursify website or mobile app to follow up on the progress of their out-of-network claim. If approved by your insurance company, they will send you reimbursement check directly.
Yes! Olive Branch Rheumatology gladly welcomes patients who do not have health insurance or are underinsured. We believe that every patient should be able to access to high-quality rheumatology care with price transparency, regardless of whether you have insurance or not. Our goal at Olive Branch Rheumatology is to help remove barriers between our patients and high-quality rheumatology care.
For patients who do not have health insurance or are underinsured, we have partnerships with local laboratories, imaging centers, and pharmacies to obtain lab tests, imaging tests, and many medications at reasonable prices for patients who are self-pay (e.g. not using insurance).
Telehealth appointments are available to established patients of the practice for follow-up visits on a case-by-case basis depending on the clinical situation.
Yes, our patients can communicate with us in a HIPAA-secure patient portal called Patient Passport. Please ask the front office staff how to set up an account on Patient Passport.
No, visits are only available by appointment. If you have any previous medical work-up done by another clinician that is relevant to your rheumatology consultation, we may ask you to have it forwarded to our office in preparation for your appointment.
No, visits are only available by appointment. If you are an established patient in need of an urgent follow-up appointment, please call our office at (302) 992-8310 to schedule an appointment.
Telehealth appointments are available to established patients of the practice for follow-up visits on a case-by-case basis depending on the clinical situation. New patient consultations may be available to you on a case-by-case basis. Please call us at (302)992-8310 to ask.
Cash, check, credit card, debit card, and Zelle
Please note that all electronic payments (credit card, debit card) will incur a 3% processing fee
Yes, we accept HSA and FSA cards for payments and can give you an itemized receipt for the services you received.
You can cancel an appointment by calling the office at (302) 992-8310 or by using the appointment reminder you will received by email or text message 48 hours prior to the appointment.
We reserve the right to charge and collect a fee of $95.00 for broken (“no-show”) appointments – appointments that are cancelled or broken without proper 24 hours of advanced notice. Appointment times are reserved exclusively for you. If you are not present at your confirmed appointment, this takes away another patient’s opportunity to have that appointment time, is waste of valuable office time, and a financial burden on the practice.
Our office is located at 2500 Grubb Road, Suite 114, Wilmington, DE 19801. Our office building is on Grubb Road across the road from Stanley’s Tavern, at the intersection of Grubb Road and Foulk Road. There is plenty of parking space in our parking lot. Our office is located next to Door “A” within the building.
