Montco Med Student Helped Perform 2500 Illegal Gynecological Procedures: Authorities

LOWER GWYNEDD, PA — A Lower Gwynedd woman helped perform illegal medical procedures at an a medical facility in New Jersey that never received its license, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office shared.

Nataliya Lushchak, 48, of Lower Gwynedd, an employee at the facility and a medical student at Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown, has been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and numerous related counts. She was charged alongside practice's owner, Esney Davis-Sharpe, 63, of East Orange, New Jersey.

Davis-Sharpe, who was not licensed to practice medicine, hired Lushchak as a practitioner at Bessie Mae Women's Health Center in East Orange back in May 2021, police said.

Among other things, Davis-Sharpe and Lushchak performed numerous, unspecified gynecological services on patients, according to the attorney genera's office.

Some 2,500 claims for reimbursement for medical services were filed from Dec. 2020 to Feb. 2024, officials said. The fraudulent claims, filed to the New Jersey Medicaid Program, were under the names of two different doctors.

The New Jersey Department of Health issued a a cease-and-desist order to the facility in early 2024.

“This case alleges a deliberate abuse of the Medicaid system and a betrayal of patient trust,” New Jersey Acting Attorney General Davenport said in a statement. “Submitting claims for medical services performed by unlicensed individuals undermines the integrity of Medicaid and diverts critical resources from those who rely on the program. OIFP will continue to hold accountable those who abuse the Medicaid program and place patients at risk.”

They've also been charged with unlicensed practice of medicine, health care claims fraud, and Medicaid fraud.

Both face five to 10 years behind bars and fines of up to $150,000 each.

A preliminary hearing is forthcoming.