Donald Hricik 
Escape From Cleveland 
A Tale of Two Doctors and a Pre-retirement Meltdown

A rising star in academic medicine, Dr. Larry Horvath had a master plan for becoming a rich and famous doctor. His aspirations to become a leader of Cleveland’s medical community are stymied when, while recovering from back surgery, he discovers that he will need another operation this time, heart surgery to repair an old, leaky artificial valve.Larrys insights as a patient add to his increasing concerns about the negative effects of looming health care reform on American medicine. More importantly, he feels obliged to seek advice from his childhood friend and rival, Johnny Pavelko, now a cardiologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, renowned for his expertise in valvular heart disease.Johnny seems more interested in the business of medicine than in Larry’s health. Would Johnny recommend unnecessary heart surgery for his old friend in order to usurp Larry’s master plan for success? Should Larry proceed with the controversial surgery or run the risk of dying without it? Should he retire early and escape the consequences of health care reform? His decisions will dramatically influence his own career but also the entire infrastructure of Cleveland’s prestigious medical community.