Unique challenges facing the OMS community in Vermont
Vermont is a small, largely rural state with just 12 full-time oral and maxillofacial surgeons serving a population of more than 640,000 people — one of the lowest per-capita ratios of oral surgeons in the country. Recruiting new associates to the area has always been difficult, leaving many practices facing succession concerns as longtime leaders near retirement.
At the same time, most practices are small and operate with lean management teams, making them vulnerable when experienced staff members retire. These realities created a critical need for reliable support and long-term stability for many Vermont practices.
Against this backdrop, MAX has quickly become a trusted partner. Today, six of Vermont’s 12 oral and maxillofacial surgeons are part of the MAX network, a milestone that signals both trust and momentum in a market that was historically underserved. By supporting surgeons through recruitment and management of resources, MAX is helping ensure Vermont communities continue to haveaccess to best-in-class oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) care statewide.
50% of Vermont’s oral and maxillofacial surgeons are now part of the MAX network.
Recruiting in a rural market Recruiting new graduates to practice in Vermont is uniquely difficult. Despite offering large signing bonuses, even well-established practices found that relocation was a barrier to drawing associate surgeons. For practice owners, this raised serious concerns about succession planning and the long-term availability of care in their communities. With retirement on the horizon, Dr. William Purdy of Northern Vermont Oral Surgery had been exploring succession options. He worked with several outside firms, but the arrangements left him uneasy because they required him to shoulder all the financial risk if a new hire did not stay with the practice long term.
After hearing about MAX through another surgeon who was considering joining the platform, Dr. Purdy decided to partner with MAX in 2024. He was drawn to MAX’s partnership model, which eases the recruitment burden on individual practices and creates a clear path for mentorship and practice succession.
“The biggest challenge was finding associates to join the practice, a problem that’s common nationwide. After talking with the team at MAX, I was impressed not only with the people running the company but also with the benefits of partnering,” said Dr. Purdy.
“MAX could give me support in recruiting someone to meet our immediate needs and provide continuity for when I decide to retire.”
Tapping into MAX’s recruitment network
Soon after partnering with MAX, Dr. Purdy saw meaningful progress on the challenge that had long weighed most heavily on his practice: hiring a successor. With MAX’s recruitment team leading the search, the risk and administrative burden were no longer his to carry.
Instead of sifting through candidates and negotiating contracts on his own, Dr. Purdy benefited from MAX’s established relationships and structured process. MAX’s intimate knowledge of the Northeastern market and credibility in the region gave the organization a distinct edge in attracting candidates.
In 2025, Northern Vermont Oral Surgery welcomed Dr. Jason Berglund, a new associate secured through MAX’s recruitment efforts. The addition of Dr. Berglund to the practice not only safeguarded continuity of care for patients, but it also gave Dr. Purdy the opportunity to mentor a younger surgeon and prepare for his own eventual retirement with confidence.
“When I joined MAX, I was confident they could find an associate. This is a wonderful and very busy place to practice, but with so few oral surgeons in our community, I wanted to be sure the office wouldn’t close when I retired,” said Dr. Purdy. “MAX made it possible to bring on a new surgeon in time for me to mentor them and introduce them to the community, which was really important to me.” In addition to supporting Northern Vermont Oral Surgery with recruiting Dr. Berglund, MAX also supported another partner practice, Vermont Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates in South Burlington, Vermont, in hiring a new associate. Together, these additions strengthened Vermont’s OMS community and ensured ongoing access to care.
MAX helped recruit two new oral and maxillofacial surgeons to Vermont, significantly boosting access to specialized care in the state.
Filling the gap after long-time staff retirements
While Northern Vermont Oral Surgery gained stability through succession planning, New England Oral Surgery in central Vermont faced a different challenge: the pending retirement of longtime staff. For Drs. Jeffrey Glosser and Robert Lesny, the loss raised pressing concerns about maintaining essential day-to-day operations such as human resources and financial oversight — an area where MAX’s regional knowledge and Northeast focus proved especially valuable. “At first, partnering with a DSO felt like something I didn’t want to do but had to because of our management staff’s upcoming retirements,” said Dr. Lesny. “But when we connected with MAX, our conversations felt genuine, and now I believe our practice was saved because of this partnership. It won’t close when Dr. Glosser or I retire, which is a great thing for our community.”
Stability through MAX’s operational support
After partnering with MAX in 2024, the practice gained access to a deep bench of resources. This support not only kept the practice stable through staff turnover but also ensured that Drs. Glosser and Lesny could remain focused on what they do best: providing exceptional patient care. “The coolest thing for me is that everything my office manager and I used to handle — HR, tech support, collections, lease negotiations — MAX now has a whole department for. I don’t mind having that off my plate,” said Dr. Glosser.
This operational backing ensured the practice could transition smoothly to the MAX platform without losing its identity or continuity of care. MAX prioritized listening and learning what made the practice successful, choosing to build on those strengths rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all model.
“I don’t feel like I sold my practice. I feel like I merged my practice. It was more of a merger than a buyout. We’re just part of something bigger,” said Dr. Lesny.
MAX’s infrastructure and support enabled New England Oral Surgery to navigate management turnover without disrupting patients or staff.
A stronger future for Vermont’s OMS community
The surgeons at Northern Vermont Oral Surgery, Vermont Oral Surgery Associates and New England Oral Surgery initially considered partnerships with MAX for practical reasons: recruiting the next generation and filling gaps left by longtime staff. What followed was transformative for both practices. The surgeons have maintained their clinical autonomy and patient-first culture, while gaining back-end infrastructure that small practices could never build alone. Staff have continued to feel supported, patients have experienced seamless continuity of care, and the practices are now positioned to continue serving their communities long after today’s leaders step aside.
By earning the trust of half of Vermont’s oral and maxillofacial surgeons, MAX has become more than just a management partner. In a market where access to care has always been limited, MAX has proven to be a steady force, offering a model for growth that keeps surgeons at the center and ensures Vermont communities will have access to OMS care for years to come.
“DSOs often get a bad rap, and there are plenty of them,” said Dr. Purdy. “What makes MAX different is that it feels more like a ‘DSO light.’ It’s truly run by surgeons, who prioritize taking care of their colleagues rather than focusing only on the bottom line.”
