Physicians seem comfortable with the level of access to routine diagnostic services such as laboratory tests and x-rays, with 79% ranking it as good to excellent and only 14% describing it as fair to poor. However, few physicians think their patients have adequate access to advanced diagnostic tools such as MRIs; only 20% of respondents indicated that availability of these services is good to excellent where they practise. Regional variations were apparent: 69% of physicians in Central Canada consider access fair to poor, compared with 75% in Atlantic Canada and 80% in Western Canada.

The survey also points to problems with the availability of long-term institutional care. Only 24% of respondents consider it good to excellent, with 64% deeming it fair to poor. One respondent pointed out that a lack of long-term-care beds can have a domino effect: "Long-term-care patients are blocking acute-care beds: dangerous!"

Physicians also appear concerned about psychosocial support services: only 39% indicated that access in their community is good to excellent, and 52% described it as fair to poor.