Nearly 9 in 10 employed physicians (89%) say they’re satisfied with the quality of care they’re personally able to provide, even as they describe a surrounding delivery system that regularly falls short, according to the 2026 PAI Employed Physician Survey.
Seventy-three percent of physicians report that patients are unable to get timely appointments, and 45% say a patient has been unable to get an appointment within 48 hours for an acute or serious problem several times a year or more. Physicians also point to breakdowns in basic infrastructure: 88% saw medical equipment that wasn’t working properly or needed repair in the past year (43% say it happens monthly or more), and 79% report test results or chart notes weren’t available when needed for a patient visit.
Two in five physicians (41%) say their facility’s ratio of advanced practice providers to physicians compromises care quality. Among the subset of physicians who describe themselves as less than satisfied with the care they’re able to provide, insufficient staffing (74%) and administrative burden (64%) top the list of limiting factors, ahead of inadequate time with patients (58%) and EHR documentation demands (53%).
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