The report was released yesterday.
Just because the two regions had adequate bed numbers overall did not mean individual facilities were in the same situation, he said.
"It is not relevant to places like Dunstan Hospital where capacity is already an issue. You can't easily move people around the regions to soak up beds where they might be available," he said.
Dr Macpherson, who is also Central Otago Mayor, said the estimated 30% reduction in future hospital admission numbers by treating people in the community was "pretty heroic".
"We won't be coming close to that. Although there has historically been a reduction, I think 30% is a leap of faith," he said.
Dr Macpherson said the report would be useful as a guide to local authorities and organisations involved in Otago and Southland health care, particularly if it highlighted the diversity among facilities in different parts of the regions.
"There is a fairly large disparity in access to health care across the regions - the comparison between Gore and Dunstan Hospital is a good one. Gore has an after-hours emergency service and Dunstan doesn't," he said.
"Comparison between Frankton and Dunstan is also striking. There are much more outpatient services and visiting specialists available through Dunstan, where Frankton has effectively been abandoned by Southland.
This report will finally draw a line under those figures and give us certainty, and the tools to even up the differences," he said.
Dunstan Hospital general manager Carol Horgan said the number of rural beds in Otago and Southland was adequate, but the beds were not all in the "right places".
Bed numbers were not adequate at Dunstan Hospital, which generally ran at over 85% capacity, she said.
"Dunstan Hospital is at, or over, capacity for a significant part of the time, but I'm comfortable that generally the report is correct based on overall data."
However, she said cutting Central Otago admissions by 30% was unachievable.
• Across in Queenstown, Wakatipu Health Trust spokeswoman Maria Cole disputed the claim bed numbers in the Lakes District hospital were adequate until 2026.
She said she would be consulting the other trustees to make a submission to the DHB's report.
The trust's health needs assessment, released early this month, showed three more hospital beds were needed immediately in Queenstown, and 13 more by 2031.
It also said the resort would need 27 more aged-care beds if its care level was equal to that of Waitaki, Clutha and Central Otago.
Plans for a private hospital at Frankton are on hold pending the DHB review.
Southern Cross Hospital, the Queenstown Medical Centre and Remarkables Park Ltd were granted resource consent in March for a hospital and medical centre.
• In Oamaru, Waitaki District Health Services chairman George Berry said the report, into which WDHS had input, would be reviewed at a board meeting today.
"What we're all trying to do is get the best value out of health dollars," Mr Berry said.
The managers of the Balclutha and Gore hospitals could not be contacted yesterday.
