CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net service revenue	$ 246,618	$ 222,552
Cost of service revenue	154,370	135,601
Gross margin	92,248	86,951
Provision for bad debts	2,369	4,601
General and administrative expenses	72,011	66,240
Operating income	17,868	16,110
Interest expense	(780)	(885)
Income before income taxes and noncontrolling interest	17,088	15,225
Income tax expense	5,173	5,342
Net income	11,915	9,883
Less net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	2,448	2,197
Net income attributable to LHC Group, Inc.’s common stockholders	$ 9,467	$ 7,686
Earnings per share attributable to LHC Group, Inc.'s common stockholders:
Basic	$ 0.54	$ 0.44
Diluted	$ 0.53	$ 0.44
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	17,643,463	17,485,766
Diluted	17,817,880	17,633,549