Relationship with Universal Health Realty Income Trust and Related Party Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012
Relationship with Universal Health Realty Income Trust
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Trust outstanding shares held, percentage	6.20%		6.20%
Advisory fee earned	$ 585,000	$ 520,000	$ 1,200,000	$ 1,000,000
Pre-tax share of income from the Trust	213,000	591,000	513,000	891,000
Carrying value of investment in Trust	8,800,000		8,800,000		9,300,000
Market value of investment in Trust	34,000,000		34,000,000		39,900,000
Rent expense under operating leases	3,900,000	4,100,000	8,000,000	8,300,000
Non-controlling ownership interests by subsidiaries	100.00%		100.00%
Chief Executive Officer
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Estimated payments to acquire life insurance policies			25,000,000
Estimated death benefit proceeds			33,000,000
Chief Executive Officer | Trust Owned by Chief Executive Officer
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Estimated payments to acquire life insurance policies			$ 8,000,000