Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) shares in Millions		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 01, 2021 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) Hospital Facility shares	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) Hospital shares	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) Hospital shares
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Effect of change on after-tax net income			$ 987,632,000	$ 952,790,000	$ 827,543,000
Number of hospital facilities | Hospital			5
Capitalized interest			$ 4,400,000	4,300,000	3,400,000
Depreciation expense			501,600,000	478,800,000	455,600,000
Impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets	$ 0			0	0
Impairment of other and intangible assets				0
Provision for asset impairment			$ 14,391,000	0	$ 97,631,000
Behavioral health care facilities with outside owners holding non-controlling minority interest | Facility			5
Redeemable non-controlling interest balances			$ 5,000,000
Non-controlling interest balances			103,000,000
Cash flow hedges			$ 0	$ 0
Anti-dilutive weighted average stock options excluded from computation of earnings per share | shares			4.2	6.4	5.5
Revenues			$ 12,642,117,000	$ 11,558,897,000	$ 11,378,259,000
Additional funds received from government by CARES Act			189,000,000
CARES Act and other Governmental grants and Medicare accelerated payments received				1,112,000,000
Revenues from grants				413,000,000
Deferred revenues from grants				4,000,000
MAAPP funds included in current liabilities			6,000	376,151,000
MAAPP funds included in noncurrent liabilities			0	322,617,000
Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Medicare accelerated payments received			695,000,000	695,000,000
MAAPP funds included in current liabilities				372,000,000
MAAPP funds included in noncurrent liabilities				323,000,000
Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Governmental grants received by CARES Act				417,000,000
Foundations
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Provision for asset impairment					98,000,000
Impairment provision for tradename intangible asset					75,000,000
Impairment charges for real property assets					$ 23,000,000
Other (Income) Expense, Net
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Provision for asset impairment			14,000,000
Commercial Insurance Subsidiary
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Statutorily required capital reserves			$ 82,000,000	$ 73,000,000
Universal Health Realty Income Trust
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of hospital facilities | Hospital			3	3	3
Investments			$ 9,000,000	$ 5,000,000
Premier, Inc.
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Investments			92,000,000	78,000,000
Premier, Inc. | Group Purchasing Organization Agreement | Restricted Stock
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Shares vesting period		7 years
Shares vesting period start year		2014
Shares vesting period end year		2020
Market value of retained vested shares			92,000,000	78,000,000
Acute Care Hospital Services
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Revenues			$ 7,108,254,000	6,337,304,000	$ 6,164,560,000
Acute Care Hospital Services | Las Vegas, Nevada
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of hospital facilities | Hospital			6
Acute Care Facility | Washington, District of Columbia | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			20.00%
Acute Care Facility | Texas | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			9.00%
Acute Care Facility | Nevada | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			5.00%
Behavioral Health Care Facility | Pennsylvania | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			20.00%
Behavioral Health Care Facility | Ohio | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			30.00%
Behavioral Health Care Facility | Washington | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			20.00%
Behavioral Health Care Facility | Missouri | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			25.00%
Behavioral Health Care Facility | Lowa | Outside Owners
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of non-controlling, minority ownership interests held by outside owners			48.00%
State Medicaid programs
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Revenue offset amount			$ 211,000,000	185,000,000	194,000,000
Net aggregate benefit			430,000,000	303,000,000	225,000,000
Net revenues			$ 74,000,000	$ 73,000,000	$ 78,000,000
Net Revenue | Las Vegas, Nevada | Geographic Concentration Risk
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue			16.00%	15.00%	16.00%
Minimum
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Patients treated at hospitals for non elective services gross income federal poverty guidelines			200.00%
Minimum | Building and Building Improvements
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful lives			20 years
Minimum | Equipment
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful lives			3 years
Maximum
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Patients treated at hospitals for non elective services gross income federal poverty guidelines			400.00%
Maximum | Building and Building Improvements
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful lives			40 years
Maximum | Equipment
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Property and equipment, useful lives			15 years
Medicare
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Revenues			$ 1,654,119,000	$ 1,690,591,000	$ 1,889,245,000
Medicare | Acute Care Hospital Services
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Revenues			1,292,205,000	1,242,268,000	1,336,200,000
Health Care | State Medicaid programs
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Revenues			641,000,000	$ 488,000,000	$ 419,000,000
ASU 2014-09 | Revision of Prior Period Change in Accounting Principle Adjustment
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Effect of change on after-tax net income			$ 1,000,000
ASU 2014-09 | Medicare
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of estimated net revenue adjustment			1.00%	1.00%	1.00%
ASU 2016-01 | Premier, Inc. | Other (Income) Expense, Net
Summary Of Business And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Payments of cash dividends			$ 1,700,000	$ 848,000