Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)		1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2017	Nov. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) State Hospital Surgery_Center Claim	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) Claim	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of owned and operated hospitals | Hospital			184
Number of freestanding surgery centers | Surgery_Center			123
Number of facilities locations | State			21
General and administrative expense			$ 370,000,000	$ 344,000,000	$ 340,000,000
Adjustments to estimated reimbursement filed during respective year			51,000,000	29,000,000	41,000,000
Adjustments to estimated reimbursement filed during previous years			13,000,000	51,000,000	56,000,000
Estimated implicit price concessions recorded as reductions to revenues and accounts receivable			6,953,000,000	6,280,000,000
Charity care amount			13,260,000,000	8,611,000,000	4,861,000,000
Estimated costs of charity care			1,591,000	1,068,000.000	$ 627,000,000,000
Outstanding checks unpresented for payment			$ 486,000,000	$ 449,000,000
Days revenues in accounts receivable			50 days	51 days	52 days
Depreciation expense			$ 2,579,000,000	$ 2,262,000,000	$ 2,111,000,000
Goodwill impairments			0	0	0
Goodwill acquired during period			332,000,000	636,000,000
Intangible assets decreased			12,000,000	17,000,000
Gross carrying amount of intangible assets			184,000,000	184,000,000
Accumulated amortization of intangible assets			123,000,000	111,000,000
Gross carrying amount of indefinite-lived intangible assets			269,000,000	269,000,000
Deferred loan costs			413,000,000	360,000,000
Deferred loan costs, accumulated amortization			174,000,000	203,000,000
Amortization of debt issuance costs			30,000,000	31,000,000	31,000,000
Reserves for professional liability risks			1,827,000,000	1,741,000,000
Current portion of professional liability risks reserves			457,000,000	466,000,000
Provisions for losses related to professional liability risks			497,000,000	447,000,000	$ 466,000,000
Decrease in provision for professional liability risks			$ 50,000,000	$ 70,000,000
Reserves for professional liability risks cover individual claims | Claim			2,300	2,200
Net payments of professional and general liability claims			$ 408,000,000	$ 358,000,000
Self-insured retention amount per occurrence				15,000,000
Maximum amount losses per occurrence				50,000,000
Reinsurance for professional liability risks retention level of amount per occurrence				25,000,000
Amounts receivable under reinsurance contracts recorded in other assets			37,000,000	40,000,000
Amounts receivable under reinsurance contracts recorded in other current assets			9,000,000	10,000,000
Foreign Currency Translation And Other [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill increase (decrease)			$ 4,000,000	$ 60,000,000
Insurance Subsidiary [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Insurance subsidiary ownership percentage				100.00%
Inpatient Services [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Performance obligations for inpatient/ outpatient services satisfied period			Our performance obligations for inpatient services are generally satisfied over periods that average approximately five days
Maximum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of income of federal poverty level eligible for charity care		400.00%
Estimated useful lives in years			10 years
Maximum [Member] | Outpatient Services [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Performance obligations for inpatient/ outpatient services satisfied period			Our performance obligations for outpatient services are generally satisfied over a period of less than one day
Maximum [Member] | Building and Improvements [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives in years			40 years
Maximum [Member] | Equipment [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives in years			10 years
Minimum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of income of federal poverty level eligible for charity care	200.00%	200.00%
Minimum [Member] | Building and Improvements [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated useful lives in years			10 years