CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Allowance for doubtful accounts, patient accounts receivable	$ 2,088	$ 1,792
U.S. Physical Therapy, Inc. ("USPH") shareholders' equity:
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized (in shares)	500,000	500,000
Preferred stock, shares issued (in shares)	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	20,000,000	20,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	14,795,899	14,732,699
Treasury stock (in shares)	2,214,737	2,214,737