Condensed consolidated interim financial statements (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Condensed consolidated interim financial statements	The condensed consolidated interim financial statements included in this report are prepared by the Company without audit. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the results of operations are reflected in these consolidated interim financial statements. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. The most significant estimates and assumptions underlying these financial statements and accompanying notes generally involve revenue recognition and accounts receivable, contingencies, impairments of goodwill and other long-lived assets, fair value estimates, accounting for income taxes, variable compensation accruals, consolidation of variable interest entities, purchase accounting valuation estimates, long-term incentive program compensation and medical liability claims. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year. The condensed consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. Prior year balances and amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date these condensed consolidated financial statements were issued and has included all necessary adjustments and disclosures.
Earnings per share	Basic net income per share is calculated by dividing net income attributable to the Company, adjusted for any change in noncontrolling interests redemption rights in excess of fair value, by the weighted average number of common shares and vested stock units outstanding, net of shares held in escrow from the DaVita HealthCare Partner merger that under certain circumstances may be returned to the Company. Diluted net income per share includes the dilutive effect of outstanding stock-settled stock appreciation rights and unvested stock units (under the treasury stock method) as well as contingently returnable shares held in escrow.
Accounts receivable	Accounts receivable are reduced by an allowance for doubtful accounts. In evaluating the ultimate collectability of accounts receivable, the Company analyzes its historical cash collection experience and trends for each of its government payors and commercial payors to estimate the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts and the amount of the provision for uncollectible accounts. Management regularly updates its analysis based upon the most recent information available to determine its current provision for uncollectible accounts and the adequacy of its allowance for doubtful accounts. For receivables associated with dialysis patient services covered by Medicare, the Company receives 80% of the payment directly from Medicare as established under the government’s bundled payment system and determines an appropriate allowance for doubtful accounts and provision for uncollectible accounts on the remaining balance due depending upon the Company’s estimate of the amounts ultimately collectible from other secondary coverage sources or from the patients. For receivables associated with services to patients covered by commercial payors that are either based upon contractual terms or for non-contracted health plan coverage, the Company provides an allowance for doubtful accounts by recording a provision for uncollectible accounts based upon its historical collection experience, potential inefficiencies in its billing processes and for which collectability is determined to be unlikely. For receivables associated with the Company’s capitated health plans, the balances remain on the balance sheet for as long as the respective plan years are open, which varies by health plan, but is generally two years in length, with collections occurring on a periodic basis throughout the duration of the corresponding plan year. Approximately 1% of the Company’s net accounts receivable are associated with patient pay. The Company’s policy is to reserve 100% of the outstanding accounts receivable balances for dialysis services when those amounts due have been outstanding for more than three months and to reserve 100% of the outstanding accounts receivable balances for DaVita Medical Group's (DMG, formerly known as HealthCare Partners or HCP) services when those amounts due have been outstanding for more than twelve months and when the amount is not subject to a payment plan.
Investments in debt and equity securities	The investments in mutual funds classified as available-for-sale are held within a trust to fund existing obligations associated with several of the Company’s non-qualified deferred compensation plans. The Company classifies certain debt securities as held-to-maturity and records them at amortized cost based on the Company’s intentions and strategy concerning those investments. Equity securities that have readily determinable fair values, and certain other financial instruments that have readily determinable fair values or redemption values, are classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value.
Income taxes	The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in its income tax expense.
Long-term debt	the Company maintains several active and forward interest rate cap agreements that have the economic effect of capping the Company's maximum exposure to LIBOR variable interest rate changes on specific portions of the Company's floating rate debt, as described below. The cap agreements are designated as cash flow hedges and, as a result, changes in the fair values of these cap agreements are reported in other comprehensive income. The amortization of the original cap premium is recognized as a component of debt expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the cap agreements. The cap agreements do not contain credit-risk contingent features.
Long-term incentive compensation	The Company’s stock-based compensation awards are measured at their estimated fair values on the date of grant if settled in shares or at their estimated fair values at the end of each reporting period if settled in cash. The value of stock-based awards so measured is recognized as compensation expense on a cumulative straight-line basis over the vesting terms of the awards, adjusted for expected forfeitures.
Comprehensive income	The reclassification of net cap and swap realized losses into income are recorded as debt expense in the corresponding consolidated statements of income. See Note 9 to these condensed consolidated financial statements for further details. The reclassification of net investment realized gains into income are recorded in other income in the corresponding consolidated statements of income. See Note 4 to these condensed consolidated financial statements for further details.
Variable interest entities	The Company also sponsors certain deferred compensation plans whose trusts qualify as VIEs and the Company consolidates each of these plans as their primary beneficiary. The assets of these plans are recorded in short-term or long-term investments with matching offsetting liabilities recorded in accrued compensation and benefits and other long-term liabilities. The analyses upon which these consolidation determinations rest are complex, involve uncertainties, and require significant judgment on various matters, some of which could be subject to different interpretations. The Company relies on the operating activities of certain legal entities that it does not directly own or control, but over which it has indirect influence and of which it is considered the primary beneficiary. These entities are subject to the consolidation guidance applicable to variable interest entities (VIEs). Under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), VIEs typically include entities for which (i) the entity’s equity is not sufficient to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support; (ii) the equity holders as a group lack the power to direct the activities that most significantly influence the entity’s economic performance, the obligation to absorb the entity’s expected losses, or the right to receive the entity’s expected returns; or (iii) the voting rights of some investors are not proportional to their obligations to absorb the entity’s losses.
Fair value of financial instruments	Available-for-sale securities represent investments in various open-ended registered investment companies, or mutual funds, and are recorded at estimated fair value based upon quoted prices reported by each mutual fund. See Note 4 to these condensed consolidated financial statements for further discussion. Investments in life insurance policies are carried at their cash surrender value which approximates their fair value. See Note 4 to these condensed consolidated financial statements for further discussion. The interest rate cap agreements are recorded at fair value estimated from valuation models utilizing the income approach and commonly accepted valuation techniques that use inputs from closing prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets as well as other relevant observable market inputs at quoted intervals such as current interest rates, forward yield curves, implied volatility and credit default swap pricing. The Company does not believe the ultimate amount that could be realized upon settlement of these interest rate cap agreements would be materially different from the fair value estimates currently reported. See Note 9 to these condensed consolidated financial statements for further discussion. The funds on deposit with third parties represent funds held with various third parties as required by regulation or contract and invested by those parties in various investments, which are measured at estimated fair value based primarily on quoted market prices. The estimated fair value measurements of contingent earn-out obligations are primarily based on unobservable inputs including projected EBITDA, estimated probability of achieving gross margins or quality margins of certain medical procedures and the estimated probability of earn-out payments being made using an option pricing technique and a simulation model for expected EBITDA and operating income. In addition, a probability adjusted model was used to estimate the fair value amounts of the quality margins. The estimated fair value of these contingent earn-out obligations are remeasured as of each reporting date and could fluctuate based upon any significant changes in key assumptions, such as changes in the Company credit risk adjusted rate that is used to discount obligations to present value.
New accounting standards	In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of Effective Date. This guidance approves a one-year deferral of the effective date of ASU 2014-09. The ASU now permits the Company to adopt this standard effective January 1, 2018. Early application is permitted as of January 1, 2017. In March, April, and May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10, ASU 2016-11, and ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), each of which amends the guidance in ASU 2014-09. When they become effective, these ASUs will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP. The Company has assembled an internal revenue task force that meets regularly to discuss and evaluate the overall impact this guidance will have on various revenue streams in the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company is continuing to evaluate the impact this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements. The Company expects to adopt these ASU’s effective January 1, 2018 retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying it recognized at the date of initial application (the cumulative effect method). In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Statements - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The amendments in this ASU revise accounting related to (i) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and (ii) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities at fair value. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2018 and are to be applied through a cumulative effect adjustment to the statement of financial position. Early adoption is permitted under certain circumstances. The adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements when adopted on January 1, 2018. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The amendments in this ASU revise the accounting related to lessee accounting. Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset for substantially all leases with lease terms in excess of twelve months. The new lease guidance also simplifies the accounting for sale and leaseback transactions primarily because lessees must recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2019 and are to be applied through a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has assembled an internal lease task force that meets regularly to discuss and evaluate the overall impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, as well as the expected timing of adoption. The Company believes that the new standard will have a material impact on its condensed consolidated balance sheet but will not have a material impact on its results of operations or liquidity. The Company expects to adopt this ASU on January 1, 2019, and continues to evaluate the effect that the implementation of this ASU will have on its condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-07, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting. The amendments in this ASU eliminate the requirement that when an investment qualifies for use of the equity method as a result of an increase in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence, an investor must adjust the investment, results of operations, and retained earnings retroactively on a step-by-step basis as if the equity method had been in effect during all previous periods that the investment had been held. The amendments in this ASU were effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2017 and was applied prospectively. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The changes required by this ASU involve several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, classification on the statement of cash flows, and an election on estimating forfeitures. The amendments in this ASU were effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2017. The method of adoption differs for each of the topics covered by the ASU. The primary effect of this ASU for the Company is the presentation of excess tax benefits or deficiencies as a component of income tax expense within the Company's condensed consolidated statement of income rather than within additional paid-in capital on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. In addition, these excess tax benefits or deficiencies are presented as an operating activity on the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows rather than as a financing activity. The Company elected to apply the presentation requirements for cash flows related to excess tax benefits prospectively. Additionally, the Company has elected to continue to estimate forfeitures expected to occur in determining the amount of compensation cost to be recognized each period. The new standard may cause volatility in the Company’s effective tax rates and diluted earnings per share due to the tax effects related to share-based payments being recorded within the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of income, including a potential increase in the Company’s provision for income taxes if a significant number of outstanding stock awards are exercised at recent levels of the Company’s stock price. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The amendments in this ASU clarify how certain cash receipts and cash payments should be classified on the statement of cash flows. The new standard is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2018 and should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company has not yet determined the effect that adoption of this ASU will have on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. The amendments in this ASU allow entities to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The current guidance does not allow recognition until the asset has been sold to an outside party. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2018 and are to be applied on a modified retrospective basis. The Company has not yet determined the effect that adoption of this ASU will have on its condensed consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The amendments in this ASU simplify the test for goodwill impairment by eliminating the second step in testing for goodwill impairment. The amendments in this new ASU are effective for the Company January 1, 2020 and are to be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted after January 1, 2017. The Company early adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2017.
Put Obligation Fair Value Estimate of Noncontrolling Interest
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions and other commitments	The Company has potential obligations to purchase the noncontrolling interests held by third parties in several of its majority-owned and other nonconsolidated entities. These obligations are in the form of put provisions and are exercisable at the third-party owners’ discretion within specified periods as outlined in each specific put provision. If these put provisions were exercised, the Company would be required to purchase the third-party owners’ equity interests at either the appraised fair market value or a predetermined multiple of earnings or cash flow attributable to the equity interests put to the Company, which is intended to approximate fair value. The methodology the Company uses to estimate the fair values of noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions assumes the higher of either a liquidation value of net assets or an average multiple of earnings, based on historical earnings, patient mix and other performance indicators that can affect future results, as well as other factors. The estimated fair values of the noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions is a critical accounting estimate that involves significant judgments and assumptions and may not be indicative of the actual values at which the noncontrolling interests may ultimately be settled, which could vary significantly from the Company’s current estimates. The estimated fair values of noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions can fluctuate and the implicit multiple of earnings at which these noncontrolling interest obligations may be settled could vary significantly depending upon market conditions including potential purchasers’ access to the capital markets, which can impact the level of competition for dialysis and non-dialysis related businesses, the economic performance of these businesses and the restricted marketability of the third-party owners’ equity interests. The amount of noncontrolling interests subject to put provisions that employ a contractually predetermined multiple of earnings rather than fair value are immaterial.