DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS	NOTE 1—DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS Ventas, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us” or “our”), an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a highly diversified portfolio of seniors housing and healthcare properties located throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. As of September 30, 2016, we owned approximately 1,300 properties (including properties classified as held for sale), consisting of seniors housing communities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), life science and innovation centers, skilled nursing facilities, specialty hospitals and general acute care hospitals, and we had five properties under development, including two properties that are owned by an unconsolidated real estate entity. Our company was originally founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. In August 2015, we completed the spin off of most of our post-acute/skilled nursing facility portfolio into an independent, publicly traded REIT named Care Capital Properties, Inc. (“CCP”) (the “CCP Spin-Off”). The historical results of operations of the CCP properties are presented as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. We primarily invest in seniors housing and healthcare properties through acquisitions and lease our properties to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers. As of September 30, 2016, we leased a total of 575 properties (excluding MOBs and life science and innovation centers and 34 properties owned through investments in unconsolidated entities, and including 25 properties classified as held for sale) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures, and we engaged independent operators, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”), to manage 298 seniors housing communities for us pursuant to long-term management agreements. Our three largest tenants, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”), Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) and Ardent Health Partners, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Ardent”) leased from us 140 properties (excluding six properties owned through investments in unconsolidated real estate entities and one property managed by Brookdale Senior Living pursuant to a long-term management agreement), 68 properties (excluding one MOB) and ten properties, respectively, as of September 30, 2016. Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC (“PMBRES”), we also provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make secured and other loans and investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare operators or properties. In September 2016, we completed the acquisition of substantially all of the university affiliated life science and innovation real estate assets of Wexford Science & Technology, LLC (“Wexford”) from affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII, L.P. (together with its affiliates, “Blackstone”) (the “Wexford Acquisition”). As a result, we renamed our MOB operations reportable business segment “office operations,” which now includes both MOBs and life science assets.

NOTE 1—DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

Ventas, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, “we,” “us” or “our”), an S&P 500 company, is a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) with a highly diversified portfolio of seniors housing and healthcare properties located throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. As of September 30, 2016, we owned approximately 1,300 properties (including properties classified as held for sale), consisting of seniors housing communities, medical office buildings (“MOBs”), life science and innovation centers, skilled nursing facilities, specialty hospitals and general acute care hospitals, and we had five properties under development, including two properties that are owned by an unconsolidated real estate entity. Our company was originally founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

In August 2015, we completed the spin off of most of our post-acute/skilled nursing facility portfolio into an independent, publicly traded REIT named Care Capital Properties, Inc. (“CCP”) (the “CCP Spin-Off”). The historical results of operations of the CCP properties are presented as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

We primarily invest in seniors housing and healthcare properties through acquisitions and lease our properties to unaffiliated tenants or operate them through independent third-party managers. As of September 30, 2016, we leased a total of 575 properties (excluding MOBs and life science and innovation centers and 34 properties owned through investments in unconsolidated entities, and including 25 properties classified as held for sale) to various healthcare operating companies under “triple-net” or “absolute-net” leases that obligate the tenants to pay all property-related expenses, including maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, insurance and capital expenditures, and we engaged independent operators, such as Atria Senior Living, Inc. (“Atria”) and Sunrise Senior Living, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Sunrise”), to manage 298 seniors housing communities for us pursuant to long-term management agreements. Our three largest tenants, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Brookdale Senior Living”), Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Kindred”) and Ardent Health Partners, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Ardent”) leased from us 140 properties (excluding six properties owned through investments in unconsolidated real estate entities and one property managed by Brookdale Senior Living pursuant to a long-term management agreement), 68 properties (excluding one MOB) and ten properties, respectively, as of September 30, 2016.

Through our Lillibridge Healthcare Services, Inc. (“Lillibridge”) subsidiary and our ownership interest in PMB Real Estate Services LLC (“PMBRES”), we also provide MOB management, leasing, marketing, facility development and advisory services to highly rated hospitals and health systems throughout the United States. In addition, from time to time, we make secured and other loans and investments relating to seniors housing and healthcare operators or properties.

In September 2016, we completed the acquisition of substantially all of the university affiliated life science and innovation real estate assets of Wexford Science & Technology, LLC (“Wexford”) from affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII, L.P. (together with its affiliates, “Blackstone”) (the “Wexford Acquisition”). As a result, we renamed our MOB operations reportable business segment “office operations,” which now includes both MOBs and life science assets.