Employee service share-based compensation estimated tax benefit from compensation expense.

No definition available.

Name:	dva_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationEstimatedTaxBenefitFromCompensationExpense
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Longterm Incentive Compensation Cash Awards, Number Of Awards Outstanding.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_LongtermIncentiveCompensationCashAwardsNumberOfAwardsOutstanding
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:pureItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Longterm Incentive Program awards compensation cost recognized during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_LongtermIncentiveProgramAwardsCompensationCost
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of Long-term Incentive Program compensation cost.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_LongtermIncentiveProgramCompensationCost
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Premium Priced Award Base Price Per Share.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_PremiumPricedAwardBasePricePerShare
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Premium To The Tender Offer Share Purchase Price.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_PremiumToTheTenderOfferSharePurchasePrice
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Share-based compensation arrangement by share-based payment award, grant date fair value of options granted.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardGrantDateFairValueOfOptionsGranted
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share-based Compensation Arrangement By Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grant Date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantDate
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Requisite Holding Period, End Date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_SharebasedCompensationArrangementbySharebasedPaymentAwardAwardRequisiteHoldingPeriodEndDate
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_SharebasedCompensationArrangementbySharebasedPaymentAwardAwardVestingDate
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Shares available for issuance, under the Company's Incentive award plan, are reduced by only one full value share available for every four shares underlying stock appreciation rights and stock options.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_StockbasedCompensationNumberOfSharesAvailableForIssuanceReducedByOneShareAvailableForEveryFourSharesUnderlyingSARSAndStockOptions
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Stockbased Compensation Number Of Shares Available For Issuance Reduced By One Share Available For Every One Share Underlying Other Full Share Types Of Stock-based Award.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_StockbasedCompensationNumberOfSharesAvailableForIssuanceReducedByOneShareAvailableForEveryOneShareUnderlyingOtherFullShareTypeOfAward
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Stock-based Compensation Number Of Shares Underlying Full Share Types Of Stock-based Awards, Per Share of One Full Share Available For Issuance.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_StockbasedCompensationNumberOfSharesUnderlyingFullShareTypesOfStockbasedAwardsForOneFullShareAvailableForIssuance
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Stockbased Compensation Number Of Shares Underlying SARS And Stock Options, For One Share of One Full Share Available For Issuance, under the Company's Incentive Award Plan.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	dva_StockbasedCompensationNumberOfSharesUnderlyingSARSAndStockOptionsForOneFullShareAvailableForIssuance
Namespace Prefix:	dva_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of cost not yet recognized for nonvested award under share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Weighted-average period over which cost not yet recognized is expected to be recognized for award under share-based payment arrangement, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedPeriodForRecognition1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of tax benefit for recognition of expense of award under share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationTaxBenefitFromCompensationExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of noncash expense for share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121586364&loc=d3e3602-108585

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensation
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Period over which grantee's right to exercise award under share-based payment arrangement is no longer contingent on satisfaction of service or performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days. Includes, but is not limited to, combination of market, performance or service condition.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardAwardVestingPeriod1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Date the equity-based award expires, in CCYY-MM-DD format.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardExpirationDate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:dateItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of shares authorized for issuance under share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAuthorized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The difference between the maximum number of shares (or other type of equity) authorized for issuance under the plan (including the effects of amendments and adjustments), and the sum of: 1) the number of shares (or other type of equity) already issued upon exercise of options or other equity-based awards under the plan; and 2) shares (or other type of equity) reserved for issuance on granting of outstanding awards, net of cancellations and forfeitures, if applicable.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120381028&loc=d3e5070-113901

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAvailableForGrant
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Net number of share options (or share units) granted during the period.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of vesting of award under share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardAwardVestingRightsPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Expected term of award under share-based payment arrangement, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (f)(2)(i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120381028&loc=d3e5070-113901

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB Topic 14.D.2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115993241&loc=d3e301413-122809

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedTerm1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_RestrictedStockUnitsRSUMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=dva_PremiumPricedStockSettledStockAppreciationRightsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_VestingAxis=us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationAwardTrancheTwoMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_VestingAxis=us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationAwardTrancheOneMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeStatementLocationAxis=us-gaap_GeneralAndAdministrativeExpenseMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=dva_The2020IncentiveAwardPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=dva_The2011IncentiveAwardPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	srt_RangeAxis=srt_MaximumMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Long-term incentive compensation - Additional Information (Detail) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands			3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jan. 23, 2020 $ / shares	Nov. 04, 2019 shares	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($) shares	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($) shares	Jun. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Jun. 11, 2020 shares
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Long-term incentive program (LTIP) expense \| $				$ 48,511	$ 41,054
Stock-based compensation expense \| $				42,125	29,045
Estimated tax benefits recorded for stock-based compensation \| $				5,457	3,835
Unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock-based compensation arrangements under equity compensation and stock purchase plans \| $			$ 223,914	$ 223,914
Unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock-based compensation arrangements under stock-based component of LTIP costs, weighted average remaining period (in years)				1 year 7 months 6 days
Longterm Incentive Compensation cash awards, number of awards outstanding			0
Compensation cost related to LTIP awards \| $			$ 66,302
Share-based Payment Arrangement, Expense, Tax Benefit \| $				$ 5,920	2,675
Restricted and Performance Stock Units
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures				968,000
Aggregate grant-date fair value \| $				$ 74,062
Weighted-average expected life (in years)				3 years 4 months 24 days
Stock Appreciation Rights
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures				2,765,000
Aggregate grant-date fair value \| $				$ 73,833
Weighted-average expected life (in years)				4 years 9 months 18 days
Premium Priced Stock-Settled Stock Appreciation Rights
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Net of Forfeitures		2,500,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement By Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grant Date	Jan. 23, 2020
Premium Priced Award Base Price Per Share \| $ / shares	$ 67.80
Premium To The Tender Offer Share Purchase Price	20.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Date	Nov. 04, 2024
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Requisite Holding Period, End Date	Nov. 04, 2024
Premium Priced Stock-Settled Stock Appreciation Rights \| Vesting period, tranche one
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	50.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Date	Nov. 04, 2023
Premium Priced Stock-Settled Stock Appreciation Rights \| Vesting period, tranche two
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	50.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Date	Nov. 04, 2022
General and Administrative Expense
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense \| $				$ 42,125	$ 24,900
The2020 Incentive Award Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant						8,730,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized						5,000,000
The 2011 Incentive Award Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant						3,730,000
Stockbased Compensation Number Of Shares Available For Issuance Reduced By One Share Available For Every Four Shares Underlying SARS And Stock Options			1
Stockbased Compensation Number Of Shares Underlying SARS And Stock Options, Per Share of One Full Share Available For Issuance			4
Stockbased Compensation Number Of Shares Available For Issuance Reduced By One Share Available For Every One Share Underlying Other Full Share Type Of Award			1
Stock-based Compensation Number Of Shares Underlying Full Share Types Of Stock-based Awards, Per Share of One Full Share Available For Issuance			1
Maximum \| The2020 Incentive Award Plan
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period			10 years