Acquisitions and Divestitures - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Thousands					1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Aug. 09, 2016 USD ($) Clinic	Aug. 01, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 01, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 01, 2016 USD ($) Provider Clinic	Dec. 31, 2012 Entity	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) Entity	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) Entity	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) Entity
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on sales of business interests							$ 404,165
Cash paid to acquire business							$ 563,856	$ 96,469	$ 272,094
Amortizable intangible assets acquired, weighted-average estimated useful lives							7 years	8 years	10 years
Goodwill deductible for tax purposes associated with acquisitions							$ 173,718	$ 73,733	$ 175,247
Contingent earn-out obligations associated with acquisitions							1,511
Deferred purchase price obligations									$ 136
Additional cash consideration in the form of earn-out payments							7,217	29,050
Fair value of contingent earn-out consideration							9,977	$ 34,135
Other Accrued Liabilities
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair value of contingent earn-out consideration							7,217
Other long-term liabilities
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair value of contingent earn-out consideration							2,760
Other companies
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Additional cash consideration in the form of earn-out payments							19,557
Fair value of contingent earn-out consideration							$ 9,977
Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortizable intangible assets acquired, weighted-average estimated useful lives									10 years
Noncompetition agreements
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortizable intangible assets acquired, weighted-average estimated useful lives							7 years	8 years	8 years
Minimum | Other companies | EBITDA or Operating Income Performance Targets or Quality Margins
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Earn-out consideration payment period							1 year
Maximum | Other companies | EBITDA or Operating Income Performance Targets or Quality Margins
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Earn-out consideration payment period							8 years
The Everett Clinic Medical Group (TEC)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Ownership interest percentage				100.00%
Date of acquisition agreement							Nov. 23, 2015
Effective date of acquisition							Mar. 01, 2016
Cash paid to acquire business				$ 393,687
Assumptions of certain liabilities				$ 7,284
Number of providers in primary and specialty | Provider				500
Amortizable intangible assets acquired, weighted-average estimated useful lives							6 years
Goodwill deductible for tax purposes associated with acquisitions							$ 0
The Everett Clinic Medical Group (TEC) | Minimum
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of dialysis clinic patients | Clinic				315,000
Dialysis-related businesses and other ancillary businesses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash paid to acquire business							170,169	$ 96,469	$ 272,094
Number of businesses acquired | Entity					2
Contingent earn-out obligations associated with acquisitions							1,511
Deferred purchase price obligations							$ 18,373	$ 8,395	$ 23,781
Renal Ventures Limited, LLC
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Ownership interest percentage	100.00%
Cash paid to acquire business	$ 360,000
Number of outpatient dialysis centers acquired | Clinic	38
Renal Ventures Limited, LLC | New Center Under Construction
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of outpatient dialysis centers acquired | Clinic	1
DaVita Medical Group (DMG) | Arizona
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on sales of business interests			$ (10,489)
DaVita Medical Group (DMG) | Tandigm Health
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Ownership interest, before sale						50.00%
Ownership interest, after sale						19.00%
Gain (loss) on sales of business interests						$ 40,280
U.S. Dialysis And Related Lab Services | Dialysis-related businesses and other ancillary businesses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of businesses acquired | Entity							8	6	18
Vascular access | Dialysis-related businesses and other ancillary businesses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of businesses acquired | Entity								3
Vascular access | Renal Ventures Limited, LLC
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Ownership interest percentage	51.00%
Number of outpatient dialysis centers acquired | Clinic	1
Foreign Dialysis Centers | Dialysis-related businesses and other ancillary businesses
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of businesses acquired | Entity							21	21	7
Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Mitsui and Co., LTD | Asia-Pacific dialysis business
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Subscribed investment amount		$ 300,000
Investment period		3 years
Ownership interest percentage		40.00%
Initial investment in equity method investment		$ 50,000
Non-cash non-taxable gain							$ 374,374