XML 118 R87.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.19.3.a.u2

STOCK OWNERSHIP AND COMPENSATION PLANS (Employee Stock Purchase Plan and Defined Contribution Plans) (Details) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2019 | Dec. 31, 2018 | Dec. 31, 2017
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] |  |  |
Company's expense for contributions to its defined contribution plans | $ 84 | $ 78 | $ 76
Maximum |  |  |
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] |  |  |
Amended company match percentage of employee contributions | 5.00% |  |
Employee Stock Purchase Plan |  |  |
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] |  |  |
Percentage of maximum annual wages witheld for the ESPP | 10.00% |  |
Market price of company stock issued at a discount under the ESPP | 95.00% |  |
Number of shares available for award | 9,000 |  |
Shares purchased by eligible employees under ESPP | 269 | 326 | 278

X
- Definition Element represents the discounted market value of the Company stock on offering date or purchase date that participants pay for shares. Typically, the participant's per share cost is the lower of the prices on the two dates. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | dgx_MarketPriceOfCompanyStockIssuedAtDiscountUnderEspp
Namespace Prefix: | dgx_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Amount of cost for defined contribution plan. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 70 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49170846&loc=d3e28014-114942 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanCostRecognized
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Percentage of employees' gross pay for which the employer contributes a matching contribution to a defined contribution plan. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanEmployerMatchingContributionPercent
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- 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

X
- Definition The highest percentage of annual salary that an employee is permitted to utilize with respect to the plan. + 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=116856206&loc=d3e5070-113901 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardMaximumEmployeeSubscriptionRate
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Number of shares authorized for issuance under share-based payment arrangement. + 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 (a)(3) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116856206&loc=d3e5070-113901 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAuthorized
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Number of shares issued during the period as a result of an employee stock purchase plan. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=109259400&loc=d3e21463-112644 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27012166&loc=d3e187085-122770 Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(28)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 4: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02(29)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Details
Name: | srt_RangeAxis=srt_MaximumMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
Namespace Prefix: |
Data Type: | na
Balance Type: |
Period Type: |