IQVIA (IQV) 10-Q 27 Oct 17 2017 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Oct. 23, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	Q
Entity Registrant Name	Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	1,478,242
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		211,313,493

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMEN

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenues	$ 2,019	$ 1,137	$ 5,899	$ 3,412
Reimbursed expenses	446	360	1,263	1,128
Total revenues	2,465	1,497	7,162	4,540
Costs of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization	1,165	696	3,431	2,125
Costs of revenue, reimbursed expenses	446	360	1,263	1,128
Selling, general and administrative expenses	391	207	1,141	623
Depreciation and amortization	256	34	733	98
Impairment charges		28	40	28
Restructuring costs	10		38	28
Merger related costs		4		13
Income from operations	197	168	516	497
Interest income	(2)	(1)	(5)	(2)
Interest expense	93	25	249	73
Loss on extinguishment of debt	18		21
Other expense, net	3	1	9	3
Income before income taxes and equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	85	143	242	423
Income tax expense		39	5	118
Income before equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	85	104	237	305
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated affiliates	4		7	(1)
Net income	89	104	244	304
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests	(5)	(4)	(11)	(11)
Net income attributable to Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc.	$ 84	$ 100	$ 233	$ 293
Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Basic	$ 0.39	$ 0.83	$ 1.06	$ 2.45
Diluted	$ 0.38	$ 0.82	$ 1.04	$ 2.41
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic	214.3	118.9	220.7	119.3
Diluted	219	121.2	225.4	121.4

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEME3

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 89	$ 104	$ 244	$ 304
Comprehensive income adjustments:
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, net of income tax expense (benefit) of $1, $1, ($2) and ($7)	2		1	(19)
Foreign currency translation, net of income tax benefit of ($59), ($1), ($138) and ($6)	156	(11)	495	(34)
Reclassification adjustments:
(Gains) losses on derivative instruments included in net income, net of income tax expense of $—, $2, $— and $4	(2)	7		14
Comprehensive income	245	100	740	265
Comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests	(8)	(2)	(16)	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc.	$ 237	$ 98	$ 724	$ 263

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEME4

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments, income taxes	$ 1	$ 1	$ (2)	$ (7)
Foreign currency translation, income taxes	$ (59)	(1)	$ (138)	(6)
(Gains) losses on derivative instruments included in net income, income taxes		$ 2		$ 4

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 1,103	$ 1,198
Trade accounts receivable and unbilled services, net	1,859	1,707
Prepaid expenses	146	123
Income taxes receivable	56	34
Investments in debt, equity and other securities	44	40
Other current assets and receivables	284	235
Total current assets	3,492	3,337
Property and equipment, net	428	406
Investments in debt, equity and other securities	8	13
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates	67	69
Goodwill	11,598	10,727
Other identifiable intangibles, net	6,567	6,390
Deferred income taxes	93	89
Deposits and other assets	192	177
Total assets	22,445	21,208
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	1,894	1,743
Unearned income	782	774
Income taxes payable	60	76
Current portion of long-term debt	103	92
Other current liabilities	14	20
Total current liabilities	2,853	2,705
Long-term debt	9,651	7,108
Deferred income taxes	2,014	2,133
Other liabilities	420	402
Total liabilities	14,938	12,348
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock and additional paid-in capital, 400.0 shares authorized at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, $0.01 par value, 276.5 and 248.3 shares issued at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively	10,761	10,602
Accumulated deficit	(166)	(399)
Treasury stock, at cost, 40.2 and 12.9 shares at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively	(3,252)	(1,000)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(79)	(570)
Equity attributable to Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc.’s stockholders	7,264	8,633
Non-controlling interests	243	227
Total stockholders’ equity	7,507	8,860
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$ 22,445	$ 21,208

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE6

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, shares authorized	400,000,000	400,000,000
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares issued	276,500,000	248,300,000
Treasury stock, shares	40,200,000	12,900,000

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEME7

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Operating activities:
Net income	$ 244	$ 304
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	733	98
Amortization of debt issuance costs and discount	6	5
Amortization of accumulated other comprehensive loss on terminated interest rate swaps	3	3
Stock-based compensation	82	34
Impairment of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets	40	28
Loss from unconsolidated affiliates	4	5
Benefit from deferred income taxes	(139)	(4)
Excess income tax benefits from stock-based award activities		(14)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Change in accounts receivable, unbilled services and unearned income	(85)	(16)
Change in other operating assets and liabilities	(151)	(30)
Net cash provided by operating activities	737	413
Investing activities:
Acquisition of property, equipment and software	(267)	(78)
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired	(525)
Disposition of business, net of cash disposed	12
Purchase of trading securities		(39)
Proceeds from corporate owned life insurance policies		21
Proceeds from sale of cost method investments		26
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates, net of payments received	5	(13)
Other	1	1
Net cash used in investing activities	(774)	(82)
Financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of debt	5,242
Payment of debt issuance costs	(53)
Repayment of debt and principal payments on capital lease obligations	(2,858)	(37)
Proceeds from revolving credit facility	1,222
Repayment of revolving credit facility	(1,497)
Stock issued under employee stock purchase and option plans	86	43
Repurchase of common stock	(2,252)	(98)
Distributions to non-controlling interest	(3)
Excess income tax benefits from stock-based award activities		14
Contingent consideration and deferred purchase price payments	(4)
Net cash used in financing activities	(117)	(78)
Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash	59	(20)
(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	(95)	233
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	1,198	977
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 1,103	$ 1,210

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies The Company Conducting business in more than 100 countries with over 55,000 employees, Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company” or “QuintilesIMS”) is a leading integrated information and technology-enabled healthcare service provider worldwide, dedicated to helping its clients improve their clinical, scientific and commercial results. Unaudited Interim Financial Information The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017. As such, the information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. The balance sheet at December 31, 2016 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company but does not include all the disclosures required by GAAP. Reclassifications Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation, including the reclassification of depreciation and amortization from costs of revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses to a separate caption on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income. These changes had no effect on previously reported total revenues, net income, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity or cash flows. Income Taxes Income tax expense includes United States federal, state and international income taxes. Certain items of income and expense are not reported in income tax returns and financial statements in the same year. The income tax effects of these differences are reported as deferred income taxes. Valuation allowances are provided to reduce the related deferred income tax assets to an amount which will, more likely than not, be realized. In addition, the Company does not consider the historical undistributed foreign earnings of most of its foreign subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company does consider the majority of its current year undistributed foreign earnings to be indefinitely reinvested. To the extent undistributed foreign earnings are not indefinitely reinvested, the Company records deferred income taxes on these earnings. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized income tax benefits are recognized as a component of income tax expense. Recently Issued Accounting Standards Accounting pronouncement adopted In August 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which eliminates the diversity in practice related to the cash flow classification of certain cash receipts and payments including debt prepayment or extinguishment payments, payments upon maturity of a zero coupon bond, payment of contingent liabilities arising from a business combination, proceeds from insurance settlements, distributions received from certain equity method investees, and cash flows related to beneficial interests obtained in a financial asset securitization. The Company adopted this new accounting guidance retrospectively on January 1, 2017. The new guidance designates the appropriate cash flow statement classification, including requirements to allocate certain components of these cash receipts and payments among operating, investing and financing activities. In the absence of specific guidance, each separately identifiable cash source and use will be classified on the basis of the nature of the underlying cash flows. In March 2016, the United States Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new accounting guidance which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee stock-based compensation transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, statutory tax withholding requirements, and the classification of excess income tax benefits on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this new accounting guidance prospectively on January 1, 2017. Under the new accounting guidance, excess income tax benefits related to stock-based awards are reflected as a reduction of income tax expense on the statements of income and as cash provided from operating activities on the statements of cash flows. In the prior periods, these tax benefits were reflected directly in additional paid in capital and as cash provided from financing activities. The adoption of this new accounting guidance did not impact the Company’s recognition of its stock-based compensation expense or its presentation of cash flows related to employee taxes paid for withheld shares. Accounting pronouncements being evaluated In August 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which will allow more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies to be eligible for hedge accounting. It also amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess hedge effectiveness. It is intended to more closely align hedge accounting with companies’ risk management strategies, simplify the application of hedge accounting, and increase transparency as to the scope and results of hedging programs. The new accounting guidance will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In March 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which requires the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost be presented in the same income statement line item as other employee compensation costs, and requires that the other components of net periodic benefit expense be recognized in the non-operating section of the income statement. In addition, only the service cost component of net periodic benefit expense is eligible for capitalization when applicable. The new accounting guidance will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance that changes the definition of a business to clarify when a set of assets does not constitute a business. Under the new definition, when substantially all of the fair value of gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set of assets is generally not a business. The new accounting guidance will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which requires lessees to recognize almost all leases on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The income statement will reflect lease expense for operating leases, and amortization and interest expense for financing leases. The new accounting guidance will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which modifies how entities measure equity investments and present changes in the fair value of financial liabilities. The new accounting guidance will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption of the presentation guidance is permitted; however, early adoption of the recognition and measurement guidance is not permitted. The adoption of this new accounting guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board issued a converged standard on the recognition of revenue from contracts with clients. The objective of the new standard is to establish a single comprehensive revenue recognition model that is designed to create greater comparability of financial statements across industries and jurisdictions. Under the new standard, companies will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to clients in amounts that reflect the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company has concluded that the majority of the clinical trial arrangements in its Research & Development Solutions segment will represent a single performance obligation. The Company expects to account for revenue for this single performance obligation over time using project cost as an input method to measure progress. Our arrangements in the Commercial Solutions and Integrated Engagement Services segments are generally multiple element arrangements under which current rules require the deferral of revenue when payment on a delivered unit of accounting is contingent on performing on a future unit of accounting. We currently anticipate that under the new standard these arrangements will consist of multiple performance obligations and that such deferral of revenue will in some cases be lower (or zero) when management determines that it is probable that performance on the future performance obligation will occur. The new standard will require expanded disclosures on revenue recognition, including information about changes in assets and liabilities that result from contracts with clients. The new standard allows for either a retrospective or prospective approach to transition upon adoption. The new standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company will adopt the new standard on January 1, 2018. The Company is still evaluating the impact of this new standard as well as the transition approach that will be used upon adoption .

Employee Stock Compensation

Employee Stock Compensation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Employee Stock Compensation	2. Employee Stock Compensation Stock Incentive Plans The Company granted the following number of stock-based awards: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Stock options — — — 783,700 Stock appreciation rights - stock settled 22,138 — 1,917,819 — Stock appreciation rights - cash settled — 15,200 15,227 40,400 Restricted stock awards — 86,356 254,582 86,356 Restricted stock units - stock settled 19,032 120,845 30,962 494,681 Restricted stock units - cash settled — — 3,715 — Performance awards — — 76,374 — Performance units 5,272 — 430,076 119,839 The Company had the following number of stock-based awards outstanding: September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Stock options 4,535,216 7,251,339 Stock appreciation rights - stock settled 2,962,261 1,313,322 Stock appreciation rights - cash settled 363,503 479,176 Restricted stock awards 617,551 367,053 Restricted stock units - stock settled 1,354,080 1,720,817 Restricted stock units - cash settled 3,715 — Performance awards 76,374 — Performance units 402,560 — The Company used the following assumptions when estimating the value of the stock-based compensation for stock options and stock appreciation rights issued as follows: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Expected volatility 22 – 24% 26 – 29% 22 – 25% 26 – 30% Weighted average expected volatility 23% 27% 24% 28% Expected dividends 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Expected term (in years) 3.9 – 6.9 3.6 – 6.6 1.0 – 6.9 3.6 – 6.6 Risk-free interest rate 1.71 – 2.15% 0.96 – 1.36% 1.16 – 2.21% 0.80 – 1.57% The Company’s employee stock purchase plan was discontinued effective December 31, 2016. The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $29 million and $16 million during the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $82 million and $34 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of September 30, 2017, there was approximately $129 million of total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to outstanding non-vested stock-based compensation arrangements, which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted average period of 1.3 years.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Concentration of Credit Risk	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Risks And Uncertainties [Abstract]
Concentration of Credit Risk	3. Concentration of Credit Risk No client accounted for 10% or more of consolidated revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 or 2016.

Accounts Receivable and Unbille

Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Services	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Receivables [Abstract]
Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Services	4. Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Services Accounts receivable and unbilled services consist of the following: (in millions) September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Trade: Billed $ 1,044 $ 998 Unbilled services 828 723 1,872 1,721 Allowance for doubtful accounts (13 ) (14 ) $ 1,859 $ 1,707

Investments-Debt, Equity and Ot

Investments-Debt, Equity and Other Securities	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]
Investments-Debt, Equity and Other Securities	5. Investments – Debt, Equity and Other Securities The Company’s short-term investments in debt, equity and other securities consist primarily of trading investments in mutual funds and are measured at fair value with realized and unrealized gains and losses recorded in other expense, net on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income.

Variable Interest Entities

Variable Interest Entities	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entities	6. Variable Interest Entities As of September 30, 2017, the Company’s investments in unconsolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and its estimated maximum exposure to loss were as follows: (in millions) Investments in Unconsolidated VIEs Maximum Exposure to Loss NovaQuest Pharma Opportunities Fund III, L.P. (“NovaQuest Fund III”) $ 30 $ 37 NovaQuest Pharma Opportunities Fund IV, L.P. (“NovaQuest Fund IV”) 7 17 Pappas Life Science Ventures V, L.P. (“Pappas Fund V”) 1 5 $ 38 $ 59 The Company investments in and advances to unconsolidated affiliates

Goodwill and Identifiable Intan

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets	7. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets The following is a summary of goodwill by reportable segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2017: Research & Integrated Commercial Development Engagement (in millions) Solutions Solutions Services Consolidated Balance as of December 31, 2016 $ 9,415 $ 1,196 $ 116 $ 10,727 Business combinations 214 176 — 390 Impairment (40 ) — — (40 ) Impact of foreign currency fluctuations and other 510 10 1 521 Balance as of September 30, 2017 $ 10,099 $ 1,382 $ 117 $ 11,598 During the second quarter of 2017, we determined there was sufficient indication that the carrying value of our investment in Encore Health Resources LLC (“Encore”) should be reviewed for further impairment due to its continued decline in performance. The Company proceeded to perform an impairment assessment which resulted in the recognition of a goodwill impairment of $39.6 million, which represented the remaining amount of goodwill associated with Encore, and an intangible asset impairment of $0.4 million for other-than-temporary declines in fair value. On July 12, 2017, the Company completed the sale of Encore to an unrelated third party. As of September 30, 2017, accumulated goodwill impairment losses were $63 million, solely related to Encore.

Derivatives

Derivatives	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivatives	8. Derivatives Foreign Exchange Risk Management As of September 30, 2017, the Company held foreign currency forward contracts to (i) hedge certain forecasted foreign exchange cash flows arising from service contracts (“Service Contract Hedging”) and (ii) hedge non-United States Dollar anticipated intercompany royalties (“Royalty Hedging”). It is the Company’s policy to enter into foreign currency transactions only to the extent necessary to reduce earnings and cash flow volatility associated with foreign exchange rate movements. The Company does not enter into foreign currency transactions for investment or speculative purposes. As of September 30, 2017, the Company had 57 open Service Contract Hedging and Royalty Hedging contracts to hedge certain forecasted foreign currency cash flow transactions occurring in 2017 and 2018 with notional amounts totaling $294 million. For accounting purposes these hedges are considered highly effective. As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had recorded gross unrealized gains (losses) of $6 million and ($7) million and $11 million and ($9) million, respectively, related to these contracts. Upon expiration of the hedge instruments during 2017 and 2018, the Company will reclassify the unrealized holding gains and losses on the derivative instruments included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) into earnings. The unrealized gains (losses) are included in other current assets and liabilities on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016. Interest Rate Risk Management The Company purchases interest rate caps and has entered into interest rate swap agreements for purposes of managing its exposure to interest rate fluctuations. On June 9, 2011, the Company entered into six interest rate swaps which expired between September 30, 2013 and March 31, 2016, in an effort to limit its exposure to changes in the variable interest rate on its senior secured credit facilities. During May 2015, the Company terminated the remaining open interest rate swaps for a cash payment to the counterparty of $12 million, which included $1 million of accrued interest. Since the hedged forecasted cash transactions continued to be probable of occurring, the accumulated loss ($3 million at December 31, 2015) related to the terminated interest rate swaps in AOCI was reclassified to earnings as a component of interest expense in the same periods as the hedged forecasted transactions occurred over the first three months of 2016. The Company, through the merger with IMS Health described in Note 12 below, has United States Dollar denominated interest rate caps (the “2014 Caps”) with a total notional value of $700 million at strike prices between 2% and 3% in an effort to limit its exposure to changes in the variable interest rate on its senior secured credit facilities. The 2014 Caps commenced at various times between April 2014 and April 2016 and expire in April 2019. The 2014 Caps are accounted for as cash flow hedges. The Company, through the merger with IMS Health, has United States Dollar and Euro denominated interest rate swap agreements (the “2014 USD Swap” and “2014 EUR Swap”) to limit its exposure to changes in the variable interest rate on its senior secured credit facilities. The 2014 USD Swap and 2014 EUR Swap began accruing interest in April and June 2014, respectively, and expire in March 2019 and March 2021, respectively. On these agreements, the Company pays fixed rates of 2.1% to 1.65%, respectively, and receives variable rates of interest equal to the greater of three-month United States Dollar London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or three-month Euro Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”), and 1%. On June 3, 2015, the Company entered into seven forward starting interest rate swaps (the “2015 Swaps”) in an effort to limit its exposure to changes in the variable interest rate on its senior secured credit facilities. Interest on the swaps began accruing on June 30, 2016, and the interest rate swaps expire at various times from March 2017 through March 2020. The Company pays a fixed rate ranging from 1.3% to 2.1% and receives a variable rate of interest equal to the three-month LIBOR on these agreements. The critical terms of the 2015 Swaps are substantially the same as the underlying borrowings. These interest rate swaps are being accounted for as cash flow hedges as these transactions were executed to hedge the Company’s interest payments and for accounting purposes these hedges are highly effective. As such, the effective portion of the hedges is recorded as unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives included in AOCI and the ineffective portion of the hedges is recognized in earnings. The 2014 EUR Swap (notional value $343 million) ceased to be considered a highly effective hedge for accounting purposes when the underlying debt was refinanced on March 7, 2017. As such, the Company discontinued hedge accounting on that date and prospective changes in the fair value of the 2014 EUR Swap are recognized in earnings. The 2014 USD Swap (notional value $100 million) ceased to be considered a highly effective hedge for accounting purposes this quarter and as such, the Company has discontinued hedge accounting and prospective changes in the fair value of the 2014 USD Swap are recognized in earnings. The fair value of these interest rate swaps represents the present value of the anticipated net payments the Company will make to the counterparty, which, when they occur, are reflected as interest expense on the consolidated statements of income. These interest rate swaps will result in a total debt mix of approximately 57% fixed rate debt and 43% variable rate debt, before the additional protection arising from the interest rate caps. Net Investment Risk Management Subsequent to the merger with IMS Health, the Company designated its foreign currency denominated debt as a hedge of its net investment in certain foreign subsidiaries to reduce the volatility in stockholders’ equity caused by changes in the Euro exchange rate with respect to the United States Dollar. As of September 30, 2017, these borrowings (net of original issue discount) were €4,044 million ($4,779 million). The effective portion of foreign exchange gains or losses on the remeasurement of the debt is recognized in the cumulative translation adjustment component of AOCI with the related offset in long-term debt. Those amounts will be reclassified from AOCI to earnings upon the sale or substantial liquidation of these net investments. The amount of foreign exchange losses related to the net investment hedge included in the cumulative translation adjustment component of AOCI for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was $490 million. The fair values of the Company’s derivative instruments and the line items on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets to which they were recorded are summarized in the following table: September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 (in millions) Balance Sheet Classification Assets Liabilities Notional Assets Liabilities Notional Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts Other current assets and liabilities $ 6 $ 7 $ 294 $ 11 $ 9 $ 300 Interest rate swaps Other liabilities — 4 405 — 15 945 Interest rate caps Deposits and other assets — — 700 1 — 1,000 Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts Other current liabilities — — — — 1 189 Interest rate swaps Other liabilities — 8 443 — — — Total derivatives $ 6 $ 19 $ 12 $ 25 The effect of the Company’s cash flow hedging instruments on other comprehensive (loss) income is summarized in the following table: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Foreign exchange forward contracts $ (2 ) $ 4 $ (7 ) $ (3 ) Interest rate swaps 3 4 5 (6 ) Total $ 1 $ 8 $ (2 ) $ (9 )

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	9. Fair Value Measurements The Company records certain assets and liabilities at fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value is described below. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows: • Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. • Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. • Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity. This includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs. The carrying values of cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximated their fair values at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 due to their short-term nature. At September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the fair value of total debt approximated $9,988 million and $7,298 million, respectively, as determined under Level 2 measurements based on quoted prices for these financial instruments. Recurring Fair Value Measurements The following table summarizes the fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured and reported at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2017: (in millions) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets: Trading securities $ 44 $ — $ — $ 44 Derivatives — 6 — 6 Total $ 44 $ 6 $ — $ 50 Liabilities: Derivatives $ — $ 19 $ — $ 19 Contingent consideration — — 63 63 Total $ — $ 19 $ 63 $ 82 Below is a summary of the valuation techniques used in determining fair value: Trading securities — The Company values trading securities using the quoted market value of the securities held. Derivatives — Derivatives consist of foreign exchange contracts and interest rate caps and swaps. The fair value of foreign exchange contracts is based on observable market inputs of spot and forward rates or using other observable inputs. The fair value of the interest rate caps and swaps is the estimated amount that the Company would receive or pay to terminate such agreements, taking into account market interest rates and the remaining time to maturities or using market inputs with mid-market pricing as a practical expedient for bid-ask spread. Contingent consideration — The Company values contingent consideration related to business combinations using a weighted probability calculation of potential payment scenarios discounted at rates reflective of the risks associated with the expected future cash flows. Key assumptions used to estimate the fair value of contingent consideration include various financial metrics (revenue performance targets, operating forecasts) and the probability of achieving the specific targets. The following table summarizes the changes in Level 3 financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis for the nine months ended September 30: Contingent Consideration – Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses (in millions) 2017 2016 Balance as of January 1 $ 18 $ 4 Business combinations 52 — Contingent consideration paid (4 ) — Revaluations included in earnings and foreign currency translation adjustments (3 ) 1 Balance as of September 30 $ 63 $ 5 Revaluations of the contingent consideration are recognized in other expense (income), net on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income.

Credit Arrangements

Credit Arrangements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Credit Arrangements	10. Credit Arrangements The following is a summary of the Company’s revolving credit facilities at September 30, 2017: Facility Interest Rates $1,000 million (revolving credit facility) LIBOR in the relevant currency borrowed plus a margin of 2.00% at September 30, 2017 $25 million (receivables financing facility) United States LIBOR plus a margin of 0.85% at September 30, 2017 depending upon the Company’s debt rating £10 million (approximately $13 million) general banking facility with a European headquartered bank Bank’s base rate of 0.25% at September 30, 2017 plus 1% The following table summarizes the Company’s debt at the dates indicated: (in millions) September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Senior Secured Credit Facilities: Term A Loan due 2021—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.33% $ 855 $ 888 Term A Loan due 2021—Euro LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.00% 453 419 Term B Loan due 2025—U.S. Dollar at average floating rates of 3.32% 750 — Term B Loan due 2024—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.33% 1,191 — Term B Loan due 2024—Euro LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.75% 1,407 — Term B Loan due 2021—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.50% — 1,700 Term B Loan due 2021—Euro LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.75% — 765 Revolving Credit Facility due 2021: U.S. Dollar denominated borrowings — 100 375 5.0% Senior Notes due 2026 — 1,050 1,050 2.875% Senior Notes due 2025—Euro denominated 496 — 3.25% Senior Notes due 2025 — 1,684 — 3.5% Senior Notes due 2024 — 739 658 4.125% Senior Notes due 2023 — — 289 4.875% Senior Notes due 2023—U.S. Dollar denominated 800 800 Receivables financing facility due 2018—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rate of 2.08% 275 275 Principal amount of debt 9,800 7,219 Less: unamortized discount and debt issuance costs (46 ) (19 ) Less: current portion (103 ) (92 ) Long-term debt $ 9,651 $ 7,108 Contractual maturities of long-term debt are as follows at September 30, 2017: (in millions) Remainder of 2017 $ 26 2018 378 2019 103 2020 103 2021 1,218 Thereafter 7,972 $ 9,800 At September 30, 2017, there were bank guarantees totaling approximately £5 million (approximately $6 million) issued against the availability of the general banking facility. During the first nine months of 2017, the Company borrowed and repaid $1,222 million and $1,497 million, respectively, under its revolving credit facilities. Senior Secured Facilities At September 30, 2017, the Company’s senior credit facility provided financing of up to approximately $5,656 million, which consisted of $4,756 million principal amount of debt outstanding (as detailed in the table above) and $900 million of available borrowing capacity on the $1,000 million revolving credit facility that expires in 2021. On September 18, 2017, the Company amended its senior credit facility agreement (the “Amendment”) to provide for an incremental term B loan of $750 million and to increase the facility’s restricted payment capacity, specifically an increase to the total net leverage ratio conditions for unlimited restricted investments from 4.25-to-1.00 to 4.50-to-1.00 and for dividends and distributions from 4.00-to-1.00 to 4.50-to-1.00. The new term B loan will mature in 2025 and bear a floating interest rate of LIBOR plus 2.00% per year. On March 7, 2017, the Company refinanced all of its term B loans due 2021—U.S. dollar denominated (approximately $1,700 million) and its term B loans due 2021—Euro denominated (approximately $765 million) with an extended and repriced term B loan facility due in 2024 for an aggregate principal amount of approximately $2,465 million comprised of $1,200 million U.S. dollar denominated term B loans and €1,200 million ($1,279 million) Euro denominated term B loans. The U.S. dollar denominated term B loans bear interest based on the U.S. Dollar LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 3.23% as of September 30, 2017. The Euro denominated term B loans bear interest based on the Euro LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 2.75% as of September 30, 2017. In connection with this refinancing, the Company recognized a $3 million loss on extinguishment of debt, which included fees and related expenses. Senior Notes On September 14, 2017, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Quintiles IMS Incorporated (the “Issuer”), issued €420 million (approximately $501 million) aggregate principal amount of 2.875% senior notes due 2025 (the “2025 Notes”). The 2025 Notes, which are unsecured obligations of the Issuer, mature on September 15, 2025 and bear an interest rate of 2.875% which is paid semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on March 15, 2018. The 2025 Notes may be redeemed prior to their final stated maturity, subject to a customary make-whole premium at any time prior to September 15, 2020 (subject to a certain customary “equity claw” redemption right) and thereafter subject to a redemption premium declining from 1.438% to 0%. The net proceeds from the offering of the 2025 Notes and the Amendment referenced above were used to refinance certain indebtedness, including the redemption of the outstanding 4.125% euro-denominated senior notes due 2023 (the “4.125% Notes”), to pay down the revolving credit facility, to pay fees and expenses related to the offering of the 2025 Notes and the Amendment and for other general corporate purposes, including the repurchase of the Company’s common stock and acquisitions. In connection with this refinancing, the Company recognized an $18 million loss on extinguishment of debt, which included the 4.125% Notes make-whole premium. On February 28, 2017, the Issuer issued €1,425 million (approximately $1,522 million) aggregate principal amount of 3.25% senior notes due 2025 (the “2017 Notes”). The 2017 Notes, which are unsecured obligations of the Issuer, mature on March 15, 2025 and bear an interest rate of 3.25% which is paid semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on September 15, 2017. The 2017 Notes may be redeemed prior to their final stated maturity, subject to a customary make-whole premium at any time prior to March 15, 2020 (subject to a certain customary “equity claw” redemption right) and thereafter subject to annually declining redemption premiums at any time prior to March 15, 2022. During March 2017, the proceeds of the 2017 Notes were used to pay fees and expenses related to the notes offering and the refinancing referenced above and other general corporate purposes, including the repurchase of the Company’s common stock. Restrictive Covenants The Company’s debt agreements provide for certain covenants and events of default customary for similar instruments, including a covenant not to exceed a specified ratio of consolidated senior secured net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, as defined in the credit agreement and a covenant to maintain a specified minimum interest coverage ratio. If an event of default occurs under any of the Company’s or the Company’s subsidiaries’ financing arrangements, the creditors under such financing arrangements will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due under such arrangements, and in the case of the lenders under the revolving credit facility and term loans, other actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor. The Company’s long-term debt arrangements contain other usual and customary restrictive covenants that, among other things, place limitations on our ability to declare dividends. At September 30, 2017, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants under its financing arrangements in all material respects.

Stockholders' Equity

Stockholders' Equity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	11. Stockholders’ Equity Preferred Stock The Company is authorized to issue 1.0 million shares of preferred stock, $0.01 per share par value. No shares of preferred stock were issued or outstanding as of September 30, 2017 or December 31, 2016. Equity Repurchase Program and Secondary Public Offerings On February 14, 2017, the Board increased the stock repurchase authorization under a previously approved equity repurchase program (the “Repurchase Program”) by $1.0 billion. On May 24, 2017, the Board further increased the stock repurchase authorization under the Repurchase Program by $1.0 billion, which increased the total amount that has been authorized under the Repurchase Program to $4.225 billion since the plan’s inception in October 2013. The Repurchase Program does not obligate the Company to repurchase any particular amount of common stock or vested in-the-money employee stock options, and it could be modified, extended, suspended or discontinued at any time. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company repurchased 27,296,321 shares of its common stock under the Repurchase Program at an average market price per share of $82.49 for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $2.3 billion. Those repurchases include shares repurchased pursuant to a share repurchase agreement dated February 23, 2017 with certain of the Company’s principal stockholders under the Repurchase Program. Pursuant to that agreement, the Company purchased an aggregate of 9,677,420 shares of the Company’s common stock in a private transaction for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $750 million. This transaction was consummated on February 28, 2017. In May 2017, the Company completed an underwritten secondary public offering of 10,571,003 shares of its common stock held by certain of the Company’s principal stockholders (the “May Selling Stockholders”), of which, the Company repurchased 3,571,003 shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $300 million. The Company did not offer any stock in this transaction and did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by the May Selling Stockholders in the offering. Pursuant to an agreement with the underwriter, the Company’s per-share purchase price for repurchased shares was the same as the per-share purchase price payable by the underwriter to the May Selling Stockholders. In September 2017, the Company completed an underwritten secondary public offering of 9,000,000 shares of its common stock held by certain of the Company’s principal stockholders (the “September Selling Stockholders”), of which the Company repurchased 4,000,000 shares for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $380 million. The Company did not offer any stock in this transaction and did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by the September Selling Stockholders in the offering. Pursuant to an agreement with the underwriter, the Company’s per-share purchase price for repurchased shares was the same as the per-share purchase price payable by the underwriter to the September Selling Stockholders. An automatic shelf registration statement (including a prospectus) relating to the offering of an unspecified amount of common stock was filed by the Company or selling stockholders to be named in the future with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 24, 2017 and became effective upon filing. The registration statement will expire three years after the date of filing. As of September 30, 2017, the Company has remaining authorization to repurchase up to $295 million of its common stock under the Repurchase Program. In addition, from time to time, the Company has repurchased and may continue to repurchase common stock through private or other transactions outside of the Repurchase Program. Non-controlling Interests In July 2015, the Company contributed businesses to a joint venture with Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (“Quest”) that was recorded at book value (carryover basis) because the Company owns 60% of the joint venture and maintains control of these businesses. Quest’s 40% non-controlling interest in the joint venture, referred to as Q 2 2017 2016 Balance as of January 1 $ 227 $ 228 Investment by non-controlling interest — 2 Comprehensive income (loss): Net income (loss) 11 11 Foreign currency adjustments, net of income tax 5 (9 ) Balance as of September 30 $ 243 $ 232

Business Combinations

Business Combinations	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business Combinations	12. Business Combinations IMS Health On October 3, 2016, Quintiles Transnational Holdings Inc. (“Quintiles”) completed a merger of equals transaction with IMS Health Holdings, Inc. (“IMS Health”) (the “Merger”). Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement dated as of May 3, 2016 between Quintiles and IMS Health, IMS Health was merged with and into Quintiles, and the separate corporate existence of IMS Health ceased, with Quintiles continuing as the surviving corporation. The Merger was accounted for as a business combination with Quintiles considered the accounting and the legal acquirer. Immediately prior to the completion of the Merger, Quintiles reincorporated as a Delaware corporation. The surviving corporation changed its name to Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc. At the effective time of the Merger, IMS Health common stock was automatically converted into 0.3840 of a share of the Company’s common stock. The merger consideration was approximately $10.4 billion (based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on October 3, 2016), and consisted of the fair value of the Company’s common stock issued (approximately 126.6 million shares) in exchange for the IMS Health common stock as well as the fair value of the vested portion of the converted IMS Health equity awards. In connection with the IMS Health acquisition, the Company recorded goodwill, primarily attributable to the assembled workforce of IMS Health and expected synergies, which was assigned to the Commercial Solutions segment ($9,688 million), the Research & Development Solutions segment ($533 million) and the Integrated Engagement Services segment ($67 million). The goodwill is not deductible for income tax purposes. Unaudited Pro Forma Information The following unaudited pro forma information presents the financial results as if the acquisition of IMS Health had occurred on January 1, 2015, with pro forma adjustments to give effect to (i) an increase in depreciation and amortization expense for fair value adjustments of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, (ii) an increase in stock-based compensation expense resulting from the exchange of the vested IMS Health equity awards for the Company’s equity awards, and (iii) the related income tax effects. The pro forma results do not include any cost synergies, costs or other effects pertaining to the integration of IMS Health. Accordingly, such pro forma amounts are not necessarily indicative of the results that actually would have occurred for the periods presented below had the IMS Health acquisition been completed on January 1, 2015, nor are they indicative of the future operating results of the Company. The following table summarizes the pro forma results: 2016 (in millions, except earnings per share) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Revenues $ 1,926 $ 5,775 Reimbursed expenses 360 1,128 Total revenues $ 2,286 $ 6,903 Net income attributable to Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc. $ 82 $ 195 Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders: Basic $ 0.34 $ 0.80 Diluted $ 0.33 $ 0.78 Pro forma information is not presented for any other acquisition as the aggregate operations of the acquired businesses were not significant to the overall operations of the Company. The Company’s condensed consolidated statements of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 included $858 million and $2,459 million, respectively, of revenues related to the IMS Health acquisition, including revenue from post-merger acquisitions. Following the closing of the IMS Health acquisition, the Company began integrating IMS Health’s operations. As a result, deriving a separate measure of IMS Health’s stand-alone profitability for periods after the acquisition date is impracticable. Other Acquisitions The Company also completed several individually immaterial acquisitions during the nine months ended September 30, 2017. The Company’s assessment of fair value and the purchase price allocation related to these acquisitions is preliminary and subject to change upon completion. Further adjustments may be necessary as additional information related to the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is assessed during the measurement period (up to one year from the acquisition date). The condensed consolidated financial statements include the results of the acquisitions subsequent to their respective closing dates. The following table provides certain financial information for these acquisitions, including the preliminary allocation of the purchase price to certain tangible and intangible assets acquired and goodwill: Amortization (in millions) Period 2017 Total cost of acquisition, net of cash acquired $ 579 Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets: Goodwill 390 Portion of goodwill deductible for income tax purposes 142 Intangible assets: Client relationships 9-15 years 158 Backlog 4 years 15 Non-compete agreements 3-5 years 11 Software 2-9 years 40 Trade names 1-17 years 9 Total intangible assets $ 233

Restructuring

Restructuring	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring	13. Restructuring The Company has taken restructuring actions in 2017, 2016 and 2015 to align its resources and reduce overcapacity to adapt to changing market conditions and integrate acquisitions. These actions include closing facilities, consolidating functional activities, eliminating redundant positions, and aligning resources with client requirements. In 2016, the Company also assumed certain restructuring liabilities as a result of the Merger. Restructuring expense in the first nine months of 2017 consisted of severance and related costs of $35 million, including approximately $6 million related to the Merger and $29 million related to cost reduction actions taken to adapt to changing market conditions. These restructuring actions are expected to continue into 2018. The following amounts were recorded for the restructuring plans: (in millions) Severance and Related Costs Exit Costs Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 99 $ 3 $ 102 Expense, net of reversals 35 3 38 Payments (59 ) (3 ) (62 ) Foreign currency translation and other 1 — 1 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 76 $ 3 $ 79 The reversals were due to changes in estimates primarily resulting from the redeployment of staff and higher than expected voluntary terminations. Restructuring costs are not allocated to the Company’s reportable segments as they are not part of the segment performance measures regularly reviewed by management. The Company expects that the majority of the restructuring accruals at September 30, 2017 will be paid in 2017 and 2018.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	14. Income Taxes The effective income tax rate was (0.5)% and 27.3% in the third quarter of 2017 and 2016, respectively, and 2.1% and 27.9% in the first nine months of 2017 and 2016, respectively. The effective income tax rate was favorably impacted by a tax benefit of $58 million and $189 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively, related to purchase accounting amortization of approximately $193 million and $561 million, respectively, as a result of the Merger. Additionally, due to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017, the effective income tax rate was favorably impacted by discrete tax adjustments related to excess tax benefits on stock-based compensation of $5 million and $18 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. The Company does not consider the historical undistributed foreign earnings of most of its foreign subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company does consider the majority of its current year undistributed foreign earnings to be indefinitely reinvested. To the extent undistributed foreign earnings are not indefinitely reinvested, the Company has recorded deferred income taxes on these earnings.

Employee Benefit Plans

Employee Benefit Plans	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Postemployment Benefits [Abstract]
Employee Benefit Plans	15. Employee Benefit Plans Pension and Postretirement Benefit Plans The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost for the Company’s pension benefits: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Service cost $ 10 $ 4 $ 29 $ 13 Interest cost 6 1 16 3 Expected return on plan assets (10 ) (1 ) (29 ) (3 ) Amortization of actuarial losses 1 1 1 1 $ 7 $ 5 $ 17 $ 14 The above tables do not include the Company’s expense associated with providing certain executives with supplemental pension benefits as well as postretirement medical, dental and life insurance benefits in accordance with their individual employment arrangements. The Company’s net periodic expense related to these benefits for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 was de minimis.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive Income	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Comprehensive Income	16. Comprehensive Income Below is a summary of the components of AOCI: (in millions) Foreign Currency Translation Derivative Instruments Defined Benefit Plans Income Taxes Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (623 ) $ 10 $ 21 $ 22 $ (570 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 353 (2 ) — 140 491 Reclassification adjustments — — — — — Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (270 ) $ 8 $ 21 $ 162 $ (79 ) Below is a summary of the adjustments for (gains) losses reclassified from AOCI into the condensed consolidated statements of income and the affected financial statement line item: Affected Financial Statement Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) Line Item 2017 2016 2017 2016 Derivative instruments: Interest rate swaps Interest expense $ — $ 2 $ — $ 5 Foreign exchange forward contracts Revenues (1 ) 7 8 13 Foreign exchange forward contracts Other expense (income), net (1 ) — (8 ) — Total before income taxes (2 ) 9 — 18 Income tax benefit — 2 — 4 Total net of income taxes $ (2 ) $ 7 $ — $ 14

Segments

Segments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segments	17. Segments The following table presents the Company’s operations by reportable segment. The Company is managed through three reportable segments, Commercial Solutions, Research & Development Solutions and Integrated Engagement Services. Commercial Solutions provides mission critical information, technology solutions and real-world insights and services to the Company’s life science clients. Research & Development Solutions, which primarily serves biopharmaceutical clients, provides outsourced clinical research and clinical trial related services. Integrated Engagement Services provides health care provider (including contract sales) and patient engagement services to both biopharmaceutical clients and the broader healthcare market. Certain costs are not allocated to the Company’s segments and are reported as general corporate and unallocated expenses. These costs primarily consist of stock-based compensation and expenses for corporate overhead functions such as senior leadership, finance, human resources, information technology, facilities and legal. The Company does not allocate depreciation and amortization, impairment charges, restructuring costs or merger related costs to its segments. Revenues and costs for reimbursed expenses are not allocated to the Company’s segments. Asset information by segment is not presented, as this measure is not used by the chief operating decision maker to assess the Company’s performance. The Company’s reportable segment information is presented below: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Revenues Commercial Solutions $ 887 $ 72 $ 2,603 $ 218 Research & Development Solutions 938 869 2,700 2,591 Integrated Engagement Services 194 196 596 603 Total revenues 2,019 1,137 5,899 3,412 Costs of revenue Commercial Solutions 480 51 1,407 158 Research & Development Solutions 529 488 1,543 1,484 Integrated Engagement Services 156 157 481 483 Total costs of revenue 1,165 696 3,431 2,125 Selling, general and administrative expenses Commercial Solutions 168 14 482 45 Research & Development Solutions 152 143 426 434 Integrated Engagement Services 20 20 56 63 General corporate and unallocated 51 30 177 81 Total selling, general and administrative expenses 391 207 1,141 623 Segment profit Commercial Solutions 239 7 714 15 Research & Development Solutions 257 238 731 673 Integrated Engagement Services 18 19 59 57 Total segment profit 514 264 1,504 745 General corporate and unallocated (51 ) (30 ) (177 ) (81 ) Depreciation and amortization (256 ) (34 ) (733 ) (98 ) Impairment charges — (28 ) (40 ) (28 ) Restructuring costs (10 ) — (38 ) (28 ) Merger related costs — (4 ) — (13 ) Total income from operations $ 197 $ 168 $ 516 $ 497

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	18. Earnings Per Share The following table presents the weighted average number of outstanding stock-based awards not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because they are subject to performance conditions or the effect of including such stock-based awards in the computation would be anti-dilutive: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Shares subject to performance conditions 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.2 Shares subject to anti-dilutive stock-based awards 0.6 0.7 1.3 1.2 Total shares excluded from diluted earnings per share 1.1 0.9 1.7 1.4 The vesting of performance units is contingent upon the achievement of certain performance targets. The performance units are not included in diluted earnings per share until the performance targets have been met. Stock-based awards will have a dilutive effect under the treasury method when the respective period’s average market value of the Company’s common stock exceeds the exercise proceeds.

Summary of Significant Accoun26

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Unaudited Interim Financial Information	Unaudited Interim Financial Information The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017. As such, the information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. The balance sheet at December 31, 2016 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company but does not include all the disclosures required by GAAP.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation, including the reclassification of depreciation and amortization from costs of revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses to a separate caption on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income. These changes had no effect on previously reported total revenues, net income, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity or cash flows.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Income tax expense includes United States federal, state and international income taxes. Certain items of income and expense are not reported in income tax returns and financial statements in the same year. The income tax effects of these differences are reported as deferred income taxes. Valuation allowances are provided to reduce the related deferred income tax assets to an amount which will, more likely than not, be realized. In addition, the Company does not consider the historical undistributed foreign earnings of most of its foreign subsidiaries to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company does consider the majority of its current year undistributed foreign earnings to be indefinitely reinvested. To the extent undistributed foreign earnings are not indefinitely reinvested, the Company records deferred income taxes on these earnings. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized income tax benefits are recognized as a component of income tax expense.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Recently Issued Accounting Standards Accounting pronouncement adopted In August 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which eliminates the diversity in practice related to the cash flow classification of certain cash receipts and payments including debt prepayment or extinguishment payments, payments upon maturity of a zero coupon bond, payment of contingent liabilities arising from a business combination, proceeds from insurance settlements, distributions received from certain equity method investees, and cash flows related to beneficial interests obtained in a financial asset securitization. The Company adopted this new accounting guidance retrospectively on January 1, 2017. The new guidance designates the appropriate cash flow statement classification, including requirements to allocate certain components of these cash receipts and payments among operating, investing and financing activities. In the absence of specific guidance, each separately identifiable cash source and use will be classified on the basis of the nature of the underlying cash flows. In March 2016, the United States Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new accounting guidance which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee stock-based compensation transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, statutory tax withholding requirements, and the classification of excess income tax benefits on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this new accounting guidance prospectively on January 1, 2017. Under the new accounting guidance, excess income tax benefits related to stock-based awards are reflected as a reduction of income tax expense on the statements of income and as cash provided from operating activities on the statements of cash flows. In the prior periods, these tax benefits were reflected directly in additional paid in capital and as cash provided from financing activities. The adoption of this new accounting guidance did not impact the Company’s recognition of its stock-based compensation expense or its presentation of cash flows related to employee taxes paid for withheld shares. Accounting pronouncements being evaluated In August 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which will allow more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies to be eligible for hedge accounting. It also amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess hedge effectiveness. It is intended to more closely align hedge accounting with companies’ risk management strategies, simplify the application of hedge accounting, and increase transparency as to the scope and results of hedging programs. The new accounting guidance will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In March 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which requires the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost be presented in the same income statement line item as other employee compensation costs, and requires that the other components of net periodic benefit expense be recognized in the non-operating section of the income statement. In addition, only the service cost component of net periodic benefit expense is eligible for capitalization when applicable. The new accounting guidance will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued new accounting guidance that changes the definition of a business to clarify when a set of assets does not constitute a business. Under the new definition, when substantially all of the fair value of gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set of assets is generally not a business. The new accounting guidance will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which requires lessees to recognize almost all leases on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The income statement will reflect lease expense for operating leases, and amortization and interest expense for financing leases. The new accounting guidance will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new accounting guidance on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued new accounting guidance which modifies how entities measure equity investments and present changes in the fair value of financial liabilities. The new accounting guidance will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption of the presentation guidance is permitted; however, early adoption of the recognition and measurement guidance is not permitted. The adoption of this new accounting guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board issued a converged standard on the recognition of revenue from contracts with clients. The objective of the new standard is to establish a single comprehensive revenue recognition model that is designed to create greater comparability of financial statements across industries and jurisdictions. Under the new standard, companies will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to clients in amounts that reflect the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company has concluded that the majority of the clinical trial arrangements in its Research & Development Solutions segment will represent a single performance obligation. The Company expects to account for revenue for this single performance obligation over time using project cost as an input method to measure progress. Our arrangements in the Commercial Solutions and Integrated Engagement Services segments are generally multiple element arrangements under which current rules require the deferral of revenue when payment on a delivered unit of accounting is contingent on performing on a future unit of accounting. We currently anticipate that under the new standard these arrangements will consist of multiple performance obligations and that such deferral of revenue will in some cases be lower (or zero) when management determines that it is probable that performance on the future performance obligation will occur. The new standard will require expanded disclosures on revenue recognition, including information about changes in assets and liabilities that result from contracts with clients. The new standard allows for either a retrospective or prospective approach to transition upon adoption. The new standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company will adopt the new standard on January 1, 2018. The Company is still evaluating the impact of this new standard as well as the transition approach that will be used upon adoption .

Employee Stock Compensation (Ta

Employee Stock Compensation (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Number of Stock-Based Awards Granted and Outstanding	The Company granted the following number of stock-based awards: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Stock options — — — 783,700 Stock appreciation rights - stock settled 22,138 — 1,917,819 — Stock appreciation rights - cash settled — 15,200 15,227 40,400 Restricted stock awards — 86,356 254,582 86,356 Restricted stock units - stock settled 19,032 120,845 30,962 494,681 Restricted stock units - cash settled — — 3,715 — Performance awards — — 76,374 — Performance units 5,272 — 430,076 119,839 The Company had the following number of stock-based awards outstanding: September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Stock options 4,535,216 7,251,339 Stock appreciation rights - stock settled 2,962,261 1,313,322 Stock appreciation rights - cash settled 363,503 479,176 Restricted stock awards 617,551 367,053 Restricted stock units - stock settled 1,354,080 1,720,817 Restricted stock units - cash settled 3,715 — Performance awards 76,374 — Performance units 402,560 —
Assumptions Used to Estimate Value of Stock-Based Compensation for Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights Issued	The Company used the following assumptions when estimating the value of the stock-based compensation for stock options and stock appreciation rights issued as follows: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 2016 2017 2016 Expected volatility 22 – 24% 26 – 29% 22 – 25% 26 – 30% Weighted average expected volatility 23% 27% 24% 28% Expected dividends 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Expected term (in years) 3.9 – 6.9 3.6 – 6.6 1.0 – 6.9 3.6 – 6.6 Risk-free interest rate 1.71 – 2.15% 0.96 – 1.36% 1.16 – 2.21% 0.80 – 1.57%

Accounts Receivable and Unbil28

Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Services (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Receivables [Abstract]
Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Services	Accounts receivable and unbilled services consist of the following: (in millions) September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Trade: Billed $ 1,044 $ 998 Unbilled services 828 723 1,872 1,721 Allowance for doubtful accounts (13 ) (14 ) $ 1,859 $ 1,707

Variable Interest Entities (Tab

Variable Interest Entities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Summary of Investments in Unconsolidated Variable Interest Entities and Estimated Maximum Exposure to Loss	As of September 30, 2017, the Company’s investments in unconsolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and its estimated maximum exposure to loss were as follows: (in millions) Investments in Unconsolidated VIEs Maximum Exposure to Loss NovaQuest Pharma Opportunities Fund III, L.P. (“NovaQuest Fund III”) $ 30 $ 37 NovaQuest Pharma Opportunities Fund IV, L.P. (“NovaQuest Fund IV”) 7 17 Pappas Life Science Ventures V, L.P. (“Pappas Fund V”) 1 5 $ 38 $ 59

Goodwill and Identifiable Int30

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Goodwill by Reportable Segment	The following is a summary of goodwill by reportable segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2017: Research & Integrated Commercial Development Engagement (in millions) Solutions Solutions Services Consolidated Balance as of December 31, 2016 $ 9,415 $ 1,196 $ 116 $ 10,727 Business combinations 214 176 — 390 Impairment (40 ) — — (40 ) Impact of foreign currency fluctuations and other 510 10 1 521 Balance as of September 30, 2017 $ 10,099 $ 1,382 $ 117 $ 11,598

Derivatives (Tables)

Derivatives (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Fair Values of Derivative Instruments Designated as Hedges	The fair values of the Company’s derivative instruments and the line items on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets to which they were recorded are summarized in the following table: September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 (in millions) Balance Sheet Classification Assets Liabilities Notional Assets Liabilities Notional Derivatives designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts Other current assets and liabilities $ 6 $ 7 $ 294 $ 11 $ 9 $ 300 Interest rate swaps Other liabilities — 4 405 — 15 945 Interest rate caps Deposits and other assets — — 700 1 — 1,000 Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments: Foreign exchange forward contracts Other current liabilities — — — — 1 189 Interest rate swaps Other liabilities — 8 443 — — — Total derivatives $ 6 $ 19 $ 12 $ 25
Effect of Cash Flow Hedging Instruments on Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The effect of the Company’s cash flow hedging instruments on other comprehensive (loss) income is summarized in the following table: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Foreign exchange forward contracts $ (2 ) $ 4 $ (7 ) $ (3 ) Interest rate swaps 3 4 5 (6 ) Total $ 1 $ 8 $ (2 ) $ (9 )

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis	The following table summarizes the fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured and reported at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2017: (in millions) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Assets: Trading securities $ 44 $ — $ — $ 44 Derivatives — 6 — 6 Total $ 44 $ 6 $ — $ 50 Liabilities: Derivatives $ — $ 19 $ — $ 19 Contingent consideration — — 63 63 Total $ — $ 19 $ 63 $ 82
Changes in Level 3 Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis	The following table summarizes the changes in Level 3 financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis for the nine months ended September 30: Contingent Consideration – Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses (in millions) 2017 2016 Balance as of January 1 $ 18 $ 4 Business combinations 52 — Contingent consideration paid (4 ) — Revaluations included in earnings and foreign currency translation adjustments (3 ) 1 Balance as of September 30 $ 63 $ 5

Credit Arrangements (Tables)

Credit Arrangements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Credit Facilities	The following is a summary of the Company’s revolving credit facilities at September 30, 2017: Facility Interest Rates $1,000 million (revolving credit facility) LIBOR in the relevant currency borrowed plus a margin of 2.00% at September 30, 2017 $25 million (receivables financing facility) United States LIBOR plus a margin of 0.85% at September 30, 2017 depending upon the Company’s debt rating £10 million (approximately $13 million) general banking facility with a European headquartered bank Bank’s base rate of 0.25% at September 30, 2017 plus 1%
Summary of Debt	The following table summarizes the Company’s debt at the dates indicated: (in millions) September 30, 2017 December 31, 2016 Senior Secured Credit Facilities: Term A Loan due 2021—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.33% $ 855 $ 888 Term A Loan due 2021—Euro LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.00% 453 419 Term B Loan due 2025—U.S. Dollar at average floating rates of 3.32% 750 — Term B Loan due 2024—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.33% 1,191 — Term B Loan due 2024—Euro LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.75% 1,407 — Term B Loan due 2021—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.50% — 1,700 Term B Loan due 2021—Euro LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.75% — 765 Revolving Credit Facility due 2021: U.S. Dollar denominated borrowings — 100 375 5.0% Senior Notes due 2026 — 1,050 1,050 2.875% Senior Notes due 2025—Euro denominated 496 — 3.25% Senior Notes due 2025 — 1,684 — 3.5% Senior Notes due 2024 — 739 658 4.125% Senior Notes due 2023 — — 289 4.875% Senior Notes due 2023—U.S. Dollar denominated 800 800 Receivables financing facility due 2018—U.S. Dollar LIBOR at average floating rate of 2.08% 275 275 Principal amount of debt 9,800 7,219 Less: unamortized discount and debt issuance costs (46 ) (19 ) Less: current portion (103 ) (92 ) Long-term debt $ 9,651 $ 7,108
Contractual Maturities of Long-term Debt	Contractual maturities of long-term debt are as follows at September 30, 2017: (in millions) Remainder of 2017 $ 26 2018 378 2019 103 2020 103 2021 1,218 Thereafter 7,972 $ 9,800

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Summary of Non-controlling Interests	2017 2016 Balance as of January 1 $ 227 $ 228 Investment by non-controlling interest — 2 Comprehensive income (loss): Net income (loss) 11 11 Foreign currency adjustments, net of income tax 5 (9 ) Balance as of September 30 $ 243 $ 232

Business Combinations (Tables)

Business Combinations (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Schedule of Preliminary Allocation of Purchase to Certain Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Goodwill	The following table provides certain financial information for these acquisitions, including the preliminary allocation of the purchase price to certain tangible and intangible assets acquired and goodwill: Amortization (in millions) Period 2017 Total cost of acquisition, net of cash acquired $ 579 Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets: Goodwill 390 Portion of goodwill deductible for income tax purposes 142 Intangible assets: Client relationships 9-15 years 158 Backlog 4 years 15 Non-compete agreements 3-5 years 11 Software 2-9 years 40 Trade names 1-17 years 9 Total intangible assets $ 233
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member]
Summary of Pro Forma Results	The following table summarizes the pro forma results: 2016 (in millions, except earnings per share) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, Revenues $ 1,926 $ 5,775 Reimbursed expenses 360 1,128 Total revenues $ 2,286 $ 6,903 Net income attributable to Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc. $ 82 $ 195 Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders: Basic $ 0.34 $ 0.80 Diluted $ 0.33 $ 0.78 Pro forma information is not presented for any other acquisition as the aggregate operations of the acquired businesses were not significant to the overall operations of the Company.

Restructuring (Tables)

Restructuring (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Summary of Amounts Recorded for Restructuring Plans	The following amounts were recorded for the restructuring plans: (in millions) Severance and Related Costs Exit Costs Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ 99 $ 3 $ 102 Expense, net of reversals 35 3 38 Payments (59 ) (3 ) (62 ) Foreign currency translation and other 1 — 1 Balance at September 30, 2017 $ 76 $ 3 $ 79

Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)

Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost for Pension Benefits	The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost for the Company’s pension benefits: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Service cost $ 10 $ 4 $ 29 $ 13 Interest cost 6 1 16 3 Expected return on plan assets (10 ) (1 ) (29 ) (3 ) Amortization of actuarial losses 1 1 1 1 $ 7 $ 5 $ 17 $ 14

Comprehensive Income (Tables)

Comprehensive Income (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Summary of Components of AOCI	Below is a summary of the components of AOCI: (in millions) Foreign Currency Translation Derivative Instruments Defined Benefit Plans Income Taxes Total Balance at December 31, 2016 $ (623 ) $ 10 $ 21 $ 22 $ (570 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 353 (2 ) — 140 491 Reclassification adjustments — — — — — Balance at September 30, 2017 $ (270 ) $ 8 $ 21 $ 162 $ (79 )
Summary of Adjustments for (Gains) Losses Reclassified from AOCI into Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Affected Financial Statement Line Item	Below is a summary of the adjustments for (gains) losses reclassified from AOCI into the condensed consolidated statements of income and the affected financial statement line item: Affected Financial Statement Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) Line Item 2017 2016 2017 2016 Derivative instruments: Interest rate swaps Interest expense $ — $ 2 $ — $ 5 Foreign exchange forward contracts Revenues (1 ) 7 8 13 Foreign exchange forward contracts Other expense (income), net (1 ) — (8 ) — Total before income taxes (2 ) 9 — 18 Income tax benefit — 2 — 4 Total net of income taxes $ (2 ) $ 7 $ — $ 14

Segments (Tables)

Segments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Operations by Reportable Segments	The Company’s reportable segment information is presented below: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Revenues Commercial Solutions $ 887 $ 72 $ 2,603 $ 218 Research & Development Solutions 938 869 2,700 2,591 Integrated Engagement Services 194 196 596 603 Total revenues 2,019 1,137 5,899 3,412 Costs of revenue Commercial Solutions 480 51 1,407 158 Research & Development Solutions 529 488 1,543 1,484 Integrated Engagement Services 156 157 481 483 Total costs of revenue 1,165 696 3,431 2,125 Selling, general and administrative expenses Commercial Solutions 168 14 482 45 Research & Development Solutions 152 143 426 434 Integrated Engagement Services 20 20 56 63 General corporate and unallocated 51 30 177 81 Total selling, general and administrative expenses 391 207 1,141 623 Segment profit Commercial Solutions 239 7 714 15 Research & Development Solutions 257 238 731 673 Integrated Engagement Services 18 19 59 57 Total segment profit 514 264 1,504 745 General corporate and unallocated (51 ) (30 ) (177 ) (81 ) Depreciation and amortization (256 ) (34 ) (733 ) (98 ) Impairment charges — (28 ) (40 ) (28 ) Restructuring costs (10 ) — (38 ) (28 ) Merger related costs — (4 ) — (13 ) Total income from operations $ 197 $ 168 $ 516 $ 497

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Summary of Weighted-Average Outstanding Stock Options Excluded from Computation of Diluted Earnings Per Share	The following table presents the weighted average number of outstanding stock-based awards not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because they are subject to performance conditions or the effect of including such stock-based awards in the computation would be anti-dilutive: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions) 2017 2016 2017 2016 Shares subject to performance conditions 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.2 Shares subject to anti-dilutive stock-based awards 0.6 0.7 1.3 1.2 Total shares excluded from diluted earnings per share 1.1 0.9 1.7 1.4

Summary of Significant Accoun41

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)	Sep. 30, 2017EmployeeCountry
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of employees | Employee	55,000
Minimum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of countries | Country	100

Employee Stock Compensation - S

Employee Stock Compensation - Schedule of Number of Stock-Based Awards Granted and Outstanding (Detail) - shares	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options granted				783,700
Stock options outstanding	4,535,216		4,535,216		7,251,339
Stock Appreciation Rights - Stock Settled [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants	22,138		1,917,819
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding	2,962,261		2,962,261		1,313,322
Stock Appreciation Rights - Cash Settled [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants		15,200	15,227	40,400
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding	363,503		363,503		479,176
Restricted Stock Awards [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants		86,356	254,582	86,356
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding	617,551		617,551		367,053
Performance Units Granted [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants	5,272		430,076	119,839
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding	402,560		402,560
Restricted Stock Units - Stock Settled [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants	19,032	120,845	30,962	494,681
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding	1,354,080		1,354,080		1,720,817
Restricted Stock Units - Cash Settled [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants			3,715
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding	3,715		3,715
Performance Awards [Member]
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants			76,374
Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding	76,374		76,374

Employee Stock Compensation - A

Employee Stock Compensation - Assumptions Used to Estimate Value of Stock-Based Compensation for Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights Issued (Detail)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Share based Compensation Arrangement by Share based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Method Used [Line Items]
Expected volatility, Minimum	22.00%	26.00%	22.00%	26.00%
Expected volatility, Maximum	24.00%	29.00%	25.00%	30.00%
Weighted average expected volatility	23.00%	27.00%	24.00%	28.00%
Expected dividends	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Risk-free interest rate, Minimum	1.71%	0.96%	1.16%	0.80%
Risk-free interest rate, Maximum	2.15%	1.36%	2.21%	1.57%
Minimum [Member]
Share based Compensation Arrangement by Share based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Method Used [Line Items]
Expected term (in years)	3 years 10 months 25 days	3 years 7 months 6 days	1 year	3 years 7 months 6 days
Maximum [Member]
Share based Compensation Arrangement by Share based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Method Used [Line Items]
Expected term (in years)	6 years 10 months 25 days	6 years 7 months 6 days	6 years 10 months 25 days	6 years 7 months 6 days

Employee Stock Compensation -44

Employee Stock Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 29	$ 16	$ 82	$ 34
Unrecognized non-vested stock-based compensation	$ 129		$ 129
Weighted average recognition period of stock-based compensation			1 year 3 months 19 days

Concentration of Credit Risk -

Concentration of Credit Risk - Additional Information (Detail) - Customer	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Risks And Uncertainties [Abstract]
Number of clients served	0	0	0	0

Accounts Receivable and Unbil46

Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Services - Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Services (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Trade:
Billed	$ 1,044	$ 998
Unbilled services	828	723
Trade accounts receivable and unbilled services, gross	1,872	1,721
Allowance for doubtful accounts	(13)	(14)
Trade accounts receivable and unbilled services, net	$ 1,859	$ 1,707

Variable Interest Entities - Su

Variable Interest Entities - Summary of Investments in Unconsolidated Variable Interest Entities and Estimated Maximum Exposure to Loss (Detail)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Maximum Exposure to Loss	$ 59,000,000
NovaQuest Pharma Opportunities Fund lll, L.P (NovaQuest Fund lll) [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Investments in Unconsolidated VIEs	30,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss	37,000,000
NovaQuest Pharma Opportunities Fund lV, L.P (NovaQuest Fund lV) [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Investments in Unconsolidated VIEs	7,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss	17,000,000
Pappas Life Science Ventures V, LP ("Pappas Fund V") [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Investments in Unconsolidated VIEs	1,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss	5,000,000
Variable Interest Entity Primary Beneficiary [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Investments in Unconsolidated VIEs	$ 38,000,000

Goodwill and Identifiable Int48

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets - Summary of Goodwill by Reportable Segment (Detail) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	$ 10,727
Business combinations	390
Impairment	(40)
Impact of foreign currency fluctuations and other	521
Ending Balance	11,598
Commercial Solutions [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	9,415
Business combinations	214
Impairment	(40)
Impact of foreign currency fluctuations and other	510
Ending Balance	10,099
Research & Development Solutions [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	1,196
Business combinations	176
Impact of foreign currency fluctuations and other	10
Ending Balance	1,382
Integrated Engagement Services [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	116
Impact of foreign currency fluctuations and other	1
Ending Balance	$ 117

Goodwill and Identifiable Int49

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Impairment Of Goodwill And Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss		$ 40
Encore [Member]
Impairment Of Goodwill And Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment loss	$ 39.6
Intangible assets impairment loss	$ 0.4
Accumulated goodwill impairment losses		$ 63

Derivatives - Additional Inform

Derivatives - Additional Information (Detail) € in Millions	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)Derivative	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017EUR (€)Derivative	Jun. 03, 2015Agreement	Apr. 30, 2014USD ($)	Jun. 09, 2011Agreement
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Number of interest rate contracts | Agreement						7
Interest swaps accrual beginning date		Jun. 30, 2016
Payment to terminate hedge accounting	$ 12,000,000
Interest rate cash flow hedge loss to be reclassified during first three months, net				$ (3,000,000)
Borrowings, net of original issue discount		$ 9,800,000,000
Foreign exchange losses related to net investment hedge		490,000,000
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative variable interest rates							1.00%
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | EURIBOR [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative variable interest rates							1.00%
Accrued Interest [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Payment to terminate hedge accounting	$ 1,000,000
Foreign Currency Denominated Debt [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Borrowings, net of original issue discount		$ 4,779,000,000			€ 4,044
Service Contract Hedging and Royalty Hedging Contracts [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Number of interest rate contracts | Derivative		57			57
Notional amount		$ 294,000,000
Gains related to contracts		6,000,000	$ 11,000,000
Losses related to contracts		$ (7,000,000)	$ (9,000,000)
Service Contract Hedging and Royalty Hedging Contracts [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Expiration year of hedge instruments		2,017
Service Contract Hedging and Royalty Hedging Contracts [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Expiration year of hedge instruments		2,018
Six Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Number of interest rate contracts | Agreement								6
Interest swaps accrual beginning date		Jun. 9, 2011
Six Interest Rate Swaps [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate swaps expiry date		Sep. 30, 2013
Six Interest Rate Swaps [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate swaps expiry date		Mar. 31, 2016
Interest Rate Cap [Member] | IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional amount							$ 700,000,000
Effective description of interest rate swaps		Effective at various times between April 2014 and April 2016
Expiration description of interest rate swaps		Expire in April 2019
Interest Rate Cap [Member] | Minimum [Member] | IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate caps range of strike rates							2.00%
Interest Rate Cap [Member] | Maximum [Member] | IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate caps range of strike rates							3.00%
2014 Swaps [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional amount		$ 443,000,000
2014 Swaps [Member] | IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Effective description of interest rate swap		Effective in April and June 2014
Expiration description of interest rate swap		Expire in March 2019 and March 2021
2014 Swaps [Member] | Minimum [Member] | IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative swap interest rates							2.10%
2014 Swaps [Member] | Maximum [Member] | IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Derivative swap interest rates							1.65%
2015 Swaps [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate swaps expiry date		Mar. 31, 2017
Derivative fixed interest rate		1.30%			1.30%
2015 Swaps [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate swaps expiry date		Mar. 31, 2020
Derivative fixed interest rate		2.10%			2.10%
2014 EUR Swaps [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional amount		$ 343,000,000
2015 Swaps [Member] | Variable Rate Debt [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate swaps effectively converted percent		43.00%			43.00%
2015 Swaps [Member] | Fixed Rate Debt [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Interest rate swaps effectively converted percent		57.00%			57.00%
2014 USD Swaps [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Notional amount		$ 100,000,000

Derivatives - Summary of Fair V

Derivatives - Summary of Fair Values of Derivative Instruments Designated as Hedges (Detail) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative asset fair value	$ 6,000,000	$ 12,000,000
Derivative liability fair value	19,000,000	25,000,000
Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Current Assets and Liabilities [Member] | Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative asset fair value	6,000,000	11,000,000
Derivative liability fair value	7,000,000	9,000,000
Derivative notional amount	294,000,000	300,000,000
Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative liability fair value	4,000,000	15,000,000
Derivative notional amount	405,000,000	945,000,000
Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Deposits and Other Assets [Member] | Interest Rate Cap [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative asset fair value		1,000,000
Derivative notional amount	700,000,000	1,000,000,000
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Liabilities [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative liability fair value	8,000,000
Derivative notional amount	$ 443,000,000
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative liability fair value		1,000,000
Derivative notional amount		$ 189,000,000

Derivatives - Effect of Cash Fl

Derivatives - Effect of Cash Flow Hedging Instruments on Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) - Derivatives Designated As Cash Flow Hedges [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Effect of cash flow hedging instruments on other comprehensive income (loss)	$ 1	$ 8	$ (2)	$ (9)
Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Effect of cash flow hedging instruments on other comprehensive income (loss)	(2)	4	(7)	(3)
Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Effect of cash flow hedging instruments on other comprehensive income (loss)	$ 3	$ 4	$ 5	$ (6)

Fair Value Measurements - Addit

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of total debt	$ 9,988	$ 7,298

Fair Value Measurements - Fair

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Detail) - Recurring Fair Value Measurements [Member] $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of assets	$ 50
Fair value of liabilities	82
Derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of assets	6
Fair value of liabilities	19
Contingent Consideration [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of liabilities	63
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of assets	44
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of assets	6
Fair value of liabilities	19
Level 2 [Member] | Derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of assets	6
Fair value of liabilities	19
Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of liabilities	63
Level 3 [Member] | Contingent Consideration [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of liabilities	63
Trading Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of assets	44
Trading Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of assets	$ 44

Fair Value Measurements - Chang

Fair Value Measurements - Changes in Level 3 Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Detail) - Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses [Member] - Contingent Consideration [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Fair Value Liabilities Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning Balance, Contingent Consideration	$ 18	$ 4
Business combinations	52	0
Contingent consideration paid	(4)	0
Revaluations included in earnings and foreign currency translation adjustments	(3)	1
Ending Balance, Contingent Consideration	$ 63	$ 5

Credit Arrangements - Summary o

Credit Arrangements - Summary of Credit Facilities (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017GBP (£)
Revolving credit facility [Member]
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Facility	$ 1,000,000,000
Interest Rate Description	LIBOR in the relevant currency borrowed plus a margin of 2.00% at September 30, 2017
Revolving credit facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Rate	2.00%	2.00%
Receivables Financing Facility [Member]
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Facility	$ 25,000,000
Interest Rate Description	United States LIBOR plus a margin of 0.85% at September 30, 2017 depending upon the Company’s debt rating
Rate	0.85%	0.85%
Receivables Financing Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Rate	2.08%	2.08%
General Banking Facility [Member]
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Facility	$ 13,000,000	£ 10,000,000
Interest Rate Description	Bank’s base rate of 0.25% at September 30, 2017 plus 1%
General Banking Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Rate	0.25%	0.25%
Interest Rate spread on base rate	1.00%

Credit Arrangements - Summary57

Credit Arrangements - Summary of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 18, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	$ 9,800		$ 7,219
Less: unamortized discount and debt issuance costs	(46)		(19)
Less: current portion	(103)		(92)
Long-term debt	9,651		7,108
Due in 2025 [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt		$ 750
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | Revolving credit facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	100		375
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | Senior Secured Term A Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	855		888
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt			1,700
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	750
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	1,191
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2026 [Member] | 5.0% Senior Notes [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	1,050		1,050
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2023 [Member] | 4.875% Senior Notes [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	800		800
U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2018 [Member] | Receivables Financing Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	275		275
EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | Senior Secured Term A Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	453		419
EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt			765
EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member] | 2.875% Senior Notes [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	496
EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member] | 3.25% Senior Notes [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	1,684
EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	1,407
EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member] | 3.5% Senior Notes [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt	$ 739		658
EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2023 [Member] | 4.125% Senior Notes [Member]
Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
Principal amount of debt			$ 289

Credit Arrangements - Summary58

Credit Arrangements - Summary of Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Sep. 18, 2017	Mar. 07, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Senior Secured Term A Loan [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,021
Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year		2,024
Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,021
Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year	2,025		2,025
Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,024
Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate terms, Description			LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 3.23%
Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			3.32%
Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate terms, Description			LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 2.75%
5.0% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2026 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,026
5.0% Senior Notes [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2026 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			5.00%
3.25% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,025
3.25% Senior Notes [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			3.25%
3.5% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,024
3.5% Senior Notes [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			3.50%
2.875% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,025
2.875% Senior Notes [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			2.875%
4.125% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,023
4.125% Senior Notes [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			4.125%
4.875% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,023
4.875% Senior Notes [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			4.875%
Receivables Financing Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,018
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			0.85%
Debt instrument interest rate terms, Description			LIBOR at average floating rate of 2.08%
Revolving credit facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturity year			2,021
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term A Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			3.33%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term A Loan [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			2.00%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate	2.00%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			3.23%
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			2.00%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			3.50%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			3.33%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			2.75%
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			2.00%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			3.75%
LIBOR [Member] | Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			2.75%
LIBOR [Member] | Receivables Financing Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			2.08%
LIBOR [Member] | Revolving credit facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument interest rate stated percentage			2.00%
LIBOR [Member] | Revolving credit facility [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Average floating rate			3.23%

Credit Arrangements - Contractu

Credit Arrangements - Contractual Maturities of Long-term Debt (Detail) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Remainder of 2017	$ 26
2,018	378
2,019	103
2,020	103
2,021	1,218
Thereafter	7,972
Long-term debt	$ 9,800

Credit Arrangements - Additiona

Credit Arrangements - Additional Information (Detail)

Sep. 18, 2017USD ($)

Sep. 14, 2017USD ($)

Mar. 07, 2017USD ($)

Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)

Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)

Sep. 30, 2017GBP (£)

Sep. 30, 2017GBP (£)

Sep. 17, 2017

Sep. 14, 2017EUR (€)

Mar. 07, 2017EUR (€)

Feb. 28, 2017USD ($)

Feb. 28, 2017EUR (€)

Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Proceeds from revolving credit facility

$ 1,222,000,000

Repayment of revolving credit facility

1,497,000,000

Outstanding borrowings

$ 9,800,000,000

9,800,000,000

$ 7,219,000,000

Loss on extinguishment of debt

(18,000,000)

(21,000,000)

Revolving credit facility [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Aggregate maximum principal amount

$ 1,000,000,000

$ 1,000,000,000

Debt maturity year

2,021

2,021

Revolving credit facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Rate

2.00%

2.00%

2.00%

Revolving credit facility [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Average floating rate

3.23%

3.23%

Revolving credit facility [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

$ 100,000,000

$ 100,000,000

375,000,000

General Banking Facility [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Bank guarantees

6,000,000

£ 5,000,000

Aggregate maximum principal amount

13,000,000

13,000,000

£ 10,000,000

Senior Secured Facilities [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Aggregate maximum principal amount

5,656,000,000

5,656,000,000

Outstanding borrowings

4,756,000,000

4,756,000,000

Available borrowing capacity

900,000,000

900,000,000

Senior Secured Facilities [Member] | Revolving credit facility [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Current borrowing capacity

$ 1,000,000,000

1,000,000,000

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt maturity year

2,024

Loss on extinguishment of debt

$ (3,000,000)

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument interest rate terms, Description

LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 3.23%

LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 3.23%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Average floating rate

3.23%

3.23%

Debt instrument floor rate

0.75%

0.75%

0.75%

Rate

2.00%

2.00%

2.00%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument interest rate terms, Description

LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 2.75%

LIBOR with a floor of 0.75%, plus a margin of 2.00% for an all-in interest rate of 2.75%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Average floating rate

2.75%

2.75%

Debt instrument floor rate

0.75%

0.75%

0.75%

Rate

2.00%

2.00%

2.00%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

$ 750,000,000

Unlimited restricted investments leverage ratio

450.00%

425.00%

Dividends and distributions leverage ratio

450.00%

400.00%

Debt maturity year

2,025

2,025

2,025

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Average floating rate

2.00%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

$ 750,000,000

$ 750,000,000

Average floating rate

3.32%

3.32%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt maturity year

2,021

2,021

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

1,700,000,000

Average floating rate

3.50%

3.50%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

$ 765,000,000

Average floating rate

3.75%

3.75%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt maturity year

2,024

2,024

Debt instrument principal amount

$ 2,465,000,000

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

1,191,000,000

$ 1,191,000,000

Average floating rate

3.33%

3.33%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Due in 2024 [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member] | LIBOR [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

1,407,000,000

$ 1,407,000,000

Average floating rate

2.75%

2.75%

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Term B loan due 2021 [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument principal amount

1,700,000,000

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Term B loan due 2021 [Member] | Due in 2021 [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument principal amount

765,000,000

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Term B Loan Facility Due Two Thousand Twenty Four | Due in 2024 [Member] | U.S Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument principal amount

1,200,000,000

Senior Secured Term B Loan [Member] | Term B Loan Facility Due Two Thousand Twenty Four | Due in 2024 [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument principal amount

$ 1,279,000,000

€ 1,200,000,000

2025 Notes [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument, maturity date

Sep. 15, 2025

Sep. 15, 2025

2025 Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument issuance date

Sep. 14, 2017

Sep. 14, 2017

Debt instrument interest payment terms

interest rate of 2.875% which is paid semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on March 15, 2018

interest rate of 2.875% which is paid semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on March 15, 2018

Debt instrument frequency of periodic interest payment

semi-annually

semi-annually

2025 Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member] | Prior to September 15, 2020 [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument, redemption premium percentage

1.438%

2025 Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member] | Thereafter September 15, 2020 [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument, redemption premium percentage

0.00%

2.875% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt maturity year

2,025

2,025

2.875% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

$ 496,000,000

$ 496,000,000

Rate

2.875%

2.875%

2.875%

2.875% Senior Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument principal amount

$ 501,000,000

€ 420,000,000

Rate

2.875%

2.875%

4.125% Senior Notes Due 2023 [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Loss on extinguishment of debt

$ 18,000,000

4.125% Senior Notes Due 2023 [Member] | Euro-Denominated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument, redemption premium percentage

4.125%

4.125%

2017 Notes [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument, maturity date

Mar. 15, 2025

Mar. 15, 2025

2017 Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument issuance date

Feb. 28, 2017

Feb. 28, 2017

Debt instrument interest payment terms

interest rate of 3.25% which is paid semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on September 15, 2017

interest rate of 3.25% which is paid semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, beginning on September 15, 2017

Debt instrument frequency of periodic interest payment

semi-annually

semi-annually

3.25% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt maturity year

2,025

2,025

3.25% Senior Notes [Member] | Due in 2025 [Member] | EUR Dollars [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Outstanding borrowings

$ 1,684,000,000

$ 1,684,000,000

Rate

3.25%

3.25%

3.25%

3.25% Senior Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member] | Quintiles IMS Incorporated [Member]

Line Of Credit Facility [Line Items]

Debt instrument principal amount

$ 1,522,000,000

€ 1,425,000,000

Rate

3.25%

3.25%

Stockholders' Equity - Addition

Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	May 24, 2017	Feb. 28, 2017	Feb. 14, 2017	May 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Jul. 31, 2015
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Preferred stock, authorized					1,000,000
Preferred stock, par value					$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares issued					0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding					0	0
Q2 Solutions [Member]
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Percentage of Quest's non-controlling interest in Q2 Solutions							40.00%
Quest's non-controlling interest in Q2 Solutions					$ 243,000,000
Quest [Member]
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Ownership percentage							60.00%
Secondary Public Offering [Member]
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Repurchase of stock, shares				3,571,003	4,000,000
Repurchase of stock, value				$ 300,000,000	$ 380,000,000
Common stock held by Selling Stockholders underwritten				10,571,003	9,000,000
Registration statement expiration period after filing date					3 years
Equity Repurchase Program [Member]
Class Of Stock [Line Items]
Equity repurchase program increase in authorized amount	$ 1,000,000,000		$ 1,000,000,000
Equity repurchase program authorized amount	$ 4,225,000,000
Repurchase of stock, shares		9,677,420			27,296,321
Repurchase of common stock, share price					$ 82.49
Repurchase of stock, value		$ 750,000,000			$ 2,300,000,000
Equity available for repurchase under the repurchase program					$ 295,000,000

Stockholders' Equity - Summary

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Non-controlling Interests (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Equity [Abstract]
Beginning Balance			$ 227	$ 228
Investment by non-controlling interest				2
Comprehensive income (loss):
Net income (loss)	$ 5	$ 4	11	11
Foreign currency adjustments, net of income tax			5	(9)
Ending Balance	$ 243	$ 232	$ 243	$ 232

Business Combinations - Additio

Business Combinations - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	Oct. 03, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill		$ 11,598	$ 11,598	$ 10,727
Commercial Solutions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill		10,099	10,099	9,415
Research & Development Solutions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill		1,382	1,382	1,196
Integrated Engagement Services [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill		117	117	$ 116
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Date of Acquisition	Oct. 3, 2016
Merger agreement date	May 3, 2016
Revenues since acquisition		858	2,459
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Commercial Solutions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill		9,688	9,688
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Research & Development Solutions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill		533	533
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Integrated Engagement Services [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill		$ 67	$ 67
IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] | Common Stock [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Merger agreement, stock for stock exchange ratio	38.40%
Business acquisition through merger, consideration in stock	$ 10,400
Business acquisition through merger, consideration in stock, shares issued	126.6

Business Combinations - Summary

Business Combinations - Summary of Pro Forma Results (Detail) - IMS Health Holdings, Inc. [Member] - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 1,926	$ 5,775
Reimbursed expenses	360	1,128
Total revenues	2,286	6,903
Net income attributable to Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc.	$ 82	$ 195
Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:
Basic	$ 0.34	$ 0.80
Diluted	$ 0.33	$ 0.78

Business Combinations - Schedul

Business Combinations - Schedule of Preliminary Allocation of Purchase to Certain Tangible and Intangible Assets Acquired and Goodwill (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total cost of acquisition, net of cash acquired	$ 525
Goodwill	11,598	$ 10,727
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total cost of acquisition, net of cash acquired	579
Goodwill	390
Portion of goodwill deductible for income tax purposes	142
Total intangible assets	233
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Client Relationships [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total intangible assets	$ 158
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Client Relationships [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	9 years
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Client Relationships [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	15 years
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Non-compete Agreements [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total intangible assets	$ 11
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Non-compete Agreements [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	3 years
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Non-compete Agreements [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	5 years
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Backlog [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	4 years
Total intangible assets	$ 15
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Software [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total intangible assets	$ 40
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Software [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	2 years
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Software [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	9 years
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Finite Lived Trade Name [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total intangible assets	$ 9
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Finite Lived Trade Name [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	1 year
Several Individually Immaterial Acquisitions [Member] | Finite Lived Trade Name [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization Period	17 years

Restructuring - Additional Info

Restructuring - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Merger related costs	$ 4		$ 13
2017 Plan [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and related costs		$ 35
Merger related costs		6
2017 Plan [Member] | Cost Reductions Due to Changing Market Conditions [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance and related costs		$ 29

Restructuring - Summary of Amou

Restructuring - Summary of Amounts Recorded for Restructuring Plans (Detail) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserves, beginning balance	$ 102
Expense, net of reversals	38
Payments	(62)
Foreign currency translation and other	1
Restructuring reserves, ending balance	79
Severance and Related Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserves, beginning balance	99
Expense, net of reversals	35
Payments	(59)
Foreign currency translation and other	1
Restructuring reserves, ending balance	76
Exit Costs [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring reserves, beginning balance	3
Expense, net of reversals	3
Payments	(3)
Restructuring reserves, ending balance	$ 3

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Effective income tax rate	(0.50%)	27.30%	2.10%	27.90%
Tax benefit related to purchase accounting amortization	$ 58		$ 189
Purchase amortization due to merger	193		561
Excess income tax benefits recognized from stock-based awards	$ 5		$ 18

Employee Benefit Plans - Summar

Employee Benefit Plans - Summary of Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost for Pension benefits (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Service cost	$ 10	$ 4	$ 29	$ 13
Interest cost	6	1	16	3
Expected return on plan assets	(10)	(1)	(29)	(3)
Amortization of actuarial losses	1	1	1	1
Net periodic benefit cost	$ 7	$ 5	$ 17	$ 14

Comprehensive Income - Summary

Comprehensive Income - Summary of Components of AOCI (Detail) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017USD ($)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	$ 8,633
Ending Balance	7,264
Beginning Balance	22
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	140
Ending Balance	162
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	491
Foreign Currency Translation [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(623)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	353
Ending Balance	(270)
Derivative Instruments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	10
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications	(2)
Ending Balance	8
Defined Benefit Plans [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	21
Ending Balance	21
Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	(570)
Ending Balance	$ (79)

Comprehensive Income - Summar71

Comprehensive Income - Summary of Adjustments for (Gains) Losses Reclassified from AOCI into Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Affected Financial Statement Line Item (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Total before income taxes	$ (2)	$ 9		$ 18
Income tax benefit		2		4
Total net of income taxes	(2)	7		14
Interest Rate Swaps [Member] | Interest Expense [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Total before income taxes		2		5
Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member] | Revenues [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Total before income taxes	(1)	$ 7	$ 8	$ 13
Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member] | Other Expense (Income), Net [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Total before income taxes	$ (1)		$ (8)

Segments - Additional Informati

Segments - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017Segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments	3

Segments - Operations by Report

Segments - Operations by Reportable Segments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 2,019	$ 1,137	$ 5,899	$ 3,412
Costs of revenue	1,165	696	3,431	2,125
Selling, general and administrative expenses	391	207	1,141	623
Depreciation and amortization	(256)	(34)	(733)	(98)
Impairment charges		(28)	(40)	(28)
Restructuring costs	(10)		(38)	(28)
Merger related costs		(4)		(13)
Income from operations	197	168	516	497
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Segment profit	514	264	1,504	745
Operating Segments [Member] | Commercial Solutions [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	887	72	2,603	218
Costs of revenue	480	51	1,407	158
Selling, general and administrative expenses	168	14	482	45
Segment profit	239	7	714	15
Operating Segments [Member] | Research & Development Solutions [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	938	869	2,700	2,591
Costs of revenue	529	488	1,543	1,484
Selling, general and administrative expenses	152	143	426	434
Segment profit	257	238	731	673
Operating Segments [Member] | Integrated Engagement Services [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	194	196	596	603
Costs of revenue	156	157	481	483
Selling, general and administrative expenses	20	20	56	63
Segment profit	18	19	59	57
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Selling, general and administrative expenses	51	30	177	81
Segment profit	$ (51)	$ (30)	$ (177)	$ (81)

Earnings Per Share - Summary of

Earnings Per Share - Summary of Weighted-Average Outstanding Stock-Based Awards Excluded from Computation of Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Total shares excluded from diluted earnings per share	1.1	0.9	1.7	1.4
Performance Shares [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Total shares excluded from diluted earnings per share	0.5	0.2	0.4	0.2
Share-Based Awards [Member]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Total shares excluded from diluted earnings per share	0.6	0.7	1.3	1.2