IMS Health 10-Q 15 May 15 2015 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	8-May-15
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-15
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	IMS
Entity Registrant Name	IMS Health Holdings, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	1595262
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		338,578,244

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$639	$390
Restricted cash	21	24
Accounts receivable, net	380	330
Other current assets	271	270
Total Current Assets	1,311	1,014
Property, plant and equipment, at cost	296	291
Less accumulated depreciation	-144	-138
Property, plant and equipment, net	152	153
Computer software, net	252	258
Goodwill	3,339	3,417
Other identifiable intangibles, net	2,053	2,142
Other assets	156	166
Total Assets	7,263	7,150
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	93	87
Accrued and other current liabilities	409	481
Current portion of long-term debt	48	50
Deferred revenues	190	167
Total Current Liabilities	740	785
Postretirement and postemployment benefits	91	95
Long-term debt	3,899	3,743
Deferred tax liability	674	904
Other liabilities	71	81
Total Liabilities	5,475	5,608
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 9)
Shareholders’ Equity:
Common Stock, $0.01 par value, 700.0 shares authorized, 337.6 and 335.6 shares issued at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	3	3
Capital in excess of par	2,003	1,975
Retained earnings (Accumulated deficit)	89	-209
Treasury stock, at cost, 0.8 shares at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	-10	-10
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-297	-217
Total Shareholders’ Equity	1,788	1,542
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity	$7,263	$7,150

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common Stock, shares authorized	700,000,000	700,000,000
Common Stock, shares issued	337,600,000	335,600,000
Treasury stock, shares	800,000	800,000

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenue	$632	$645
Information	354	381
Technology services	278	264
Operating costs of information, exclusive of depreciation and amortization	157	164
Direct and incremental costs of technology services, exclusive of depreciation and amortization	138	136
Selling and administrative expenses, exclusive of depreciation and amortization	137	171
Depreciation and amortization	96	107
Severance, impairment and other charges	13
Operating Income	91	67
Interest income		2
Interest expense	-37	-89
Other income (loss), net	4	-17
Non-Operating Loss, Net	-33	-104
Income (loss) before income taxes	58	-37
Benefit from income taxes	240	13
Net Income (Loss)	298	-24
Earnings (Loss) per Share Attributable to Common Shareholders:
Basic	$0.89	($0.09)
Diluted	$0.86	($0.09)
Weighted-Average Common Shares Outstanding:
Basic	335.5	279.9
Diluted	345.3	279.9
Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income:
Net Income (Loss)	298	-24
Cumulative translation adjustment (net of taxes of $(48) and $(2), respectively)	-77	18
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives (net of taxes of $(1) and $—, respectively)	1	-1
Gains on derivative instruments, reclassified into earnings (net of taxes of $2 and $—, respectively)	-4	-1
Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income	-80	16
Total Comprehensive Income (Loss)	$218	($8)

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Other Comprehensive Income Loss Tax [Abstract]
Cumulative translation adjustment, taxes	($48)	($2)
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives, taxes	-1
Gains on derivative instruments, reclassified into earnings, taxes	$2

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme4

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net Income (Loss)	$298	($24)
Adjustments to Reconcile Net Income (Loss) to Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities:
Depreciation and amortization	96	107
Loss on extinguishment of debt		11
Deferred income taxes	-262	-38
Non-cash stock-based compensation charges	6	31
Non-cash gains on derivative instruments	-1	-4
Non-cash amortization of debt original issue discount and debt issuance costs	2	10
Loss on Venezuela remeasurement	7
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	-11
Other	1
Change in assets and liabilities, excluding effects from acquisitions and dispositions:
Net increase in accounts receivable	-52	-70
Net increase in other current assets	-6	-13
Net increase in accounts payable	5	31
Net decrease in accrued and other current liabilities	-71	-134
Net increase in deferred revenues	22	10
Increase in pension assets (net of liabilities)	-6	-9
Decrease (increase) in other long-term assets (net of long-term liabilities)	2	-11
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities	30	-103
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Capital expenditures	-9	-33
Additions to computer software	-23	-21
Payments for acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	-26	-1
Other investing activities, net	-1	-1
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities	-59	-56
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Borrowings under revolving credit facility	97	6
Repayments of revolving credit facility	-106	-6
Proceeds from issuance of debt	296
Repayments of debt	-13
Debt issuance costs and amendment fees	-4	-22
Contingent consideration and deferred purchase price payments	-4	-1
Proceeds from equity plan activity	10	1
Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation	11
Payments for initial public offering costs		-2
Other financing activities		-3
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities	287	-27
Effect of Exchange Rate Changes on Cash and Cash Equivalents	-9	1
Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents	249	-185
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Period	390	725
Cash and Cash Equivalents, End of Period	$639	$540

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme5

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Gains on Derivative Instruments Reclassified into Earnings	Common Stock	Treasury Stock	Capital in Excess of Par	Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit)	Cumulative Translation Adjustment	Unrealized Gains on Derivative Instruments	Unamortized Postretirement and Postemployment Adjustment	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
In Millions
Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$1,542	($4)	$3	($10)	$1,975	($209)	($169)	$3	($47)	($217)
Balance, treasury shares at Dec. 31, 2014	0.8			0.8
Balance, common shares at Dec. 31, 2014	335.6		335.6
Net income	298					298
Issuances of common stock	11				11
Issuances of common stock, Shares			2
Stock-based compensation expense	6				6
Net tax benefit on stock-based compensation	11				11
Cumulative translation adjustments, net of tax	-77						-77			-77
Unrealized losses on derivative instruments, net of tax	1							1		1
Losses on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of tax	-4	-4								-4
Balance at Mar. 31, 2015	$1,788	($8)	$3	($10)	$2,003	$89	($246)	$4	($47)	($297)
Balance, treasury shares at Mar. 31, 2015	0.8			0.8
Balance, common shares at Mar. 31, 2015	337.6		337.6

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Rece

Basis of Presentation and Recently Issued Accounting Standards	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation and Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Note 1. Basis of Presentation and Recently Issued Accounting Standards
	Background
	IMS Health Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) is a leading global information and technology services company providing clients in the healthcare industry with comprehensive solutions to measure and improve their performance. The Company has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of healthcare information in the world, spanning sales, prescription and promotional data, medical claims, electronic medical records and social media. For information offerings, the Company receives data without patient identifiers and standardizes, organizes, structures and integrates this data by applying its sophisticated analytics and leveraging its global technology infrastructure to help its clients run their organizations more efficiently and make better decisions to improve their operational and financial performance. The Company has a presence in over 100 countries and generated 63% of its 2014 revenue from outside the United States.
	The Company serves key healthcare organizations and decision makers around the world, spanning the breadth of life science companies, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, consumer health and medical device manufacturers, as well as distributors, providers, payers, government agencies, policymakers, researchers and the financial community. The Company’s information and technology services offerings, which it has developed with significant investment over its 60-year history, are deeply integrated into its clients’ workflow.
	Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements do not include all the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, all of which are of a normal recurring nature, considered necessary for a fair statement of financial position, results of operations and comprehensive loss, cash flows and shareholders’ equity for the periods presented have been included. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year. The December 31, 2014 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes of IMS Health Holdings, Inc. included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2015 presentation. Amounts presented in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements may not add due to rounding.
	Recently Issued Accounting Standards
	In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance to help entities evaluate the accounting for fees paid by a customer in a cloud computing arrangement. Under the new guidance, if a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The guidance is effective for the Company’s interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance to determine any potential impact that it may have on its financial results.
	Also in April 2015, the FASB issued guidance on the presentation of debt issuance costs. The guidance requires the presentation of debt issuance costs as a direct deduction from the related debt liability rather than as an asset. The guidance is effective for the Company’s interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. At March 31, 2015, the Company had unamortized debt issuance costs of $57 million included in Other assets.
	In April 2014, the FASB issued guidance which changed the criteria for reporting discontinued operations and modifies the related disclosure requirements. Additionally, the new guidance requires that a business which qualifies as held for sale upon acquisition should be reported as discontinued operations. The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2015, and it is applied prospectively. As such, the Company will apply this standard to any new disposals or new classifications of disposal groups as held for sale which occur on or after January 1, 2015.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	Note 2. Acquisitions
	The Company makes acquisitions to enhance its capabilities and offerings in certain areas, including technology services. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company completed one non-U.S. acquisition of a business that performs sourcing and commercial reporting of drug utilization data for the pharmaceutical industry. The business combination was accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting, and as such, the aggregate purchase price was allocated on a preliminary basis to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on estimated fair values as of the closing date. The purchase price allocation will be finalized after the completion of the valuation of certain intangible assets and any adjustments to the preliminary purchase price allocation are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the results of the acquisition subsequent to its closing. Had the acquisition occurred as of the beginning of 2014, the impact on the Company’s results of operations would not have been material.
	Summary Financial Information
	Financial information related to the acquisition is as follows:
		Weighted-Average	March 31,
	(in millions)	Amortization Period	2015
	Total cost of acquisition		$	27
	Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position:
	Goodwill		$	11
	Portion of goodwill deductible for tax purposes			—
	Intangible assets:
	Client relationships	10 years	$	18
	Covenant not to compete	3 years		2
	Databases	1 year		1
	Trade names	3 years		1
	Total intangible assets		$	22
	Contingent consideration
	Under the terms of certain acquisition-related purchase agreements, the Company may be required to pay additional amounts as contingent consideration based on the achievement of certain financial performance related metrics, ranging from $0 to $21 million through 2017. The Company’s contingent consideration recorded on the balance sheet was approximately $21 million and $24 million at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. The fair value measurement of this contingent consideration is classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy (see Note 5) and reflects the Company’s own assumptions in measuring fair values using the income approach. In developing these estimates, the Company considered certain performance projections, historical results, and industry trends. Changes in the fair value estimates are included in Selling and administrative expenses.

Goodwill_and_Identifiable_Inta

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets	Note 3. Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets
	The following table sets forth changes in the Company’s goodwill for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	(in millions)	Goodwill
	Balance at December 31, 2014	$	3,417
	Goodwill assigned in purchase price allocations (see Note 2)		11
	Foreign currency translation adjustments and other		(89	)
	Balance at March 31, 2015	$	3,339
	The gross carrying amounts, related accumulated amortization and the weighted average amortization periods of the Company’s intangible assets are listed in the following table:
		31-Mar-15								31-Dec-14
	(in millions)	Gross			Accumulated			Weighted Average		Gross		Accumulated
		Carrying			Amortization			Amortization		Carrying		Amortization
		Amount						Period (Years)		Amount
	Databases	$	644		$	(626	)		—	$	679	$	(639	)
	Client Relationships		2,035			(614	)		14		2,051		(592	)
	Trade Names (Finite-Lived)		137			(39	)		14		142		(38	)
	Trade Names (Indefinite-Lived)		501			—			N/A		523		—
	Covenants not to compete and other		32			(17	)		2		32		(16	)
	Total Intangible Assets	$	3,349		$	(1,296	)		10	$	3,427	$	(1,285	)
	Intangible asset amortization expense was $58 million and $73 million during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Based on current estimated useful lives, amortization expense associated with intangible assets at March 31, 2015 is estimated to be as follows:
	(in millions)	Amortization
	Year ended December 31,	Expense
	Remainder of 2015	$	114
	2016		148
	2017		136
	2018		132
	2019		130
	Thereafter		892

Severance_Impairment_and_Other

Severance, Impairment and Other Charges	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Severance, Impairment and Other Charges	Note 4. Severance, Impairment and Other Charges
	As a result of ongoing cost reduction efforts, the Company recorded severance charges consisting of global workforce reductions to streamline its organization. The following table sets forth the activity in the Company’s severance-related reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2015:
	(in millions)		2015 Plan(1)		2014 Plan(2)			2013 Plan(3)
	Balance at December 31, 2014		$	—	$	11		$	7
	Charges			12		—			—
	Cash payments			—		(6	)		(1	)
	Balance at March 31, 2015		$	12	$	5		$	6
	(1)	In the first quarter of 2015, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (the “2015 Plan”) and recorded a pre-tax severance charge of $12 million. The Company expects that cash outlays related to the 2015 Plan will be substantially complete by the end of 2016.
	(2)	In May 2014, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (the “2014 Plan”) and recorded pre-tax severance charges of $22 million over the course of the year. The Company expects that cash outlays related to the 2014 Plan will be substantially complete by the end of 2016.
	(3)	In December 2013, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (the “2013 Plan”) and recorded a pre-tax severance charge of $12 million. The Company expects that cash outlays related to the 2013 Plan will be substantially complete by the end of 2015.

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value

Derivatives and Fair Value	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivatives And Fair Value Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivatives and Fair Value	Note 5. Derivatives and Fair Value
	Foreign exchange risk management
	The Company transacts business in more than 100 countries and is subject to risks associated with changing foreign exchange rates. The Company’s objective is to reduce earnings and cash flow volatility associated with foreign exchange rate changes. Accordingly, the Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts to minimize the impact of foreign exchange movements on non–functional currency assets and liabilities and to hedge non-U.S. Dollar anticipated royalties (“Royalty Hedging”). It is the Company’s policy to enter into foreign currency transactions only to the extent necessary to meet its objectives as stated above. The Company does not enter into foreign currency transactions for investment or speculative purposes. The principal currencies hedged are the Euro, the Japanese Yen, the Swiss Franc and the Canadian Dollar.
	The forward contracts entered into for balance sheet risk management purposes are not designated as hedges and are carried at fair value, with changes in the fair value recorded to Other income (loss), net in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). These contracts do not subject the Company to material balance sheet risk because gains and losses on these derivatives are intended to offset gains and losses on the assets and liabilities being hedged.
	The forward contracts entered into for Royalty Hedging purposes are designated as hedges and are carried at fair value, with changes in the fair value recorded to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (“AOCI”). The change in fair value is reclassified from AOCI to earnings in the quarter in which the hedged royalty is paid. These contracts have various expiration dates through February 2016.
	The following table details the components of foreign exchange gain (loss) included in Other income (loss), net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss):
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
	(in millions)		2015			2014
	Revaluation of other non-functional currency assets and liabilities(1)		$	—		$	(4	)
	Effect of derivatives			4			—
	Total foreign exchange gain (loss)		$	4		$	(4	)
	-1	The three months ended March 31, 2015 included a $7 million charge related to a change in the exchange rate used to remeasure the Company’s Venezuelan Bolívar account balances, offset by $7 million in revaluation of other non-functional assets and liabilities. The charge for the remeasurement of the Bolívar account balances is further described below in this Note.
	Net Investment Risk Management
	Beginning in April 2014, the Company designated its foreign currency denominated debt as a hedge of net investment in foreign subsidiaries to reduce the volatility in shareholders’ equity caused by changes in the Euro exchange rate with respect to the U.S. Dollar. As of March 31, 2015, these borrowings (net of original issue discount) were €1,137 million ($1,223 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 would be reclassified from AOCI to earnings upon the sale or substantial liquidation of these net investments. The amount of foreign exchange gains related to the net investment hedges included in cumulative translation adjustment for the three months ended March 31, 2015 was $122 million.
	Interest Rate Risk Management
	The Company purchases interest rate caps and entered into interest rate swap agreements for purposes of managing its risk in interest rate fluctuations.
	In April 2014, the Company purchased U.S. Dollar denominated interest rate caps (“2014 Caps”) for a total notional value of $1 billion at strike rates ranging between 2% and 3%. These caps are effective at various times between April 2014 and April 2016, and expire at various times between April 2017 and April 2019. The 2014 Caps are designated as cash flow hedges. The 2014 Caps are in addition to the U.S. Dollar and Euro denominated interest rate caps that the Company purchased in May 2010 (“2010 Caps”). The 2010 Caps have strike rates of 4% and expired at various times through January 2015. The 2010 Caps are not designated as cash flow hedges.
	The Company also entered into U.S. Dollar and Euro denominated interest rate swap agreements in April 2014 (“2014 Swaps”) to hedge interest rate exposure on notional amounts of approximately $600 million of its borrowings. The 2014 swaps were effective between April and June 2014, and expire at various times from March 2017 through March 2021. On these agreements, the Company pays a fixed rate ranging from 1.4% to 2.1% and receives a variable rate of interest equal to the greater of three-month U.S. Dollar London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or three-month Euro Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”), and 1%. The 2014 Swaps are designated as cash flow hedges. The Company also entered into interest rate swap agreements in May 2010 (“2010 Swaps”) to hedge interest rate exposure on notional amounts of $375 million of its borrowings. The 2010 Swaps were effective January 2012, and expire at various times through January 2016. On these agreements, the Company pays a fixed rate ranging from 3% to 3.3% and receives a variable rate of interest equal to the three-month LIBOR. The 2010 Swaps are not designated as cash flow hedges.
	The fair values of derivative instruments in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position are as follows:
						31-Mar-15											31-Dec-14
						Fair Value of Derivative							U.S. Dollar				Fair Value of Derivative				U.S. Dollar
	(in millions)				Balance Sheet Caption	Asset			Liability				Notional				Asset		Liability		Notional
	Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments:
	Foreign exchange contracts				Accounts receivable/	$	19		$	—			$	197			$	18	$	—	$	189
					Accounts payable
	Interest rate caps				Non-Current Assets		8			—				1,000				12		—		1,000
	Interest rate swaps				See below(1)		—			12				512				—		12		553
	Derivatives not Designated as Hedging Instruments:
	Foreign exchange contracts				Accounts receivable/		1			2				131				—		2		93
					Accounts payable
	Interest rate swaps				See below(1)		—			3				100				—		4		225
	Total Derivatives					$	28		$	17							$	30	$	18
	-1	$3 million included in Accrued and other current liabilities and $12 million included in Other liabilities at March 31, 2015 and $1 million included in Accrued and other current liabilities and $15 million included in Other liabilities at December 31, 2014 in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.
	For derivatives designated as hedges, the Company assesses, both at the inception of the hedge and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. If it is determined that a derivative ceases to be highly effective as a hedge, the Company will discontinue hedge accounting with respect to that derivative prospectively. When it is probable that a hedged forecasted transaction will not occur, the Company discontinues hedge accounting for the affected portion of the forecasted transaction, and reclassifies gains or losses that were accumulated in AOCI to earnings in Other income (loss), net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). Cash flows are classified consistent with the underlying hedged item.
	The effects of derivative instruments in cash flow hedging relationships on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) are as follows:
			Effect of Derivatives on Financial Performance
	(in millions)		Amount of Income/(Loss)						Location of Income/(Loss)		Amount of
			Recognized in AOCI						Reclassified from AOCI		Income/(Loss)
									into Earnings		Reclassified from
											AOCI into Earnings
	Three Months Ended March 31,		2015			2014					2015				2014
	Foreign exchange contracts		$	7		$	(1	)	Other income (loss), net		$	6			$	1
	Interest rate derivatives			(4	)		—		Interest expense			—				—
	The pre-tax gain (loss) recognized in earnings on derivatives not designated as hedging instruments was as follows:
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
	(in millions)		2015			2014
	Foreign exchange contracts(1)		$	(2	)	$	—
	Interest rate derivatives(2)			—			—
	Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments		$	(2	)	$	—
	-1	Included in Other income (loss), net
	-2	Included in interest expense
	Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in AOCI to the extent effective and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the transaction hedged by that derivative also affects earnings. The Company expects $15 million of pre-tax unrealized gains related to its foreign exchange contracts and interest rate derivatives included in AOCI at March 31, 2015 to be reclassified into earnings within the next twelve months.
	Fair value disclosures
	The Company is subject to authoritative guidance which requires a three-level hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements as follows:
	Level 1 —	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
	Level 2 —	Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in inactive markets; and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable in active markets.
	Level 3 —	Unobservable inputs reflecting management’s own assumptions about the inputs used in pricing the asset or liability.
	The carrying values of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable approximated their fair values at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 due to the short-term nature of these instruments. At March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the fair value of total debt approximated $3,992 million and $3,799 million, respectively, as determined under Level 2 measurements based on quoted prices for these financial instruments.
	Recurring measurements
	The following tables summarize assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at the dates indicated:
			Basis of Fair Value Measurements
			31-Mar-15
(in millions)		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3				Total
Assets
Derivatives			—			28			—				28
Total		$	—		$	28		$	—			$	28
Liabilities
Contingent consideration		$	—		$	—		$	21			$	21
Derivatives			—			17			—				17
Total		$	—		$	17		$	21			$	38
		31-Dec-14
(in millions)		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3				Total
Assets
Derivatives			—			30			—				30
Total		$	—		$	30		$	—			$	30
Liabilities
Contingent consideration		$	—		$	—		$	24			$	24
Derivatives			—			18			—				18
Total		$	—		$	18		$	24			$	42
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. 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.
The following table summarizes Level 3 acquisition-related contingent consideration liabilities (see Note 2) carried at fair value on a recurring basis with the use of unobservable inputs for the period indicated.
(in millions)		Contingent
		Consideration
		Liabilities
Balance at December 31, 2014		$	24
Cash payments			(1	)
Changes in fair value estimates and foreign currency translation adjustments			(2	)
Balance at March 31, 2015		$	21
Venezuelan Bolívars
The Company’s Swiss operating subsidiary, IMS AG, maintains certain account balances in Bolívars (mainly cash and cash equivalents). As these balances are held in a non-functional currency of IMS AG, the Company is required to mark-to-market these balances at each reporting date and reflect these movements as gains or losses in income. Additionally, since January 2010, Venezuela has been designated as hyper-inflationary, and as such, all foreign currency fluctuations are recorded in income for certain account balances at the Company’s local Venezuelan operating subsidiary.
In 2014, the Venezuelan government significantly expanded the use of the Supplementary Foreign Currency Administration System (“SICAD”) I exchange market and created a third exchange market called SICAD II, which the Company utilized to remeasure its Venezuelan Bolívar account balances beginning on June 30, 2014. In February 2015, the Venezuelan government announced that the SICAD II market would no longer be available, and a new foreign exchange market system ("SIMADI") was created. SIMADI has exchange rates significantly less favorable than SICAD II and at March 31, 2015, was approximately 193 Bolívars to one U.S. Dollar. As a result of the change to the SIMADI rate, the Company recorded a pre-tax charge of $7 million to foreign exchange loss within Other income (loss), net in the first quarter of 2015. The net assets held and revenue generated by the Company’s Venezuelan subsidiaries were not material to the Company’s consolidated results as of March 31, 2015.

Debt

Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	Note 6. Debt
	The following table summarizes the Company’s debt at the dates indicated:
	(in millions)	March 31,			December 31,
		2015			2014
	Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
	Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019—USD LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.52%	$	303		$	307
	Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019—EUR LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.26%		138			158
	Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021—USD LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.50%		1,730			1,735
	Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021—EUR LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.75%		796			901
	Revolving Credit Facility due 2019:
	U.S. Dollar denominated borrowings—USD LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.83%		144			215
	Swiss Franc denominated borrowings—CHF LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.25%		62			—
	4.125% Senior Notes due 2023 - Euro denominated		296			—
	6.00% Senior Notes due 2020  - U.S. Dollar denominated		500			500
	Principal Amount of Debt		3,969			3,816
	Less: Unamortized Discounts		(22	)		(23	)
	Total Debt	$	3,947		$	3,793
	Scheduled principal payments due on the Company’s debt as of March 31, 2015 for the remainder of 2015 and thereafter were as follows:
		Year
	(in millions)	2015			2016			2017		2018		2019		Thereafter		Total
	Debt	$	36		$	48		$	54	$	66	$	564	$	3,201	$	3,969
	Senior Secured Credit Facilities
	In March 2014, IMS Health Incorporated (“IMS Health”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and certain of its subsidiaries, as co-borrowers, entered into an amendment (the “2014 Amendment”) to amend and restate the Second Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, which until such date governed IMS Health’s Senior Secured Credit Facilities (the amended and restated credit agreement resulting from the 2014 Amendment, the “2014 Credit Agreement”). The 2014 Amendment added commitments in respect of new Term A loans (the “New Term Loans”) in the aggregate dollar equivalent amount of $500 million, increased outstanding commitments under the revolving credit facility to $500 million, modified certain interest rates and covenants and made additional modifications to IMS Health’s Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The New Term Loans were funded in April 2014 concurrent with the Company’s Initial Public Offering (“IPO”). The New Term Loans and Revolving Credit Facility mature in March 2019, while the Term B loans mature in March 2021. As a result of the 2014 Amendment, the Company recorded $11 million of debt extinguishment losses and $2 million of third party fees in Other income (loss), net during the three months ended March 31, 2014.
	IMS Health is required to make scheduled quarterly payments on the Term A loans at rates that vary from 1.25% to 2.50% of the original principal amount of the term loans, with the remaining balance paid at maturity. Additionally IMS Health is required to make scheduled quarterly payments on the Term B loans each equal to approximately 0.25% of the original principal amount of the term loans, with the remaining balance paid at maturity. IMS Health is also required to pay an annual commitment fee that ranges from 0.30% to 0.40% in respect of any unused commitments under the revolving credit facility.
	At March 31, 2015, IMS Health, IMS AG and IMS Japan K.K., as co-borrowers, had an aggregate $500 million revolving credit facility, of which $294 million was unused. The Senior Secured Credit Facilities are secured by a security interest in substantially all of Healthcare Technology Intermediate Holdings, Inc.’s, IMS Health’s and the U.S. subsidiary guarantors’ tangible and intangible assets, including the stock of IMS Health and certain of IMS Health’s U.S. restricted subsidiaries and a portion of the stock of IMS Health’s non-U.S. restricted subsidiaries directly owned by Healthcare Technology Intermediate Holdings, Inc., IMS Health or a U.S. subsidiary guarantor. In addition, the obligations of IMS AG are guaranteed by certain of its Swiss restricted subsidiaries and are secured by certain assets of IMS AG and the Swiss guarantors, including the stock of the Swiss guarantors, and the obligations of IMS Japan K.K. are secured by certain of its assets. There have been no borrowings by IMS Japan K.K. to date.
	Senior Notes
	In anticipation of the Company acquiring certain customer relationship management and strategic data businesses of Cegedim, SA (“Cegedim” and the “Cegedim acquisition”), IMS Health issued €275 million aggregate principal amount of 4.125% senior unsecured notes due in April 2023 (the “4.125% Senior Notes”) on March 30, 2015. The proceeds, along with cash on hand, were used on April 1, 2015 to fund the Cegedim acquisition and pay fees and expenses of $4 million in connection with the debt offering. See Note 13 for more information on the Cegedim acquisition. Interest on the 4.125% Senior Notes is payable semi-annually each year, commencing on October 1, 2015. The 4.125% Senior Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by IMS Health’s wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries that are guarantors under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The Company may redeem the Notes, in whole or in part, at a predetermined redemption price plus accrued interest.
	In addition to the 4.125% Senior Notes, IMS Health has $500 million aggregate principal amount of 6% Senior Notes due in November 2020 (the “6% Senior Notes”). Interest is payable semi-annually each year. The 6% Senior Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by IMS Health’s wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries that are guarantors under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The 6% Senior Notes have a three-year no call redemption period that expires in October 2015. The Notes can be redeemed at the Company’s option at a predetermined redemption price beginning in November 2015.
	The financing arrangements 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 2014 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 New Term Loans, other actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor. At March 31, 2015, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants under the Company’s financing arrangements.

Pension_and_Postretirement_Ben

Pension and Postretirement Benefits	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Pension and Postretirement Benefits	Note 7. Pension and Postretirement Benefits
	The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost for the Company’s pension benefits.
		Pension Benefits
		U.S. Plans						Non-U.S. Plans
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(in millions)	2015			2014			2015			2014
	Service cost	$	3		$	2		$	2		$	1
	Interest cost		3			3			2			3
	Expected return on plan assets		(6	)		(5	)		(3	)		(3	)
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	—		$	—		$	1		$	1
	The Company’s net periodic benefit cost for its postretirement benefits was less than $1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company contributed approximately $6 million to its pension and postretirement benefit plans and expects to contribute an additional $6 million for the remainder of 2015.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Note 8. Income Taxes
	The Company operates in more than 100 countries around the world and its earnings are taxed at the applicable income tax rate in each of these countries. As required, the Company computes interim taxes based on an estimated annual effective tax rate.
	The Company recorded a benefit for income taxes of $240 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015. Historically, the Company provided deferred taxes with respect to all of its non-U.S. subsidiaries’ unremitted earnings. In the first quarter of 2015, the Company changed its assertion related to these earnings and is asserting that the unremitted earnings of its non-U.S. subsidiaries related to prior years, as well as those related to 2015 will be indefinitely reinvested outside the U.S. As a result of this change in assertion, the Company reversed a previously established deferred tax liability of $256 million as a discrete benefit to the quarter. The Company has the intent and ability to indefinitely reinvest its non-U.S. subsidiaries’ unremitted earnings outside the U.S. as these earnings are no longer expected to be repatriated to the U.S. to meet the Company’s U.S. cash needs. Further, the Company intends to reinvest the non-U.S. earnings in the growth of its non-U.S. businesses.
	The Company recorded a benefit for income taxes of $13 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The tax benefit was unfavorably impacted by deferred U.S. income tax expense related to non-U.S. earnings, net of associated tax credits, offset by the expiration of certain statutes of limitation and the deferred tax impact of state and local tax rate changes.

Contingencies

Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	Note 9. Contingencies
	The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in legal and tax proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. Management periodically assesses the Company’s liabilities and contingencies in connection with these matters based upon the latest information available. For those matters where management currently believes it is probable that the Company will incur a loss and that the probable loss or range of loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company has recorded reserves in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements based on its best estimates of such loss. In other instances, because of the uncertainties related to either the probable outcome or the amount or range of loss, management is unable to make a reasonable estimate of a liability, if any. However, even in many instances where the Company has recorded an estimated liability, the Company is unable to predict with certainty the final outcome of the matter or whether resolution of the matter will materially affect the Company’s results of operations, financial position or cash flows. As additional information becomes available, the Company adjusts its assessments and estimates of such liabilities accordingly.
	The Company routinely enters into agreements with its suppliers to acquire data and with its clients to sell data, all in the normal course of business. In these agreements, the Company sometimes agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the other party for any damages such other party may suffer as a result of potential intellectual property infringement and other claims related to the use of the data. The Company has not accrued a liability with respect to these matters, as the exposure is considered remote.
	Based on its review of the latest information available, management does not expect the impact of pending legal and tax proceedings, claims and litigation, either individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, cash flows or financial position. However, one or more unfavorable outcomes in any claim or litigation against the Company could have a material adverse effect for the period in which it is resolved. The following is a summary of certain legal matters involving the Company.
	IMS Health Government Solutions Voluntary Disclosure Program Participation
	The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, IMS Government Solutions Inc. (“IMS Government Solutions”), is primarily engaged in providing services and products under contracts with the U.S. government. U.S. government contracts are subject to extensive legal and regulatory requirements and, from time to time, agencies of the U.S. government have the ability to investigate whether contractors’ operations are being conducted in accordance with such requirements. U.S. government investigations, whether relating to these contracts or conducted for other reasons, could result in administrative, civil or criminal liabilities, including repayments, fines or penalties being imposed on us, or could lead to suspension or debarment from future U.S. government contracting. U.S. government investigations often take years to complete and may result in no adverse action against the Company.
	IMS Government Solutions discovered potential noncompliance with various contract clauses and requirements under its General Services Administration Contract (the “GSA Contract”) which was awarded in 2002 to its predecessor company, Synchronous Knowledge Inc. (Synchronous Knowledge Inc. was acquired by IMS Health in May 2005). The potential noncompliance arose from three primary areas: first, at the direction of the government, work performed under one task order was invoiced under another task order without the appropriate modifications to the orders being made; second, personnel who did not meet strict compliance with the labor categories component of the qualification requirements of the GSA Contract were assigned to contracts; and third, certain discounts that were given to commercial customers were not also offered to the government, in alleged violation of the GSA Contract’s Price Reductions Clause. Upon discovery of the potential noncompliance, the Company began remediation efforts, promptly disclosed the potential noncompliance to the U.S. government, and was accepted into the Department of Defense Voluntary Disclosure Program. The Company filed its Voluntary Disclosure Program Report (“Disclosure Report”) on August 29, 2008. Based on the Company’s findings as disclosed in the Disclosure Report, the Company recorded a reserve of approximately $4 million for this matter in 2008. During 2010, the Company recorded an additional reserve of approximately $2 million as a result of its ongoing investigation relating to this matter. In September 2014, the General Services Administration offered to settle the third matter described above (i.e., the Price Reductions Clause aspect of the Disclosure Report) for $1.5 million, in-line with the amount the Company had recorded for this area of potential noncompliance. On April 23, 2015, the Company and the government executed the settlement agreement and made the $1.5 million payment. The Company is currently unable to determine the outcome of all of these matters pending the resolution of the Voluntary Disclosure Program process and its ultimate liability arising from these matters could exceed its current reserves.
	Symphony Health Solutions Litigation
	On July 24, 2013, Symphony Health Solutions filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against IMS Health alleging that IMS Health is actively engaging in anticompetitive business practices in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and Pennsylvania state law. The complaint seeks trebled actual damages in an unspecified amount, punitive damages, costs and injunctive relief. The Company believes the complaint is without merit, rejects all claims raised, asserted counterclaims against Symphony Health and will vigorously defend IMS Health’s position.

Related_Party

Related Party	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party	Note 10. Related Party
	Due to related party relationships, it is possible that the terms of these transactions are not the same as those that would result from transactions among wholly unrelated parties.
	Management Services Agreement
	The Company had a management services agreement with affiliates of TPG Global, LLC, CPP Investment Board Private Holdings Inc. and Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. (collectively, the “Sponsors”) pursuant to which they would provide management services to the Company. In conjunction with the Company’s IPO, the management services agreement was terminated for a settlement amount of $72 million and the Company recorded this charge as a component of Selling and administrative expenses, exclusive of depreciation and amortization in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) in the second quarter of 2014. Prior to the termination of the management services agreement, the Company paid an additional $2 million during the first quarter of 2014 in monitoring fees pursuant to the management services agreement.

Operations_by_Business_Segment

Operations by Business Segment	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Operations by Business Segment	Note 11. Operations by Business Segment
	Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which financial information is available that is evaluated on a regular basis by the chief operating decision-maker, or decision-making groups, in deciding how to allocate resources to an individual segment and in assessing performance of the segment. The Company operates a globally consistent business model, offering pharmaceutical business information and related services to its clients in more than 100 countries.
	The Company maintains regional geographic management who are responsible for bringing the Company’s full suite of offerings to their respective markets and to facilitate local execution of its global strategies. However, the Company maintains global leaders for the majority of its critical business processes; and the most significant performance evaluations and resource allocations made by the Company’s chief operating decision maker is made on a global basis. As such, the Company has concluded that it maintains one operating and reportable segment.
	Geographic Financial Information:
	The following represents selected geographic information for the regions in which the Company operates.
	(in millions)		Americas(1)		EMEA(2)		Asia		Corporate			Total
							Pacific(3)		& Other
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2015
	Revenue(4)		$	294	$	227	$	111	$	-		$	632
	Operating income (loss)(5)			68		50		38		(65	)		91
	2014
	Revenue(4)		$	287	$	244	$	114	$	-		$	645
	Operating income (loss)(5)			78		59		37		(107	)		67
	-1	Americas includes the United States, Canada and Latin America. Revenue in the United States was $245 million and $232 million for the first quarters of 2015 and 2014, respectively.
	-2	EMEA includes countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
	-3	Asia Pacific includes Japan, Australia and other countries in the Asia Pacific region. Revenue in Japan was $64 million and $69 million for the first quarters of 2015 and 2014, respectively.
	-4	Revenue relates to external clients and is primarily based on the location of the client. Revenue for the geographic regions includes the impact of foreign exchange in converting results into U.S. dollars.
	-5	Operating income (loss) for the three geographic regions does not reflect the allocation of certain expenses that are maintained in Corporate and Other and as such, is not a true measure of the respective regions’ profitability. The Operating income (loss) amounts for the geographic regions include the impact of foreign exchange in converting results into U.S. dollars. The following presents the depreciation and amortization related to purchase accounting adjustments for each region that are presented in Corporate and Other:
	(in millions)		Americas		EMEA		Asia Pacific
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2015		$	27	$	14	$	8
	2014			31		22		10

Earnings_per_Share

Earnings per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings per Share	Note 12. Earnings per Share
	Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share is computed, when the result is dilutive, using the weighted-average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares primarily consist of employee stock options and restricted stock units.
	Employee stock options, restricted stock units and similar equity instruments granted by the Company are treated as potential common shares outstanding in computing diluted earnings per share. Diluted shares outstanding include restricted stock units and the dilutive effect of in-the-money options which is calculated based on the average share price for each fiscal period using the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, the amount the employee must pay for exercising stock options, the amount of compensation cost for future service that the Company has not yet recognized, and the amount of benefits that would be recorded in additional paid-in capital when the award becomes deductible for tax purposes are assumed to be used to repurchase shares.
	In periods of net loss, basic loss per share and diluted loss per share are the same since the effect of potential common shares is anti-dilutive and therefore excluded.
	The following table presents the composition of basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
	(Shares in millions)	2015		2014
	Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding		335.5		279.9
	Effect of dilutive stock-based awards		9.8		—
	Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding		345.3		279.9
	Shares excluded from computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	Weighted average potential common shares excluded from computation due to anti-dilutive effect		—		19.4

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Note 13. Subsequent Events
	Acquisitions
	On April 1, 2015, the Company completed the Cegedim acquisition at a price of €385 million plus an initial working capital adjustment of €11 million (or $426 million). Cegedim, headquartered in Paris, France, is a global technology and services company specializing in healthcare whose offerings help pharmaceutical companies manage their sales and marketing operations. The acquisition includes Cegedim’s (i) Customer Relationship Management (“CRM”) solutions that help life sciences clients drive sales effectiveness, optimize marketing programs across multiple channels and mitigate regulatory compliance risks; (ii) OneKey Reference Database that provides insights on healthcare professionals across the globe; and (iii) information solutions that use primary market research. The acquisition was financed through a combination of existing cash and net proceeds from the 4.125% Senior Notes. See Note 6 for additional information on the 4.125% Senior Notes. The Company believes that the acquisition further enhances its software development, data warehousing, mobile applications and business intelligence tools, as well as analytics and implementation services. As a condition to the closing of the acquisition, the Company divested its promotional audit product line in Europe in the first quarter of 2015, which had total revenues of approximately $2 million in 2014.
	The Company is currently in the process of determining the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired in the transaction. The following table summarizes the provisional allocation of the Cegedim acquisition’s purchase price to the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, using an exchange rate as of April 1, 2015 of 1.076 of U.S. dollars to 1 euro.
	(in millions)
	Identifiable intangible assets		$	213
	Goodwill			45
	Other net assets acquired(1)			168
	Total purchase price allocation		$	426
	-1	The largest components of the other net assets acquired include cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable and accrued expenses.
	The amounts allocated to identifiable intangible assets represents the estimated fair values of client relationships, databases, computer software and trade names. The provisional purchase price allocation presented above is based upon information available to the Company at the present time, and is based upon management’s preliminary estimates of the fair values using comparable values and relationships from previous acquisitions. The purchase price allocation is provisional pending the Company’s calculations of the fair values of the assets and liabilities using valuation techniques, including income, cost and market approaches. Changes may be made to these estimated fair values, upon the Company’s final determination of the assets and liabilities.
	Goodwill is attributable to the value of the synergies between the acquired company and IMS Health. The Company anticipates that the majority of the value assigned to goodwill will not be deductible for tax purposes.
	Secondary Offering
	On May 12, 2015, existing shareholders affiliated with the Sponsors (collectively, the “Selling Stockholders”) completed the sale of 57.97 million shares of the Company’s common stock at a public offering price of $27.50 per share, including 6.87 million shares that were offered and sold by the Selling Stockholders pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares. These transactions are collectively referred to as the Secondary Offering. The Company did not sell any stock in, or receive any proceeds from, the Secondary Offering.
	Share Repurchase
	On May 3, 2015, the Company’s board of directors authorized a $300 million common stock repurchase program. In connection with that program, on May 12, 2015, the Company purchased 11.1 million of the Company’s common stock shares from the underwriters of the Secondary Offering having an aggregate value of approximately $300 million at $27.0875 per share, equal to the midpoint between the public offering price and the price to the Selling Stockholders for the shares sold in the offering. To fund the share repurchase, the Company entered into an amendment to its senior secured credit facilities that provides the Company with $200 million in additional term loan borrowings, as well as utilized borrowings from the Company’s revolving credit facility and available cash.

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Rece1

Basis of Presentation and Recently Issued Accounting Standards (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements do not include all the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, all of which are of a normal recurring nature, considered necessary for a fair statement of financial position, results of operations and comprehensive loss, cash flows and shareholders’ equity for the periods presented have been included. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year. The December 31, 2014 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by U.S. GAAP. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes of IMS Health Holdings, Inc. included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2015 presentation. Amounts presented in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements may not add due to rounding.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Recently Issued Accounting Standards
	In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance to help entities evaluate the accounting for fees paid by a customer in a cloud computing arrangement. Under the new guidance, if a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The guidance is effective for the Company’s interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance to determine any potential impact that it may have on its financial results.
	Also in April 2015, the FASB issued guidance on the presentation of debt issuance costs. The guidance requires the presentation of debt issuance costs as a direct deduction from the related debt liability rather than as an asset. The guidance is effective for the Company’s interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. At March 31, 2015, the Company had unamortized debt issuance costs of $57 million included in Other assets.
	In April 2014, the FASB issued guidance which changed the criteria for reporting discontinued operations and modifies the related disclosure requirements. Additionally, the new guidance requires that a business which qualifies as held for sale upon acquisition should be reported as discontinued operations. The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2015, and it is applied prospectively. As such, the Company will apply this standard to any new disposals or new classifications of disposal groups as held for sale which occur on or after January 1, 2015.
Income Taxes	As required, the Company computes interim taxes based on an estimated annual effective tax rate.
Contingencies	For those matters where management currently believes it is probable that the Company will incur a loss and that the probable loss or range of loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company has recorded reserves in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements based on its best estimates of such loss. In other instances, because of the uncertainties related to either the probable outcome or the amount or range of loss, management is unable to make a reasonable estimate of a liability, if any. However, even in many instances where the Company has recorded an estimated liability, the Company is unable to predict with certainty the final outcome of the matter or whether resolution of the matter will materially affect the Company’s results of operations, financial position or cash flows. As additional information becomes available, the Company adjusts its assessments and estimates of such liabilities accordingly.
Earnings per Share	Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share is computed, when the result is dilutive, using the weighted-average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares primarily consist of employee stock options and restricted stock units.
Derivatives	The forward contracts entered into for balance sheet risk management purposes are not designated as hedges and are carried at fair value, with changes in the fair value recorded to Other income (loss), net in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).
	The forward contracts entered into for Royalty Hedging purposes are designated as hedges and are carried at fair value, with changes in the fair value recorded to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (“AOCI”). The change in fair value is reclassified from AOCI to earnings in the quarter in which the hedged royalty is paid.
	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 would be reclassified from AOCI to earnings upon the sale or substantial liquidation of these net investments.
	For derivatives designated as hedges, the Company assesses, both at the inception of the hedge and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives are highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of hedged items. If it is determined that a derivative ceases to be highly effective as a hedge, the Company will discontinue hedge accounting with respect to that derivative prospectively. When it is probable that a hedged forecasted transaction will not occur, the Company discontinues hedge accounting for the affected portion of the forecasted transaction, and reclassifies gains or losses that were accumulated in AOCI to earnings in Other income (loss), net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). Cash flows are classified consistent with the underlying hedged item.
	Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in AOCI to the extent effective and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods during which the transaction hedged by that derivative also affects earnings.

Acquisitions_Tables

Acquisitions (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of Financial Information Related to Acquisitions	Financial information related to the acquisition is as follows:
		Weighted-Average	March 31,
	(in millions)	Amortization Period	2015
	Total cost of acquisition		$	27
	Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position:
	Goodwill		$	11
	Portion of goodwill deductible for tax purposes			—
	Intangible assets:
	Client relationships	10 years	$	18
	Covenant not to compete	3 years		2
	Databases	1 year		1
	Trade names	3 years		1
	Total intangible assets		$	22

Goodwill_and_Identifiable_Inta1

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Changes in Goodwill	The following table sets forth changes in the Company’s goodwill for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	(in millions)	Goodwill
	Balance at December 31, 2014	$	3,417
	Goodwill assigned in purchase price allocations (see Note 2)		11
	Foreign currency translation adjustments and other		(89	)
	Balance at March 31, 2015	$	3,339
Schedule of Intangible Assets	The gross carrying amounts, related accumulated amortization and the weighted average amortization periods of the Company’s intangible assets are listed in the following table:
		31-Mar-15								31-Dec-14
	(in millions)	Gross			Accumulated			Weighted Average		Gross		Accumulated
		Carrying			Amortization			Amortization		Carrying		Amortization
		Amount						Period (Years)		Amount
	Databases	$	644		$	(626	)		—	$	679	$	(639	)
	Client Relationships		2,035			(614	)		14		2,051		(592	)
	Trade Names (Finite-Lived)		137			(39	)		14		142		(38	)
	Trade Names (Indefinite-Lived)		501			—			N/A		523		—
	Covenants not to compete and other		32			(17	)		2		32		(16	)
	Total Intangible Assets	$	3,349		$	(1,296	)		10	$	3,427	$	(1,285	)
Schedule of Amortization Expense Associated With Intangible Assets	Based on current estimated useful lives, amortization expense associated with intangible assets at March 31, 2015 is estimated to be as follows:
	(in millions)	Amortization
	Year ended December 31,	Expense
	Remainder of 2015	$	114
	2016		148
	2017		136
	2018		132
	2019		130
	Thereafter		892

Severance_Impairment_and_Other1

Severance, Impairment and Other Charges (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Schedule of Severance Related Reserves	As a result of ongoing cost reduction efforts, the Company recorded severance charges consisting of global workforce reductions to streamline its organization. The following table sets forth the activity in the Company’s severance-related reserves for the three months ended March 31, 2015:
	(in millions)		2015 Plan(1)		2014 Plan(2)			2013 Plan(3)
	Balance at December 31, 2014		$	—	$	11		$	7
	Charges			12		—			—
	Cash payments			—		(6	)		(1	)
	Balance at March 31, 2015		$	12	$	5		$	6
	(1)	In the first quarter of 2015, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (the “2015 Plan”) and recorded a pre-tax severance charge of $12 million. The Company expects that cash outlays related to the 2015 Plan will be substantially complete by the end of 2016.
	(2)	In May 2014, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (the “2014 Plan”) and recorded pre-tax severance charges of $22 million over the course of the year. The Company expects that cash outlays related to the 2014 Plan will be substantially complete by the end of 2016.
	(3)	In December 2013, the Company implemented a restructuring plan (the “2013 Plan”) and recorded a pre-tax severance charge of $12 million. The Company expects that cash outlays related to the 2013 Plan will be substantially complete by the end of 2015.

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Tab

Derivatives and Fair Value (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Schedule of Components of Foreign Exchange Gain (loss)	The following table details the components of foreign exchange gain (loss) included in Other income (loss), net on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss):
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
	(in millions)		2015			2014
	Revaluation of other non-functional currency assets and liabilities(1)		$	—		$	(4	)
	Effect of derivatives			4			—
	Total foreign exchange gain (loss)		$	4		$	(4	)
	-1	The three months ended March 31, 2015 included a $7 million charge related to a change in the exchange rate used to remeasure the Company’s Venezuelan Bolívar account balances, offset by $7 million in revaluation of other non-functional assets and liabilities. The charge for the remeasurement of the Bolívar account balances is further described below in this Note.
Schedule of Fair Value of Derivative Instruments	The fair values of derivative instruments in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position are as follows:
						31-Mar-15											31-Dec-14
						Fair Value of Derivative							U.S. Dollar				Fair Value of Derivative				U.S. Dollar
	(in millions)				Balance Sheet Caption	Asset			Liability				Notional				Asset		Liability		Notional
	Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments:
	Foreign exchange contracts				Accounts receivable/	$	19		$	—			$	197			$	18	$	—	$	189
					Accounts payable
	Interest rate caps				Non-Current Assets		8			—				1,000				12		—		1,000
	Interest rate swaps				See below(1)		—			12				512				—		12		553
	Derivatives not Designated as Hedging Instruments:
	Foreign exchange contracts				Accounts receivable/		1			2				131				—		2		93
					Accounts payable
	Interest rate swaps				See below(1)		—			3				100				—		4		225
	Total Derivatives					$	28		$	17							$	30	$	18
	-1	$3 million included in Accrued and other current liabilities and $12 million included in Other liabilities at March 31, 2015 and $1 million included in Accrued and other current liabilities and $15 million included in Other liabilities at December 31, 2014 in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.
Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis	The following tables summarize assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at the dates indicated:
			Basis of Fair Value Measurements
			31-Mar-15
	(in millions)		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3				Total
	Assets
	Derivatives			—			28			—				28
	Total		$	—		$	28		$	—			$	28
	Liabilities
	Contingent consideration		$	—		$	—		$	21			$	21
	Derivatives			—			17			—				17
	Total		$	—		$	17		$	21			$	38
			31-Dec-14
	(in millions)		Level 1			Level 2			Level 3				Total
	Assets
	Derivatives			—			30			—				30
	Total		$	—		$	30		$	—			$	30
	Liabilities
	Contingent consideration		$	—		$	—		$	24			$	24
	Derivatives			—			18			—				18
	Total		$	—		$	18		$	24			$	42
Schedule of Level 3 Acquisition-Related Contingent Consideration Liabilities Carried at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis	The following table summarizes Level 3 acquisition-related contingent consideration liabilities (see Note 2) carried at fair value on a recurring basis with the use of unobservable inputs for the period indicated.
	(in millions)		Contingent
			Consideration
			Liabilities
	Balance at December 31, 2014		$	24
	Cash payments			(1	)
	Changes in fair value estimates and foreign currency translation adjustments			(2	)
	Balance at March 31, 2015		$	21
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Schedule of Effect of Derivatives on Financial Performance	The pre-tax gain (loss) recognized in earnings on derivatives not designated as hedging instruments was as follows:
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
	(in millions)		2015			2014
	Foreign exchange contracts(1)		$	(2	)	$	—
	Interest rate derivatives(2)			—			—
	Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments		$	(2	)	$	—
	-1	Included in Other income (loss), net
	-2	Included in interest expense
Cash Flow Hedging
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Schedule of Effect of Derivatives on Financial Performance	The effects of derivative instruments in cash flow hedging relationships on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) are as follows:
			Effect of Derivatives on Financial Performance
	(in millions)		Amount of Income/(Loss)						Location of Income/(Loss)		Amount of
			Recognized in AOCI						Reclassified from AOCI		Income/(Loss)
									into Earnings		Reclassified from
											AOCI into Earnings
	Three Months Ended March 31,		2015			2014					2015				2014
	Foreign exchange contracts		$	7		$	(1	)	Other income (loss), net		$	6			$	1
	Interest rate derivatives			(4	)		—		Interest expense			—				—

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Debt	The following table summarizes the Company’s debt at the dates indicated:
	(in millions)	March 31,			December 31,
		2015			2014
	Senior Secured Credit Facilities:
	Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019—USD LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.52%	$	303		$	307
	Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019—EUR LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.26%		138			158
	Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021—USD LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.50%		1,730			1,735
	Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021—EUR LIBOR at average floating rates of 3.75%		796			901
	Revolving Credit Facility due 2019:
	U.S. Dollar denominated borrowings—USD LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.83%		144			215
	Swiss Franc denominated borrowings—CHF LIBOR at average floating rates of 2.25%		62			—
	4.125% Senior Notes due 2023 - Euro denominated		296			—
	6.00% Senior Notes due 2020  - U.S. Dollar denominated		500			500
	Principal Amount of Debt		3,969			3,816
	Less: Unamortized Discounts		(22	)		(23	)
	Total Debt	$	3,947		$	3,793
Schedule of Maturities of Long-Term Debt	Scheduled principal payments due on the Company’s debt as of March 31, 2015 for the remainder of 2015 and thereafter were as follows:
		Year
	(in millions)	2015			2016			2017		2018		2019		Thereafter		Total
	Debt	$	36		$	48		$	54	$	66	$	564	$	3,201	$	3,969

Pension_and_Postretirement_Ben1

Pension and Postretirement Benefits (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Compensation And Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost	The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost for the Company’s pension benefits.
		Pension Benefits
		U.S. Plans						Non-U.S. Plans
		Three Months Ended March 31,
	(in millions)	2015			2014			2015			2014
	Service cost	$	3		$	2		$	2		$	1
	Interest cost		3			3			2			3
	Expected return on plan assets		(6	)		(5	)		(3	)		(3	)
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	—		$	—		$	1		$	1

Operations_by_Business_Segment1

Operations by Business Segment (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Geographic Information for Operating Regions	The following represents selected geographic information for the regions in which the Company operates.
	(in millions)		Americas(1)		EMEA(2)		Asia		Corporate			Total
							Pacific(3)		& Other
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2015
	Revenue(4)		$	294	$	227	$	111	$	-		$	632
	Operating income (loss)(5)			68		50		38		(65	)		91
	2014
	Revenue(4)		$	287	$	244	$	114	$	-		$	645
	Operating income (loss)(5)			78		59		37		(107	)		67
	-1	Americas includes the United States, Canada and Latin America. Revenue in the United States was $245 million and $232 million for the first quarters of 2015 and 2014, respectively.
	-2	EMEA includes countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
	-3	Asia Pacific includes Japan, Australia and other countries in the Asia Pacific region. Revenue in Japan was $64 million and $69 million for the first quarters of 2015 and 2014, respectively.
	-4	Revenue relates to external clients and is primarily based on the location of the client. Revenue for the geographic regions includes the impact of foreign exchange in converting results into U.S. dollars.
	-5	Operating income (loss) for the three geographic regions does not reflect the allocation of certain expenses that are maintained in Corporate and Other and as such, is not a true measure of the respective regions’ profitability. The Operating income (loss) amounts for the geographic regions include the impact of foreign exchange in converting results into U.S. dollars. The following presents the depreciation and amortization related to purchase accounting adjustments for each region that are presented in Corporate and Other:
	(in millions)		Americas		EMEA		Asia Pacific
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2015		$	27	$	14	$	8
	2014			31		22		10

Earnings_per_Share_Tables

Earnings per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Composition of Basic and Diluted Weighted Average Shares Outstanding	The following table presents the composition of basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
	(Shares in millions)	2015		2014
	Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding		335.5		279.9
	Effect of dilutive stock-based awards		9.8		—
	Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding		345.3		279.9
	Shares excluded from computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	Weighted average potential common shares excluded from computation due to anti-dilutive effect		—		19.4

Subsequent_Events_Tables

Subsequent Events (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Estimated Fair Values of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The Company is currently in the process of determining the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired in the transaction. The following table summarizes the provisional allocation of the Cegedim acquisition’s purchase price to the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, using an exchange rate as of April 1, 2015 of 1.076 of U.S. dollars to 1 euro.
	(in millions)
	Identifiable intangible assets		$	213
	Goodwill			45
	Other net assets acquired(1)			168
	Total purchase price allocation		$	426
	-1	The largest components of the other net assets acquired include cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Basis_of_Presentation_and_Rece2

Basis of Presentation and Recently Issued Accounting Standards - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2015
Basis Of Presentation And Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Line Items]
Unamortized debt issuance costs		$57
Outside United States | Geographic Concentration Risk | Revenue
Basis Of Presentation And Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue generated from outside the United States	63.00%
Minimum
Basis Of Presentation And Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Line Items]
Number of countries in which the company transacts business		100

Acquisitions_Additional_Inform

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
	Acquisition
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration, minimum	0
Contingent consideration, maximum	21
Contingent consideration, liability	21	$24
Non-US
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of businesses acquired	1

Acquisitions_Schedule_of_Finan

Acquisitions - Schedule of Financial Information Related to Acquisitions (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total cost of acquisition	$27
Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position:
Goodwill	11
Intangible assets	22
Client Relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted Average Amortization Period	10 years
Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position:
Intangible assets	18
Covenant Not to Compete
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted Average Amortization Period	3 years
Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position:
Intangible assets	2
Databases
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted Average Amortization Period	1 year
Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position:
Intangible assets	1
Trade Names
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted Average Amortization Period	3 years
Amounts recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position:
Intangible assets	$1

Goodwill_and_Identifiable_Inta2

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets - Summary of Changes in Goodwill (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Goodwill Roll Forward
Beginning Balance	$3,417
Goodwill assigned in purchase price allocations	11
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	-89
Ending Balance	$3,339

Goodwill_and_Identifiable_Inta3

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets - Schedule of Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross carrying amount	3,349	$3,427
Accumulated amortization	-1,296	-1,285
Weighted Average
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (years)	10 years
Databases
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross carrying amount	644	679
Accumulated amortization	-626	-639
Databases | Weighted Average
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (years)	0 years
Client Relationships
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross carrying amount	2,035	2,051
Accumulated amortization	-614	-592
Client Relationships | Weighted Average
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (years)	14 years
Trade Names
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross carrying amount	137	142
Accumulated amortization	-39	-38
Trade Names | Weighted Average
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (years)	14 years
Covenants Not to Compete and Other
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross carrying amount	32	32
Accumulated amortization	-17	-16
Covenants Not to Compete and Other | Weighted Average
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average amortization period (years)	2 years
Trade Names (Indefinite-Lived)
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross carrying amount	501	$523

Goodwill_and_Identifiable_Inta4

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible asset amortization expense	$58	$73

Goodwill_and_Identifiable_Inta5

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets - Schedule of Amortization Expense Associated With Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Amortization Expense, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
Expected amortization expense in the remainder of 2015	$114
Expected amortization expense in 2016	148
Expected amortization expense in 2017	136
Expected amortization expense in 2018	132
Expected amortization expense in 2019	130
Expected amortization expense after 2019	$892

Severance_Impairment_and_Other2

Severance, Impairment and Other Charges - Schedule of Severance Related Reserves (Detail) (Severance, USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
2015 Plan
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Charges	$12
Ending balance	12
2014 Plan
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning balance	11
Cash payments	-6
Ending balance	5
2013 Plan
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Beginning balance	7
Cash payments	-1
Ending balance	$6

Severance_Impairment_and_Other3

Severance, Impairment and Other Charges - Schedule of Severance Related Reserves (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	31-May-14	Dec. 31, 2013
2015 Plan
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax severance charge	$12
2014 Plan
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax severance charge		22
2013 Plan
Restructuring Cost And Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax severance charge			$12

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Add

Derivatives and Fair Value - Additional Information (Detail)

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

In Millions, unless otherwise specified

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Apr. 30, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

31-May-10

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Apr. 30, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

31-May-10

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Apr. 30, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Apr. 30, 2014

31-May-10

Mar. 31, 2015

Apr. 30, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Apr. 30, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

31-May-10

USD ($)

USD ($)

VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA

VENEZUELA

Level 2

Level 2

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Net Investment Hedge

Net Investment Hedge

Minimum

Minimum

Minimum

Minimum

Minimum

Minimum

Maximum

Maximum

Maximum

Maximum

Maximum

Maximum

USD ($)

SIMADI

SIMADI

USD ($)

USD ($)

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

USD ($)

EUR (€)

Country

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Cap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

Interest Rate Swap

USD ($)

VEF

USD ($)

USD ($)

Interest Rate Caps April 2014

Interest Rate Caps May 2010

Interest Rate Caps May 2010

USD ($)

USD ($)

Interest Rate Swap Agreements April 2014

USD ($)

USD ($)

Interest Rate Swap Agreements May 2010

Interest Rate Swap Agreements May 2010

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

Interest Rate Caps April 2014

Interest Rate Caps April 2014

Interest Rate Swap Agreements April 2014

Interest Rate Swap Agreements April 2014

Interest Rate Swap Agreements May 2010

Interest Rate Caps April 2014

Interest Rate Caps April 2014

Interest Rate Swap Agreements April 2014

Interest Rate Swap Agreements April 2014

Interest Rate Swap Agreements May 2010

Interest Rate Swap Agreements May 2010

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]

Number of countries in which the company transacts business

100

Total debt

$3,947

$3,793

$1,223

€ 1,137

Foreign exchange gain related to net investment hedge

122

Derivative, nominal value

1,000

1,000

1,000

512

553

100

225

Strike rate

4.00%

2.00%

3.00%

Derivative, maturity period

2015-01

2017-04

2017-03

2019-04

2021-03

2016-01

Derivative contract, period of effectiveness

2012-01

2014-04

2014-04

2016-04

2014-06

Notional amounts, borrowings

600

375

Fixed interest payment rate

1.40%

3.00%

2.10%

3.30%

Derivative basis spread on variable rate

1.00%

Unrealized gain on foreign currency derivatives, net, before tax

15

Fair value of debt

3,992

3,799

Foreign currency exchange rate

193

Loss on Venezuela remeasurement

$7

$7

$7

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Sch

Derivatives and Fair Value - Schedule of Components of Foreign Exchange Gain (Loss) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Revaluation of other non-functional currency assets and liabilities		($4)
Effect of derivatives	4
Total foreign exchange gain (loss)	$4	($4)

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Sch1

Derivatives and Fair Value - Schedule of Components of Foreign Exchange Gain (Loss) (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Loss on Venezuela remeasurement	$7
VENEZUELA
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Loss on Venezuela remeasurement	7
Revaluation of other non-functional assets and liabilities	$7

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Sch2

Derivatives and Fair Value - Schedule of Fair Value of Derivative Instruments (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Asset	$28	$30
Fair Value of Derivatives Liability	17	18
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign Exchange Contracts
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, nominal value	197	189
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign Exchange Contracts | Accounts receivable
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Asset	19	18
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest Rate Cap
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, nominal value	1,000	1,000
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest Rate Cap | Other Assets
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Asset	8	12
Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest Rate Swap
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Liability	12	12
Derivative, nominal value	512	553
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign Exchange Contracts
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative, nominal value	131	93
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign Exchange Contracts | Accounts receivable
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Asset	1
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Foreign Exchange Contracts | Accounts payable
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Liability	2	2
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument | Interest Rate Swap
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Liability	3	4
Derivative, nominal value	$100	$225

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Sch3

Derivatives and Fair Value - Schedule of Fair Value of Derivative Instruments (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Liability	$17	$18
Interest Rate Swap | Accrued And Other Current Liabilities
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Liability	3	1
Interest Rate Swap | Other Noncurrent Liabilities
Derivatives Fair Value [Line Items]
Fair Value of Derivatives Liability	$12	$15

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Sch4

Derivatives and Fair Value - Schedule of Effect of Derivatives on Financial Performance (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Foreign Exchange Contracts
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of Income/(Loss) Recognized in AOCI	$7	($1)
Foreign Exchange Contracts | Other Income (Loss), Net
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of Income/(Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Earnings	6	1
Interest Rate Derivatives
Derivative Instruments Gain Loss [Line Items]
Amount of Income/(Loss) Recognized in AOCI	($4)

Schedule_of_PreTax_Gain_Loss_R

Schedule of Pre-Tax Gain (Loss) Recognized in Earnings on Derivatives (Detail) (Not Designated as Hedging Instrument, USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	($2)
Foreign Exchange Contracts
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments	($2)

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Sch5

Derivatives and Fair Value - Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Assets
Derivatives assets	$28	$30
Liabilities
Contingent consideration, liability	21	24
Derivatives liabilities	17	18
Level 3
Liabilities
Contingent consideration, liability	21	24
Fair value measurements, recurring basis
Assets
Derivatives assets	28	30
Total assets	28	30
Liabilities
Contingent consideration, liability	21	24
Derivatives liabilities	17	18
Total liabilities	38	42
Fair value measurements, recurring basis | Level 2
Assets
Derivatives assets	28	30
Total assets	28	30
Liabilities
Derivatives liabilities	17	18
Total liabilities	17	18
Fair value measurements, recurring basis | Level 3
Liabilities
Contingent consideration, liability	21	24
Total liabilities	$21	$24

Derivatives_and_Fair_Value_Sch6

Derivatives and Fair Value - Schedule of Level 3 Acquisition-Related Contingent Consideration Liabilities Carried at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Liabilities Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning balance		$24
Ending balance	21	24
Level 3
Fair Value Liabilities Measured On Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning balance	24
Cash payments	-1
Changes in fair value estimates and foreign currency translation adjustments	-2
Ending balance	$21

Debt_Schedule_of_Debt_Detail

Debt - Schedule of Debt (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	$3,969	$3,816
Less: Unamortized Discounts	-22	-23
Total Debt	3,947	3,793
USD LIBOR | Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	303	307
USD LIBOR | Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	1,730	1,735
USD LIBOR | Revolving Credit Facility due 2019 | U.S. Dollar denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	144	215
EUR LIBOR | Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	138	158
EUR LIBOR | Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	796	901
CHF LIBOR | Revolving Credit Facility due 2019 | Swiss Franc denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	62
4.125% Senior Notes due 2023 | Euro denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	296
6.00% Senior Notes due 2020 | U.S. Dollar denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal Amount of Debt	$500	$500

Debt_Schedule_of_Debt_Parenthe

Debt - Schedule of Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Revolving Credit Facility due 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, maturity year	2019
4.125% Senior Notes due 2023 | Euro denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate	4.13%
Debt instrument, maturity year	2023
6.00% Senior Notes due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate	6.00%
6.00% Senior Notes due 2020 | U.S. Dollar denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, interest rate	6.00%
Debt instrument, maturity year	2020
USD LIBOR | Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, average floating rate	2.52%
Debt instrument, maturity year	2019
USD LIBOR | Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, average floating rate	3.50%
Debt instrument, maturity year	2021
USD LIBOR | Revolving Credit Facility due 2019 | U.S. Dollar denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, average floating rate	2.83%
EUR LIBOR | Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, average floating rate	2.26%
Debt instrument, maturity year	2019
EUR LIBOR | Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, average floating rate	3.75%
Debt instrument, maturity year	2021
CHF LIBOR | Revolving Credit Facility due 2019 | Swiss Franc denominated
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, average floating rate	2.25%

Debt_Schedule_of_Maturities_of

Debt - Schedule of Maturities of Long-Term Debt (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Long Term Debt By Maturity [Abstract]
Scheduled principal payments, 2015	$36
Scheduled principal payments, 2016	48
Scheduled principal payments, 2017	54
Scheduled principal payments, 2018	66
Scheduled principal payments, 2019	564
Scheduled principal payments, Thereafter	3,201
Total	$3,969	$3,816

Debt_Additional_Information_De

Debt - Additional Information (Detail)

3 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

In Millions, unless otherwise specified

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Apr. 01, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

USD ($)

Minimum

Maximum

2014 Term Loan Amended

4.125% Senior Notes due 2023

4.125% Senior Notes due 2023

6.00% Senior Notes due 2020

Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019

Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019

Senior Secured Term A Loan due 2019

Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021

Senior Secured Term B Loan due 2021

Revolving Credit Facility

Revolving Credit Facility

USD ($)

Cegedim Acquisition

Cegedim Acquisition

USD ($)

Minimum

Maximum

2014 Term Loan Amended

2014 Term Loan Amended

USD ($)

2014 Term Loan Amended

EUR (€)

Subsequent Event

USD ($)

USD ($)

Debt Instrument [Line Items]

New term loans commitments

$500

$294

Line of credit facility, borrowing capacity

500

500

Debt extinguishment losses

-11

-11

Third party fees in other income (loss), net

2

Debt instrument maturity date

2023-04

2020-11

2021-03

2019-03

Scheduled principal payments

1.25%

2.50%

0.25%

Line of credit facility, unused capacity, commitment fee percentage

0.30%

0.40%

Debt instrument, principal amount

275

500

Debt instrument, interest rate

4.13%

6.00%

Debt instrument, no call redemption period

3 years

Debt instrument, no redemption period, expiration date

2015-10

Debt instrument, redemption period, start date

2015-11

Debt instrument, fees and expenses

$4

Pension_and_Postretirement_Ben2

Pension and Postretirement Benefits - Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
US Pension Plans
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	$3	$2
Interest cost	3	3
Expected return on plan assets	-6	-5
Non-U.S. Plans
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	2	1
Interest cost	2	3
Expected return on plan assets	-3	-3
Net periodic benefit cost	$1	$1

Pension_and_Postretirement_Ben3

Pension and Postretirement Benefits - Additional Information (Detail) (Other Benefits, USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Contribution made to plans	$6
Expected contribution of remaining period	6
Maximum
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Post-retirement benefit cost	$1	$1

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax [Line Items]
Benefit from income taxes	$240	$13
Reversal of deferred tax liability	$256
Minimum
Income Tax [Line Items]
Number of countries in which the company transacts business	100

Contingencies_Additional_Infor

Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (SKI Contingency, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2010	Apr. 23, 2015	Dec. 31, 2008
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Contingency reserve				$4
Additional contingency reserve		2
GSA settlement amount	1.5
Subsequent Event
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Settlement agreement payment			$1.50

Related_Party_Additional_Infor

Related Party - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014
Sponsors
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Monitoring fees paid for provision of services	$2
IPO
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related party transaction, settlement amount		$72

Operations_by_Business_Segment2

Operations by Business Segment - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
	Segment
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of operating segments	1
Number of reportable segments	1
Minimum
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of countries in which the company operates	100

Operations_by_Business_Segment3

Operations by Business Segment - Schedule of Geographic Information for Operating Regions (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	$632	$645
Operating income (loss)	91	67
Americas
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	294	287
Operating income (loss)	68	78
EMEA
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	227	244
Operating income (loss)	50	59
Asia Pacific
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	111	114
Operating income (loss)	38	37
Corporate and Other
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Operating income (loss)	($65)	($107)

Operations_by_Business_Segment4

Operations by Business Segment - Schedule of Geographic Information for Operating Regions (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	$632	$645
Depreciation and amortization expense	96	107
United States
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	245	232
Japan
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	64	69
Americas
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	294	287
Americas | Assets Recorded under Purchase Accounting
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Depreciation and amortization expense	27	31
EMEA
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	227	244
EMEA | Assets Recorded under Purchase Accounting
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Depreciation and amortization expense	14	22
Asia Pacific
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Revenue	111	114
Asia Pacific | Assets Recorded under Purchase Accounting
Geographical Information [Line Items]
Depreciation and amortization expense	$8	$10

Earnings_per_Share_Composition

Earnings per Share - Composition of Basic and Diluted Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (Detail)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding	335.5	279.9
Effect of dilutive stock-based awards	9.8
Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding	345.3	279.9
Shares excluded from computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share:
Weighted average potential common shares excluded from computation due to anti-dilutive effect		19.4

Subsequent_Events_Additional_I

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended		0 Months Ended		0 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	12-May-15	3-May-15	12-May-15	12-May-15	12-May-15	Apr. 01, 2015	Apr. 01, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
	USD ($)	USD ($)	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Cegedim Acquisition	Cegedim Acquisition	Cegedim Acquisition	Cegedim Acquisition
			USD ($)	USD ($)	Senior Secured Credit Facility	Second Offering	Over-Allotment Option	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	4.125% Senior Notes due 2023	Divested Product Line
					USD ($)	USD ($)		USD ($)	EUR (€)		Promotional Audit Product Line
											Europe
											USD ($)
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Acquisition price	$27,000,000							$426,000,000	€ 385,000,000
Business combination working capital adjustment									11,000,000
Debt instrument, interest rate										4.13%
Revenue											2,000,000
Exchange rate of U.S. dollars to euro								1.076
Common stock sold in secondary public offering by selling shareholders			57,970,000				6,870,000
Public offering price per share						$27.50
Stock authorized to purchase under stock repurchase program				300,000,000
Common stock shares repurchased			11,100,000
Aggregate value of common stock shares repurchased			300,000,000
Borrowings under revolving credit facility	$97,000,000	$6,000,000			$200,000,000
Common stock shares repurchased per share			$27.09

Subsequent_Events_Estimated_Fa

Subsequent Events - Estimated Fair Values of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Apr. 01, 2015
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets	$22
Goodwill	3,339	3,417
Subsequent Event | Cegedim Acquisition
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Identifiable intangible assets			213
Goodwill			45
Other net assets acquired			168
Total purchase price allocation			$426