Background and Basis of Presentation (Details Textual) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Aug. 31, 2012	Aug. 17, 2010	Aug. 31, 2012 Family Home Care [Member]	Jul. 22, 2012 Advocate Hospice Llc [Member]	Aug. 31, 2012 North Mississippi Hospice [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost of acquired entity, cash paid		$ 22,300,000		$ 12,300,000	$ 5,500,000	$ 4,500,000
Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity			875,000,000
Aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes redemption			325,000,000
Accumulated and unpaid dividends on the preferred shares	8,600,000
Equity method investment, realized gain on disposal	$ 67,100,000