Organization	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Organization	1. Organization Medical Properties Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation, was formed on August 27, 2003, under the Maryland General Corporation Law for the purpose of engaging in the business of investing in, owning, and leasing commercial real estate. Our operating partnership subsidiary, MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”), through which we conduct all of our operations, was formed in September 2003. Through another wholly-owned subsidiary, Medical Properties Trust, LLC, we are the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. At present, we directly own substantially all of the limited partnership interests in the Operating Partnership and have elected to report our required disclosures and that of the Operating Partnership on a combined basis except where material differences exist. We have operated as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) since 2004. Accordingly, we will generally not be subject to federal income tax in the United States (“U.S.”), provided that we continue to qualify as a REIT and our distributions to our stockholders equal or exceed our taxable income. Certain non-real estate activities we undertake are conducted by entities which we elected to be treated as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”). Our TRS entities are subject to both U.S. federal and state income taxes. For our properties located outside the U.S., we are subject to local taxes; however, we do not expect to incur additional taxes in the U.S. as such real estate related income currently flows through our REIT. Our primary business strategy is to acquire and develop real estate and improvements, primarily for long-term lease to providers of healthcare services, such as operators of general acute care hospitals, inpatient physical rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, surgery centers, centers for treatment of specific conditions, such as cardiac, pulmonary, cancer, and neurological hospitals, and other healthcare-oriented facilities. We also make mortgage and other loans to operators of similar facilities. In addition, we may obtain profits or equity interests in our tenants, from time to time, in order to enhance our overall return. We manage our business as a single business segment. Our properties are located in the U.S. and Europe.

1. Organization

Medical Properties Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation, was formed on August 27, 2003, under the Maryland General Corporation Law for the purpose of engaging in the business of investing in, owning, and leasing commercial real estate. Our operating partnership subsidiary, MPT Operating Partnership, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”), through which we conduct all of our operations, was formed in September 2003. Through another wholly-owned subsidiary, Medical Properties Trust, LLC, we are the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. At present, we directly own substantially all of the limited partnership interests in the Operating Partnership and have elected to report our required disclosures and that of the Operating Partnership on a combined basis except where material differences exist.

We have operated as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) since 2004. Accordingly, we will generally not be subject to federal income tax in the United States (“U.S.”), provided that we continue to qualify as a REIT and our distributions to our stockholders equal or exceed our taxable income. Certain non-real estate activities we undertake are conducted by entities which we elected to be treated as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”). Our TRS entities are subject to both U.S. federal and state income taxes. For our properties located outside the U.S., we are subject to local taxes; however, we do not expect to incur additional taxes in the U.S. as such real estate related income currently flows through our REIT.

Our primary business strategy is to acquire and develop real estate and improvements, primarily for long-term lease to providers of healthcare services, such as operators of general acute care hospitals, inpatient physical rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, surgery centers, centers for treatment of specific conditions, such as cardiac, pulmonary, cancer, and neurological hospitals, and other healthcare-oriented facilities. We also make mortgage and other loans to operators of similar facilities. In addition, we may obtain profits or equity interests in our tenants, from time to time, in order to enhance our overall return. We manage our business as a single business segment. Our properties are located in the U.S. and Europe.