Organization and Description of Business	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and Desciption of Business	Organization and Description of Business Healthcare Trust of America, Inc., a Maryland corporation, was incorporated on April 20, 2006. We were initially capitalized on April 28, 2006 and consider that to be our date of inception. We are a fully integrated, self-administered and internally managed real estate investment trust, or REIT, primarily focused on acquiring, owning and operating high-quality medical office buildings that are predominantly located on or aligned with campuses of nationally or regionally recognized healthcare systems. We are one of the largest public REITs focused on medical office buildings in the United States based on gross leasable area, or GLA, and have strong industry relationships, a stable and diversified tenant mix and an extensive and active acquisition network. Our primary objective is to maximize stockholder value with disciplined growth through strategic investments and to provide an attractive risk-adjusted return for our stockholders by consistently increasing our cash flow. In pursuing this objective, we target mid-sized acquisitions of high-quality medical office buildings in markets with dominant healthcare systems, attractive demographics and that complement our existing portfolio, actively manage our balance sheet to maintain flexibility with conservative leverage, and seek internal growth through proactive asset management, leasing and property management oversight. We have qualified to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and we intend to continue to be taxed as a REIT. We conduct substantially all of our operations through Healthcare Trust of America Holdings, LP, or our operating partnership. We invest primarily in high-quality medical office buildings in our target markets, and have acquired high-quality medical office buildings and other facilities that serve the healthcare industry with an aggregate purchase price of $2,548,860,000 through March 31, 2012. As of March 31, 2012, our portfolio consisted of 245 medical office buildings and 19 other facilities that serve the healthcare industry, as well as two portfolios of mortgage loans receivable secured by medical office buildings. On September 20, 2006, we commenced a best efforts initial public offering, or our initial offering, in which we offered up to 200,000,000 shares of our common stock for $10.00 per share in a primary offering and up to 21,052,632 shares of our common stock pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan, or the DRIP, at $9.50 per share, aggregating up to $2,200,000,000. On March 19, 2010, we commenced a best efforts follow-on public offering, or our follow-on offering, in which we offered up to 200,000,000 shares of our common stock for $10.00 per share in a primary offering and up to 21,052,632 shares of our common stock pursuant to the DRIP at $9.50 per share, aggregating up to $2,200,000,000. We stopped offering shares in the follow-on offering on February 28, 2011. In aggregate, we received and accepted subscriptions in our initial and follow-on offerings for 220,673,545 shares of our common stock, or $2,195,655,000, excluding shares of our common stock issued under the DRIP. We continue to offer shares pursuant to the DRIP; however we may terminate the DRIP at any time. Our principal executive offices are located at 16435 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 320, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85254. Our telephone number is (480) 998-3478. For investor services, contact DST Systems, Inc. by telephone at (888) 801-0107.

Organization and Description of Business

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc., a Maryland corporation, was incorporated on April 20, 2006. We were initially capitalized on April 28, 2006 and consider that to be our date of inception.

We are a fully integrated, self-administered and internally managed real estate investment trust, or REIT, primarily focused on acquiring, owning and operating high-quality medical office buildings that are predominantly located on or aligned with campuses of nationally or regionally recognized healthcare systems. We are one of the largest public REITs focused on medical office buildings in the United States based on gross leasable area, or GLA, and have strong industry relationships, a stable and diversified tenant mix and an extensive and active acquisition network. Our primary objective is to maximize stockholder value with disciplined growth through strategic investments and to provide an attractive risk-adjusted return for our stockholders by consistently increasing our cash flow. In pursuing this objective, we target mid-sized acquisitions of high-quality medical office buildings in markets with dominant healthcare systems, attractive demographics and that complement our existing portfolio, actively manage our balance sheet to maintain flexibility with conservative leverage, and seek internal growth through proactive asset management, leasing and property management oversight. We have qualified to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and we intend to continue to be taxed as a REIT. We conduct substantially all of our operations through Healthcare Trust of America Holdings, LP, or our operating partnership.

We invest primarily in high-quality medical office buildings in our target markets, and have acquired high-quality medical office buildings and other facilities that serve the healthcare industry with an aggregate purchase price of $2,548,860,000 through March 31, 2012. As of March 31, 2012, our portfolio consisted of 245 medical office buildings and 19 other facilities that serve the healthcare industry, as well as two portfolios of mortgage loans receivable secured by medical office buildings.

On September 20, 2006, we commenced a best efforts initial public offering, or our initial offering, in which we offered up to 200,000,000 shares of our common stock for $10.00 per share in a primary offering and up to 21,052,632 shares of our common stock pursuant to our distribution reinvestment plan, or the DRIP, at $9.50 per share, aggregating up to $2,200,000,000. On March 19, 2010, we commenced a best efforts follow-on public offering, or our follow-on offering, in which we offered up to 200,000,000 shares of our common stock for $10.00 per share in a primary offering and up to 21,052,632 shares of our common stock pursuant to the DRIP at $9.50 per share, aggregating up to $2,200,000,000. We stopped offering shares in the follow-on offering on February 28, 2011. In aggregate, we received and accepted subscriptions in our initial and follow-on offerings for 220,673,545 shares of our common stock, or $2,195,655,000, excluding shares of our common stock issued under the DRIP. We continue to offer shares pursuant to the DRIP; however we may terminate the DRIP at any time.

Our principal executive offices are located at 16435 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 320, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85254. Our telephone number is (480) 998-3478. For investor services, contact DST Systems, Inc. by telephone at (888) 801-0107.