Discontinued Operations (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2009 Medical Properties Trust, Inc. [Member]	Dec. 30, 2011 MountainView Regional Rehabilitation Hospital [Member]	Dec. 30, 2011 Sherman Oaks Hospital [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Montclair Hospital [Member] Medical Properties Trust, Inc. [Member]	Oct. 31, 2010 Sharpstown Hospital [Member] Medical Properties Trust, Inc. [Member]	Jun. 30, 2010 Inglewood Hospital [Member] Medical Properties Trust, Inc. [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Selling price of real estate					$ 21,100,000	$ 20,000,000
Sale of real estate	41,130,000	97,669,000	15,000,000	15,000,000			20,000,000	3,000,000	75,000,000
Gain on sale of real estate				300,000	2,300,000	3,100,000	2,200,000	700,000	6,000,000
Number of beds sold									369
Real Estate Held for Sale		37,514,000
Wrote off in related straight-line rent receivables						$ 1,200,000