Independent Contractor Operations (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified				3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 31, 2012 Roto-Rooter [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Minimum [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Maximum [Member]
Independent Contractor Operations [Line Items]
Independent contractors with sublicenses			64
Notes receivable from independent contractors	$ 1.1	$ 1.1
Interest rates on loans				0.00%	8.00%
Terms of the loans to independent contractors, years				2 months	5 years