Independent Contractor Operations (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013 Settlements of Roto-Rooter segment [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Maximum [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Minimum [Member]
Independent Contractor Operations [Line Items]
Independent contractors with sublicenses			68
Notes receivable from independent contractors	$ 1.4	$ 1.3
Interest rates on loans				8.00%	0.00%
Terms of the loans to independent contractors, years				5 years	2 months