Business Segment Information (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended										3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended				3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2012 Interest Rate Swap [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Home Health [Member] State	Dec. 31, 2012 Home Health [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Home Health [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Hospice [Member] State	Mar. 31, 2013 Hospice [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Hospice [Member] State	Dec. 31, 2012 Hospice [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Hospice [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Community Care [Member] State	Mar. 31, 2013 Corporate expenses [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Corporate expenses [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Corporate expenses [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Corporate expenses [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Land and Building [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Software Development [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Software Development [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Software Development [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Goodwill [Member] Hospice [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Intangible Assets [Member] Hospice [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Revolving Credit Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of states in certified providers serving										38			30		30			5
Restructuring, settlement and impairment provisions			$ 27,500,000		$ 5,700,000		$ 49,100,000			$ 3,300,000	$ 5,600,000	$ 7,700,000			$ 8,200,000	$ 400,000	$ 3,700,000			$ 16,000,000	$ (300,000)	$ 37,700,000
Interest expense and other, net			(110,384,000)	[1]	(89,947,000)	[1]	(88,610,000)	[1]	3,800,000
Write off of debt issuance cost			16,085,000		461,000		3,559,000																						19,100,000	500,000
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	220,800,000		600,636,000							0				220,800,000	600,636,000												379,800,000
Impairment of intangible assets, finite-lived	224,300,000				19,100,000					6,000,000					13,100,000													6,300,000
Goodwill, intangibles and other long-lived asset impairment			610,436,000		19,132,000		643,305,000												3,500,000				1,900,000	1,600,000	1,600,000	40,300,000
Goodwill and Intangible Asset Impairment		643,300,000	610,436,000	[2]	19,132,000	[2]	643,305,000	[2]			408,400,000		386,100,000			193,700,000					41,200,000
Dividend income			$ 0		$ 0		$ 8,590,000	[3]

[1] For the year ended December 31, 2013, interest expense and other, net included charges of $19.1 million relating to the write-off of deferred debt issuance costs and fees associated with the Company entering a new credit agreement, dated October 18, 2013. For the year ended December 31, 2012, interest expense and other, net included charges of $0.5 million relating to the write-off of deferred debt issuance costs associated with the revolving credit facility. In addition, interest expense and other, net for the year ended December 31, 2011 included charges of $3.8 million associated with terminating the Company’s interest rate swaps in connection with the refinancing of the Company’s Term Loan A and Term Loan B under the Company’s former credit agreement. See Note 12 for additional information.

[2] The Company performed its annual impairment test as of December 31, 2013 for its Home Health, Hospice and Community Care segments. Based on this assessment, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges relating to the goodwill and intangibles of its Hospice segment of approximately $379.8 million and $6.3 million, respectively, for the year 2013.At March 31, 2013, the Company performed an interim impairment test of its Hospice reporting unit. Based on the results of the interim impairment test, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge relating to goodwill of approximately $220.8 million. As part of that analysis, the Company reviewed the valuation of its owned real estate utilized in the Hospice business. The analysis indicated that two of the Company's hospice inpatient units had estimated fair values lower than their carrying values and, as such, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of approximately $1.9 million. In addition, the Company conducted an evaluation of the various systems used to support its field operations. In connection with that review, the Company made a strategic decision to replace its business intelligence software platform and, as such, recorded a non-cash impairment charge, related to developed software, of approximately $1.6 million. Hospice and corporate assets were reduced by $220.8 million and $3.5 million, respectively, as a result of these impairments.For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges associated with a write-off of its trade name intangibles of $19.1 million in connection with the Company's initiative to re-brand its operations under the Gentiva name. Home Health and Hospice assets were reduced by $6.0 million and $13.1 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2012 as a result of the impairment.For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges associated with goodwill, intangibles and other long-lived assets of $643.3 million. This charge was the result of (i) changes in the Company's business climate, (ii) uncertainties around Medicare reimbursement as the federal government worked to reduce the federal deficit, (iii) a significant decline in the price of the Company's common stock during the fiscal year, (iv) a write-down of software and (v) a change in the estimated fair value of real estate. Home Health, Hospice and corporate assets were reduced by $408.4 million, $193.7 million and $41.2 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2011, as a result of the impairment.

[3] For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company recognized dividend income of $8.6 million as a result of the sale of a portion of the Company’s combined common and preferred ownership of CareCentrix.