Consolidated Statements of Income (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended									12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012		Dec. 31, 2011
Consolidated Statements of Income [Abstract]
Operating revenues (net of contractual allowances and discounts)										$ 15,078,074	$ 14,988,179		$ 13,626,168
Provision for bad debts										2,080,381	1,959,194		1,719,956
Net operating revenues	3,231,321	3,218,231	3,236,391	3,311,750	3,276,946	3,212,030	3,242,974	3,297,035		12,997,693	13,028,985		11,906,212
Operating costs and expenses:
Salaries and benefits										6,217,747	6,103,931		5,577,925
Supplies										1,994,116	1,973,491		1,834,106
Other operating expenses										2,880,357	2,869,786		2,515,638
Government settlement and related costs										101,500
Electronic health records incentive reimbursement										(165,877)	(126,734)		(63,397)
Rent										287,412	272,829		254,781
Depreciation and amortization										782,675	725,558		652,674
Total operating costs and expenses										12,097,930	11,818,861		10,771,727
Income from operations										899,763	1,210,124		1,134,485
Interest expense, net of interest income of $2,977, $3,031 and $4,650 in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively										615,147	622,933		644,410
Loss from early extinguishment of debt										1,295	115,453		66,019
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates										(42,641)	(42,033)		(49,491)
Impairment of long-lived assets										20,100	10,000
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	72,226	25,040	64,570	144,026	122,090	84,458	151,686	145,537		305,862	503,771		473,547
Provision for income taxes										88,594	157,502		137,653
Income from continuing operations	52,262	21,598	47,085	96,323	85,626	58,758	102,167	99,718		217,268	346,269		335,894
Discontinued operations, net of taxes:
Loss from operations of entities sold											(466)		(7,769)
Impairment of hospitals sold													(47,930)
Loss on sale, net													(2,572)
Loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes								(466)			(466)		(58,271)
Net income										217,268	345,803		277,623
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests										76,065	80,163		75,675
Net income attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. stockholders	$ 28,181	$ 4,095	$ 29,753	$ 79,174	$ 62,574	$ 44,233	$ 83,359	$ 75,474		$ 141,203	$ 265,640		$ 201,948
Basic earnings (loss) per share attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. common stockholders (1):
Continuing operations	$ 0.30	$ 0.04	$ 0.32	$ 0.87	$ 0.70	$ 0.50	$ 0.94	$ 0.86		$ 1.52	$ 2.98		$ 2.89
Discontinued operations								$ (0.01)			$ (0.01)		$ (0.65)
Net income	$ 0.30	$ 0.04	$ 0.32	$ 0.87	$ 0.70	$ 0.50	$ 0.94	$ 0.85		$ 1.52	$ 2.98	[1]	$ 2.24
Diluted earnings (loss) per share attributable to Community Health Systems, Inc. common stockholders (1):
Continuing operations	$ 0.30	$ 0.04	$ 0.32	$ 0.86	$ 0.69	$ 0.49	$ 0.93	$ 0.85		$ 1.51	$ 2.96		$ 2.87
Discontinued operations								$ (0.01)			$ (0.01)		$ (0.64)
Net income	$ 0.30	$ 0.04	$ 0.32	$ 0.86	$ 0.69	$ 0.49	$ 0.93	$ 0.85	[1]	$ 1.51	$ 2.96	[1]	$ 2.23
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:
Basic	93,372,398	93,259,027	92,866,370	91,002,615	89,882,380	89,259,950	89,147,472	88,674,779		92,633,332	89,242,949		89,966,933
Diluted	94,703,458	94,483,596	94,109,368	91,998,993	90,828,119	90,009,113	89,530,639	88,852,704		93,815,013	89,806,937		90,666,348

[1] (1) Total per share amounts may not add due to rounding.