Contingencies	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	Contingencies In the ordinary course of its business, Invacare is a defendant in a number of lawsuits, primarily product liability actions in which various plaintiffs seek damages for injuries allegedly caused by defective products. All of the product liability lawsuits have been referred to the company's captive insurance company and/or excess insurance carriers and generally are contested vigorously. The coverage territory of the company's insurance is worldwide with the exception of those countries with respect to which, at the time the product is sold for use or at the time a claim is made, the U.S. government has suspended or prohibited diplomatic or trade relations. The amount recorded for identified contingent liabilities is based on estimates. Amounts recorded are reviewed periodically and adjusted to reflect additional technical and legal information that becomes available. Actual costs to be incurred in future periods may vary from the estimates, given the inherent uncertainties in evaluating certain exposures. As a medical device manufacturer, the company is subject to extensive government regulation, including numerous laws directed at preventing fraud and abuse and laws regulating reimbursement under various government programs. The marketing, invoicing, documenting and other practices of health care suppliers and manufacturers are all subject to government scrutiny. Violations of law or regulations can result in administrative, civil and criminal penalties and sanctions, including disqualification from Medicare and other reimbursement programs, which could have a material adverse effect on the company’s business. Further, the FDA regulates virtually all aspects of the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, promotion, distribution and marketing of a medical device. The company’s failure to comply with the regulatory requirements of the FDA and other applicable U.S. medical device regulatory requirements may subject the company to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions. These sanctions include warning letters, civil penalties, criminal penalties, injunctions, consent decrees, product seizure or detention, product recalls and total or partial suspension of production. As part of its regulatory function, the FDA routinely inspects the sites of medical device companies, and in 2011, the FDA inspected certain of the company's facilities. In December 2011, the FDA requested that the company negotiate and agree to a consent decree of injunction related to the company's corporate facility and its wheelchair manufacturing facility in Elyria, Ohio. The FDA's proposed consent decree would require suspension of certain operations at these Elyria facilities until they are certified by an independent, third party auditor and then determined by the FDA to be in compliance with the FDA's Quality System Regulation. The company is in the process of negotiating the terms of the proposed consent decree with the FDA. While the final terms of the consent decree have not been determined, they would result in the suspension of a portion, which could be substantial, of the company's operations at its wheelchair manufacturing facility in Elyria, Ohio. The duration of any such suspension would be dependent upon the company's ability to certify its compliance with the FDA regulations and then the FDA's determination of such compliance. A suspension of operations likely would have adverse effects on the company's business, including loss of revenues, harm to the company's reputation and customer dissatisfaction. The proposed consent decree could impact financial results before suspension of operations depending on customer reaction and as a result of the renegotiation of existing contracts that require uninterrupted supply. In addition, in December 2010, the company received a warning letter from the FDA related to quality system processes and procedures at the company's Sanford, Florida facility. The company is devoting additional substantial financial, management and engineering resources to making the systemic improvements necessary to achieve compliance with the QSR requirements. The company's diversion of resources could impact other areas of the company's business, such as, for example, delays in new product development and cost reduction and Globalization activities. The company is cooperating with the FDA in attempting to negotiate the final terms of the consent decree. However, there can be no assurance that negotiations will conclude with mutually agreeable terms of the consent decree which could lead the FDA to pursue judicial, legal or other enforcement action against the company. However, the results of regulatory claims, proceedings, investigations, or litigation are difficult to predict. Such enforcement could include requiring restrictions on the manufacturing, sale or distribution of the company's products, product recalls, or the payment of fines or penalties, which enforcement could result in material adverse consequences to the company. Any of the above contingencies could have an adverse impact on the company's business, prospects, value, financial condition or results of operations.

Contingencies

In the ordinary course of its business, Invacare is a defendant in a number of lawsuits, primarily product liability actions in which various plaintiffs seek damages for injuries allegedly caused by defective products. All of the product liability lawsuits have been referred to the company's captive insurance company and/or excess insurance carriers and generally are contested vigorously. The coverage territory of the company's insurance is worldwide with the exception of those countries with respect to which, at the time the product is sold for use or at the time a claim is made, the U.S. government has suspended or prohibited diplomatic or trade relations. The amount recorded for identified contingent liabilities is based on estimates. Amounts recorded are reviewed periodically and adjusted to reflect additional technical and legal information that becomes available. Actual costs to be incurred in future periods may vary from the estimates, given the inherent uncertainties in evaluating certain exposures.

As a medical device manufacturer, the company is subject to extensive government regulation, including numerous laws directed at preventing fraud and abuse and laws regulating reimbursement under various government programs. The marketing, invoicing, documenting and other practices of health care suppliers and manufacturers are all subject to government scrutiny. Violations of law or regulations can result in administrative, civil and criminal penalties and sanctions, including disqualification from Medicare and other reimbursement programs, which could have a material adverse effect on the company’s business.

Further, the FDA regulates virtually all aspects of the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, promotion, distribution and marketing of a medical device. The company’s failure to comply with the regulatory requirements of the FDA and other applicable U.S. medical device regulatory requirements may subject the company to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions. These sanctions include warning letters, civil penalties, criminal penalties, injunctions, consent decrees, product seizure or detention, product recalls and total or partial suspension of production.

As part of its regulatory function, the FDA routinely inspects the sites of medical device companies, and in 2011, the FDA inspected certain of the company's facilities. In December 2011, the FDA requested that the company negotiate and agree to a consent decree of injunction related to the company's corporate facility and its wheelchair manufacturing facility in Elyria, Ohio. The FDA's proposed consent decree would require suspension of certain operations at these Elyria facilities until they are certified by an independent, third party auditor and then determined by the FDA to be in compliance with the FDA's Quality System Regulation. The company is in the process of negotiating the terms of the proposed consent decree with the FDA. While the final terms of the consent decree have not been determined, they would result in the suspension of a portion, which could be substantial, of the company's operations at its wheelchair manufacturing facility in Elyria, Ohio. The duration of any such suspension would be dependent upon the company's ability to certify its compliance with the FDA regulations and then the FDA's determination of such compliance. A suspension of operations likely would have adverse effects on the company's business, including loss of revenues, harm to the company's reputation and customer dissatisfaction. The proposed consent decree could impact financial results before suspension of operations depending on customer reaction and as a result of the renegotiation of existing contracts that require uninterrupted supply. In addition, in December 2010, the company received a warning letter from the FDA related to quality system processes and procedures at the company's Sanford, Florida facility. The company is devoting additional substantial financial, management and engineering resources to making the systemic improvements necessary to achieve compliance with the QSR requirements. The company's diversion of resources could impact other areas of the company's business, such as, for example, delays in new product development and cost reduction and Globalization activities.

The company is cooperating with the FDA in attempting to negotiate the final terms of the consent decree. However, there can be no assurance that negotiations will conclude with mutually agreeable terms of the consent decree which could lead the FDA to pursue judicial, legal or other enforcement action against the company. However, the results of regulatory claims, proceedings, investigations, or litigation are difficult to predict. Such enforcement could include requiring restrictions on the manufacturing, sale or distribution of the company's products, product recalls, or the payment of fines or penalties, which enforcement could result in material adverse consequences to the company.

Any of the above contingencies could have an adverse impact on the company's business, prospects, value, financial condition or results of operations.