Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	Contingencies General 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. FDA Matters 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 and 2010, the FDA inspected certain of the company's facilities. As previously disclosed, in December 2011, the FDA requested that the company agree to a consent decree of injunction with respect to the company's corporate facility and its wheelchair manufacturing facility in Elyria, Ohio, the proposed terms of which required the suspension of certain operations at those facilities until they are certified by the company and then determined by FDA to be in compliance with FDA quality system regulations. In December 2012, the company reached agreement with the FDA on the terms of the consent decree, which was approved and made effective by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on December 21, 2012,. The consent decree limits the company's manufacture and distribution of custom power and manual wheelchairs, wheelchair components and wheelchair sub-assemblies at or from its Taylor Street manufacturing facility. The decree also temporarily limits design activities related to wheelchairs and power beds that take place at the impacted Elyria, Ohio facilities. However, the company is entitled to continue to produce from the Taylor Street manufacturing facility certain medically necessary products, as well as ongoing replacement, service and repair of products already in use, under terms delineated in the consent decree and is able to fulfill purchase orders and quotes that were in the company's order fulfillment system prior to the effective date of the decree. Under the terms of the consent decree, in order to resume full operations at the impacted facilities, the company must successfully complete a third-party expert certification audit and receive written notification from the FDA. The certification audit is to be comprised of three distinct reports. The expert certification audit will be followed by an FDA inspection of the company's compliance with the quality system regulations. Each of the three audits will result in a third-party expert report that will then be reviewed by the FDA which will complete its own review procedures. Once satisfied with the company's compliance, the FDA will provide written notification that the company is permitted to resume full operations at the impacted facilities. The company cannot currently estimate the timing of the FDA written notifications. At the time of this filing, the company has initiated the first two of its third-party expert certification audits. Barring any unexpected developments or the requirement to perform additional remediation activities as a result of the third-party expert audits, the company expects the first two certification audits to be completed in the first quarter of 2013. As of the time of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the third expert certification audit has commenced and the company plans to complete the audit in the second quarter of 2013. Because the FDA has the authority to reinspect at any time, the company cannot determine whether the FDA will elect to inspect after either the first or second third-party expert audits. According to the consent decree, the FDA has thirty (30) days after receipt of the third expert certification audit results to commence its own inspection. It is not possible for the company to estimate the timing or potential response of the FDA's inspection and subsequent written notifications. As described above, because the limitations on production will only be temporary in nature, and partial production will be allowed, the company does not anticipate any major repair, replacement or scrapping of its fixed assets at the Taylor Street manufacturing facility. Based on the company's expectations at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with respect to the timeframe for completion of the third-party expert certifications audits and FDA inspection and with respect to future cash flows from production at the Taylor Street manufacturing facility, the company concluded that there is no impairment in the value of the fixed assets related to the Taylor Street manufacturing facility at December 31, 2012. The majority of the production from the Taylor Street facility is "made to order" for customers and, as a result, there was not a significant amount of finished goods inventory on hand at December 31, 2012. At the time of filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the company believed that it would be able to obtain substantially all of the documentation required under the consent decree in order to complete the manufacture and shipment from the Taylor Street facility of the orders in the company's order fulfillment system at the time of the effectiveness of the consent decree and thus, the company concluded that there was not an impairment of the work in process and finished goods at the Taylor Street facility at December 31, 2012. Further, based on its analysis of the raw material inventory at the Taylor Street facility and the company's expectations at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with respect to the timeframe for completion of the third-party expert certification audits and FDA inspection, the company concluded that the value of the inventory was not excessive or impaired at December 31, 2012. However, at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the consent decree had been effective for only approximately two months and thus, the effect on production at the Taylor Street facility was not yet clear. If the company's expectations regarding the impacts of the limitations in the consent decree or the timeframe for completion of the third-party expert certification audits and FDA inspection were to change, the company may, in future periods, conclude that an impairment exists with respect to its fixed assets or inventory at the Taylor Street facility. The North America/HME segment is the segment primarily impacted by the limitations in the consent decree. During 2012, before the effectiveness of the consent decree, the company started to experience decreases in net sales in this segment. Those decreases were primarily related to delays in new product introductions, uncertainty on the part of the company's customers as they coped with prepayment reviews and post-payment audits by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and contemplated their participation in the next round of National Competitive Bidding, and, the company believes, uncertainty regarding the resolution of the consent decree which limited the company's ability to renegotiate and bid on certain supply contracts and otherwise led to a decline in customer orders. While the consent decree has been effective for only approximately two months at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and thus, the effect on customer orders and net sales is not yet clear, the company expects to experience further declines in net sales as a result of the limitations imposed by the consent decree. The company expects to continue to experience decreased net sales in the segment until it has successfully completed the previously-described third-party expert certification audit and FDA inspection and has received written notification from the FDA that the company may resume full operations. Even after the company receives the FDA notification, it is uncertain as to whether, or how quickly, the company will be able to rebuild net sales to more typical historical levels, irrespective of market conditions. Accordingly, the limitations in the consent decree had, and likely will continue to have, a material adverse effect on the company's business, financial condition and results of operations. For additional information regarding the consent decree, please see the following sections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K: Item 1. Business - Government Regulation; Item 1A. Risk Factors; Item 3. Legal Proceedings; and Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Outlook and - Liquidity and Capital Resources. 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 taking these issues very seriously and has added resources to ensure it is addressing all of the FDA's concerns in a timely manner. However, the results of regulatory claims, proceedings, investigations, or litigation are difficult to predict. An unfavorable resolution or outcome of the FDA warning letter could materially and adversely affect the company's business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any of the above contingencies could have an adverse impact on the company's financial condition or results of operations.

Contingencies

General

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.

FDA Matters

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 and 2010, the FDA inspected certain of the company's facilities. As previously disclosed, in December 2011, the FDA requested that the company agree to a consent decree of injunction with respect to the company's corporate facility and its wheelchair manufacturing facility in Elyria, Ohio, the proposed terms of which required the suspension of certain operations at those facilities until they are certified by the company and then determined by FDA to be in compliance with FDA quality system regulations.

In December 2012, the company reached agreement with the FDA on the terms of the consent decree, which was approved and made effective by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on December 21, 2012,. The consent decree limits the company's manufacture and distribution of custom power and manual wheelchairs, wheelchair components and wheelchair sub-assemblies at or from its Taylor Street manufacturing facility. The decree also temporarily limits design activities related to wheelchairs and power beds that take place at the impacted Elyria, Ohio facilities. However, the company is entitled to continue to produce from the Taylor Street manufacturing facility certain medically necessary products, as well as ongoing replacement, service and repair of products already in use, under terms delineated in the consent decree and is able to fulfill purchase orders and quotes that were in the company's order fulfillment system prior to the effective date of the decree. Under the terms of the consent decree, in order to resume full operations at the impacted facilities, the company must successfully complete a third-party expert certification audit and receive written notification from the FDA. The certification audit is to be comprised of three distinct reports. The expert certification audit will be followed by an FDA inspection of the company's compliance with the quality system regulations. Each of the three audits will result in a third-party expert report that will then be reviewed by the FDA which will complete its own review procedures. Once satisfied with the company's compliance, the FDA will provide written notification that the company is permitted to resume full operations at the impacted facilities. The company cannot currently estimate the timing of the FDA written notifications. At the time of this filing, the company has initiated the first two of its third-party expert certification audits. Barring any unexpected developments or the requirement to perform additional remediation activities as a result of the third-party expert audits, the company expects the first two certification audits to be completed in the first quarter of 2013. As of the time of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the third expert certification audit has commenced and the company plans to complete the audit in the second quarter of 2013. Because the FDA has the authority to reinspect at any time, the company cannot determine whether the FDA will elect to inspect after either the first or second third-party expert audits. According to the consent decree, the FDA has thirty (30) days after receipt of the third expert certification audit results to commence its own inspection. It is not possible for the company to estimate the timing or potential response of the FDA's inspection and subsequent written notifications.

As described above, because the limitations on production will only be temporary in nature, and partial production will be allowed, the company does not anticipate any major repair, replacement or scrapping of its fixed assets at the Taylor Street manufacturing facility. Based on the company's expectations at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with respect to the timeframe for completion of the third-party expert certifications audits and FDA inspection and with respect to future cash flows from production at the Taylor Street manufacturing facility, the company concluded that there is no impairment in the value of the fixed assets related to the Taylor Street manufacturing facility at December 31, 2012.

The majority of the production from the Taylor Street facility is "made to order" for customers and, as a result, there was not a significant amount of finished goods inventory on hand at December 31, 2012. At the time of filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the company believed that it would be able to obtain substantially all of the documentation required under the consent decree in order to complete the manufacture and shipment from the Taylor Street facility of the orders in the company's order fulfillment system at the time of the effectiveness of the consent decree and thus, the company concluded that there was not an impairment of the work in process and finished goods at the Taylor Street facility at December 31, 2012. Further, based on its analysis of the raw material inventory at the Taylor Street facility and the company's expectations at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K with respect to the timeframe for completion of the third-party expert certification audits and FDA inspection, the company concluded that the value of the inventory was not excessive or impaired at December 31, 2012. However, at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the consent decree had been effective for only approximately two months and thus, the effect on production at the Taylor Street facility was not yet clear. If the company's expectations regarding the impacts of the limitations in the consent decree or the timeframe for completion of the third-party expert certification audits and FDA inspection were to change, the company may, in future periods, conclude that an impairment exists with respect to its fixed assets or inventory at the Taylor Street facility.

The North America/HME segment is the segment primarily impacted by the limitations in the consent decree. During 2012, before the effectiveness of the consent decree, the company started to experience decreases in net sales in this segment. Those decreases were primarily related to delays in new product introductions, uncertainty on the part of the company's customers as they coped with prepayment reviews and post-payment audits by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and contemplated their participation in the next round of National Competitive Bidding, and, the company believes, uncertainty regarding the resolution of the consent decree which limited the company's ability to renegotiate and bid on certain supply contracts and otherwise led to a decline in customer orders. While the consent decree has been effective for only approximately two months at the time of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and thus, the effect on customer orders and net sales is not yet clear, the company expects to experience further declines in net sales as a result of the limitations imposed by the consent decree. The company expects to continue to experience decreased net sales in the segment until it has successfully completed the previously-described third-party expert certification audit and FDA inspection and has received written notification from the FDA that the company may resume full operations. Even after the company receives the FDA notification, it is uncertain as to whether, or how quickly, the company will be able to rebuild net sales to more typical historical levels, irrespective of market conditions. Accordingly, the limitations in the consent decree had, and likely will continue to have, a material adverse effect on the company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

For additional information regarding the consent decree, please see the following sections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K: Item 1. Business - Government Regulation; Item 1A. Risk Factors; Item 3. Legal Proceedings; and Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Outlook and - Liquidity and Capital Resources.

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 taking these issues very seriously and has added resources to ensure it is addressing all of the FDA's concerns in a timely manner. However, the results of regulatory claims, proceedings, investigations, or litigation are difficult to predict. An unfavorable resolution or outcome of the FDA warning letter could materially and adversely affect the company's business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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