Nature Of Operations And Consolidation Of Financial Statements (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Nature Of Operations And Consolidation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Percent of net services revenue provided by Medicare	85.00%	86.00%	88.00%
Medicare-certified home health care centers	440
Medicare-certified hospice agencies	87
Hospice inpatient units	2
Number of states with facilities	41
Number of operating care centers closed	29	23
Minimum percent ownership for controlling interest percent	50.00%