Discontinued Operations (Narrative) (Details)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of care centers exited	63
Number of care centers closed		29	23
Home Health [Member]
Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of care centers consolidated	27	27	59
Number of care centers closed	27	27	19
Number of prospective unopened locations, start-up process discontinued	2	2	41
Hospice [Member]
Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Number of care centers consolidated	5	5	3
Number of care centers closed	2	2	4
Number of prospective unopened locations, start-up process discontinued			6