| **Segment Reporting Segment Reporting - Textuals (Details)**            | Dec. 31, 2014                                               | Mar. 31, 2015facilities                                                                                                                             |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]**                          |                                                        |                                                                                                                                                |
| Number of Home Health Locations Before Encompass Acquisition            | 25hls_NumberofHomeHealthLocationsBeforeEncompassAcquisition |                                                                                                                                                |
| Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital [Member]                              |                                                        |                                                                                                                                                |
| **Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]**                          |                                                        |                                                                                                                                                |
| Number of Inpatient Rehabilitation Units Under Management Contracts     |                                                        | 3hls_NumberOfInpatientRehabilitationUnitsUnderManagementContracts/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis= hls_InpatientRehabilitationHospitalMember |
| Number of States in which Entity Operates                               |                                                        | 29us-gaap_NumberOfStatesInWhichEntityOperates/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis= hls_InpatientRehabilitationHospitalMember                     |
| Number of Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals                            |                                                        | 107hls_NumberOfInpatientRehabilitationHospitals/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis= hls_InpatientRehabilitationHospitalMember                   |
| Number of Joint Venture Hospitals Accounted for Using the Equity Method |                                                        | 1hls_NumberOfJointVentureHospitalsAccountedForUsingEquityMethod/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis= hls_InpatientRehabilitationHospitalMember   |
| Home Health and Hospice [Member]                                        |                                                        |                                                                                                                                                |
| **Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]**                          |                                                        |                                                                                                                                                |
| Number of Hospital Based Home Health and Hospice Agencies               |                                                        | 164hls_NumberofHospitalBasedHomeHealthandHospiceAgencies/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis= sic_Z8082                                          |
| Number of States in which Entity Operates                               |                                                        | 16us-gaap_NumberOfStatesInWhichEntityOperates/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis= sic_Z8082                                                     |

| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Total number of home health agencies owned and operated before an acquisition.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**hls_NumberofHomeHealthLocationsBeforeEncompassAcquisition**Namespace Prefix:**hls_**Data Type:**xbrli:integerItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Number of hospital based home health and hospice agencies the Company owns and operates as of the balance sheet date.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**hls_NumberofHospitalBasedHomeHealthandHospiceAgencies**Namespace Prefix:**hls_**Data Type:**xbrli:integerItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Total number of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals owned and operated as of the balance sheet date.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**hls_NumberOfInpatientRehabilitationHospitals**Namespace Prefix:**hls_**Data Type:**xbrli:integerItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Number of inpatient rehabilitation units under management contracts with the Company as of the balance sheet date.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**hls_NumberOfInpatientRehabilitationUnitsUnderManagementContracts**Namespace Prefix:**hls_**Data Type:**xbrli:integerItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Total number of joint venture hospitals accounted for using the equity method.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**hls_NumberOfJointVentureHospitalsAccountedForUsingEquityMethod**Namespace Prefix:**hls_**Data Type:**xbrli:integerItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
The number of states the entity operates in as of the balance sheet date.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**us-gaap_NumberOfStatesInWhichEntityOperates**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**xbrli:integerItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_SegmentReportingInformationLineItems**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**xbrli:stringItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**duration |
| X                                                                                                                                                                       |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=hls_InpatientRehabilitationHospitalMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |
| X                                                                                                                                       |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=sic_Z8082**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |