| **Basis of Presentation (Policies)**            | 6 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
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| **Basis of Presentation (Policies) [Abstract]** | Â                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| Stock-Based Compensation Policy                 | *Stock-Based Compensation*—        In February 2011, we issued 0.7 million of restricted stock awards to members of our   management team and our board of directors. The majority of these awards are shares of restricted   stock that contain a service and either a performance or market condition. For these awards, the   number of shares that will ultimately be granted to employees may vary based on the Company’s   performance during the applicable performance measurement period. Additionally, we granted 0.2   million stock options to members of our management team. The fair value of these awards and options   were determined using the policies described in the 2010 Form 10-K.        In May 2011, our shareholders approved the Amended and Restated 2008 Equity Incentive Plan,   which reserves and provides for the grant of up to 9.0 million shares of common stock.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Recent Accounting Pronouncements                | *Recent Accounting Pronouncements*—        In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) amended its guidance   governing the presentation of comprehensive income. The amended guidance eliminates the option to   report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. Under   the new guidance, an entity can elect to present items of net income and other comprehensive income   in one continuous statement — referred to as the statement of comprehensive income — or in two   separate, but consecutive, statements. While the options for presenting other comprehensive income   change under the guidance, other portions of the current guidance will not change. For public   entities, these changes are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years,   beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted. We implemented this guidance   effective with our reporting as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 by moving   our condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income to immediately follow our condensed   consolidated statements of operations. This guidance had no other impact on the Company.        In July 2011, the FASB ratified the final consensus reached by the Emerging Issues Task Force   related to the presentation and disclosure of net revenue, the provision for bad debts, and the   allowance for doubtful accounts of healthcare entities. This standard retains the existing revenue   recognition model for healthcare entities, pending further developments in the FASB’s revenue   recognition project. However, this standard requires the *Provision for doubtful accounts*associated   with patient service revenue to be separately displayed on the face of the statement of operations   as a component of net revenue. This standard also requires enhanced disclosures of significant   changes in estimates related to patient bad debts. While this standard will have no net impact on   our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, it will require us to reclassify our   *Provision for doubtful accounts*from operating expenses to a component of *Net operating revenues*   beginning with the first quarter of 2012, with retrospective application required. |
| Reclassifications                               | *Reclassifications*—        On May 17, 2011, we entered into a definitive agreement with certain subsidiaries of   LifeCare Holdings, Inc. (collectively, the “Buyer”), pursuant to which we agreed to sell,   and the Buyer agreed to acquire, substantially all of the assets of all six of our long-term acute   care hospitals (“LTCHs”) for approximately $120 million, consisting of cash and retained working   capital. On July 21, 2011, HealthSouth and the Buyer amended the definitive agreement to remove   HealthSouth Hospital of Houston (the “Houston LTCH”) from the sale transaction and reduce the   aggregate purchase price by $2.5 million to $117.5 million. HealthSouth expects to close the   Houston LTCH in the third quarter of 2011 and sell the associated real estate.        Accordingly, we reclassified our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2010   to present the assets and liabilities of all six of our LTCHs as held for sale. We also   reclassified our condensed consolidated statements of operations and condensed consolidated   statements of cash flows for the 2010 periods presented to include these facilities and their   results of operations as discontinued operations.        The transaction to sell five of our LTCHs was completed on August 1, 2011. See Note 7, *Assets   Held for Sale and Results of Discontinued Operations*.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

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| - Definition
Basis of Presentation.
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| - Definition
Disclosure describing reclassification of consolidated financial statements.
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| - Definition
Represents disclosure of any changes in an accounting principle, including a change from one generally accepted accounting principle to another generally accepted accounting principle when there are two or more generally accepted accounting principles that apply or when the accounting principle formerly used is no longer generally accepted. Also disclose any change in the method of applying an accounting principle, or any change in an accounting principle required by a new pronouncement in the unusual instance that a new pronouncement does not include specific transition provisions.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 154 -Paragraph 2, 17, 18Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) -Number 28 -Paragraph 23, 24Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 01 -Paragraph b -Subparagraph 6 -Article 10
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| - Definition
This element describes an entity's accounting policy for stock option and stock incentive plans. This disclosure may include (1) the types of stock option or incentive plans sponsored by the entity (2) the groups that participate in (or are covered by) each plan (3) significant plan provisions and (4) how stock compensation is measured, and the methodologies and significant assumptions used to determine that measurement.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 123R -Paragraph A240 -Subparagraph aReference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) -Number 06-11 -Paragraph 7
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