| **Segment Reporting Segment Reporting - Textuals (Details)**            | Mar. 31, 2016 facilities |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|
| Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital [Member]                              |                     |
| **Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]**                          |                     |
| Number of States in which Entity Operates                               | 29                       |
| Number of Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals                            | 122                      |
| Number of Joint Venture Hospitals Accounted for Using the Equity Method | 1                        |
| Number of Inpatient Rehabilitation Units Under Management Contracts     | 4                        |
| Home Health and Hospice [Member]                                        |                     |
| **Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]**                          |                     |
| Number of States in which Entity Operates                               | 24                       |
| Number of Hospital Based Home Health and Hospice Agencies               | 213                      |
| Number of Joint Venture Agencies Accounted for Using the Equity Method  | 2                        |

| 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
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 joint venture agencies accounted for using the equity method.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**hls_NumberofJointVentureAgenciesAccountedforUsingtheEquityMethod**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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.
+ References
No definition available.
+ 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:** |