Amendment Description Amendment Flag Current Fiscal Year End Date Document Period End Date Document Type Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer Entity Voluntary Filers Entity Current Reporting Status Entity Filer Category Entity Public Float Entity Registrant Name Entity Central Index Key Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding Document Fiscal Year Focus Document Fiscal Period Focus Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities Disclosure [Text Block] Accrued Expenses Accounts Receivable, Net, Current Accounts receivable, net of allowance of none for 2011 and 2010 Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization Other intangible assets, Accumulated Amortization Total intangible assets, Accumulated Amortization Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax Accumulated other comprehensive loss Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization, Property, Plant, and Equipment Less-accumulated depreciation Acquisition of Revivicor, Inc. Acquisition [Member] Additional Paid in Capital, Common Stock Additional paid-in capital Amortization of Financing Costs and Discounts Amortization of debt discount and issue costs Depreciation Depreciation expense Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments Gains/losses on trading securities Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Current Accounts receivable, allowance (in dollars) Reserve for Inventory Obsolescence Inventory Valuation Reserve [Member] Consolidated Balance Sheets Assets of Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation Total assets Building improvements Building Improvements [Member] Buildings Building [Member] Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration, at Fair Value Contingent consideration at fair value Additional consideration upon the achievement of specific developmental and regulatory milestones Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration, Potential Cash Payment Maximum contingent consideration upon achievement of milestones Acquisition of outstanding stock (as a percent) Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired Percentage of outstanding stock acquired (as a percent) Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Amortizable Intangible Assets Fair value of net contract-based intangible assets acquired Identifiable intangible assets Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Goodwill Amount Fair value of goodwill Goodwill Business Acquisition [Axis] Business Acquisition [Line Items] Acquisitions Schedule of Business Acquisitions, by Acquisition [Table] Capital Lease Obligations, Noncurrent Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year Cash and cash equivalents, end of year Cash and cash equivalents Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross Acquisitions Interest Paid, Net Cash paid for interest Increase (Decrease) in Inventories Inventories Increase (Decrease) in Accounts Payable Accounts payable Increase (Decrease) in Accrued Liabilities Accrued expenses Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block] Commitments and Contingencies Common Stock, Shares Authorized Common stock, shares authorized Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding Common stock, shares outstanding Common Stock, Value, Issued Common stock, par value $.01, 245,000,000 shares authorized, 61,506,063 and 60,017,546 shares issued, and 53,609,645 and 57,555,893 shares outstanding at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities [Abstract] Components of net deferred tax asset Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent Total other comprehensive income Comprehensive Income (Loss) Note [Text Block] Comprehensive Income Concentration Risk, Percentage Concentration risk, percentage Concentration Risk by Type [Axis] Concentrations of Credit Risk, Products, Revenues and Customers Concentration Risk [Line Items] Segment Information Concentration Risk [Table] Convertible Senior Notes Convertible Debt [Member] Convertible Notes Payable, Current Convertible notes Convertible Notes Payable, Noncurrent Convertible notes Corporate notes and bonds Corporate Debt Securities [Member] Cost of Goods Sold Cost of product sales Cost of revenues Cost of Services Cost of service sales Credit concentration Credit Concentration Risk [Member] Current Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Total current Liabilities, Current [Abstract] Current liabilities: Liabilities, Current Total current liabilities Customer Concentration Risk [Member] Customer concentration Debt Disclosure [Text Block] Debt Long-term Debt, Gross Principal balance Debt Instrument, Increase, Additional Borrowings Debt issued at par value Debt, interest rate at period end (as a percent) Debt Instrument, Interest Rate at Period End Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage Convertible Senior Notes, stated percentage Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount Convertible debt, discount to reduce net carrying value Debt Instrument [Line Items] Debt Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments [Table] Deferred Income Tax Footnote Total deferred Deferred Tax Assets, Gross Total deferred tax assets Deferred Tax Assets, Net Net deferred tax assets Deferred Tax Assets, Other Other Deferred Tax Assets, Tax Credit Carryforwards, General Business General business credits Deferred Tax Assets, Tax Deferred Expense, Reserves and Accruals, Impairment Losses Impairment losses on investments Deferred Tax Assets, Valuation Allowance Valuation allowance Deferred Tax Liabilities [Abstract] Deferred tax liabilities: Deferred Tax Liabilities, Other Other Defined Contribution Pension and Other Postretirement Plans Disclosure [Abstract] Employee Retirement Plan Defined Contribution Plan, Cost Recognized Expenses related to 401 (k) plan Derivative Assets, Noncurrent Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block] Acquisitions Earnings Per Share, Diluted Net income per diluted common share (in dollars per share) Net income per share-diluted (in dollars per share) Sale of Medicomp, Inc. Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations, Disclosure [Text Block] Investment in Northern Therapeutics, Inc. Equity Method Investments Disclosure [Text Block] Discontinued Operation, Amount of Adjustment to Prior Period Gain (Loss) on Disposal, before Income Tax Gain (loss) from disposal of discontinued operation, before income tax, total Revenues Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Revenue Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Axis] Discontinued Operation, Gain (Loss) on Disposal of Discontinued Operation, Net of Tax Gain on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation During Phase-out Period, Net of Tax Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items] Sale of business Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Table] Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments Equity loss in affiliate Effect of Exchange Rate on Cash and Cash Equivalents Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents Federal tax rate (as a percent) Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs, Capitalized Amount Share-based compensation capitalized as part of inventory Share-based compensation capitalized as part of inventory Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense Share-based compensation (benefit) expense before taxes Share-based compensation expense before taxes Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items] Share-based compensation (benefit) expense related to outstanding awards Share-based compensation expense related to outstanding awards Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit from Compensation Expense Related income tax expense (benefit) Related income tax benefits Tax benefits realized from options exercised Share-based Compensation Share-based compensation (benefit) expense Equity investments of privately-held corporations Cost-method Investments, Aggregate Carrying Amount Payments of transaction costs related to issuance of debt Payments of Financing Costs Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Axis] Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items] Goodwill and other intangible assets Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Table] Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense Aggregate amortization expense relating to intangible assets Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense [Abstract] Amortization relating to other intangible assets Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense Total Estimated amortizable economic life of contract-based intangible assets (in years) Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Useful Life Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Weighted-Average Useful Life Weighted-average life of finite-lived intangible assets (in years) Mortgage Financing First Mortgage [Member] Future Amortization Expense, Year Five 2016 Future Amortization Expense, Year Four 2015 Future Amortization Expense, Year One 2012 Future Amortization Expense, Year Three 2014 Future Amortization Expense, Year Two 2013 Gain (Loss) on Investments Gains/losses on trading securities Gross Profit Gross profit Gross profit Consolidated Statements of Operations Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations, Per Basic Share Continuing operations (in dollars per share) Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Diluted Share Discontinued operations (in dollars per share) Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Per Basic Share Discontinued operations (in dollars per share) Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest Loss from discontinued operations Income (loss) before income tax Discontinued Operation, Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operation, before Income Tax Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block] Income Taxes Income Tax Reconciliation, Deductions Section 199 deduction Income Tax Reconciliation, Nondeductible Expense Nondeductible expenses Income Tax Reconciliation, State and Local Income Taxes State tax provision, net of federal tax provision