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Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended 3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Mar. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2011
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]          
Unrecognized Tax Benefits $ 7,065,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits $ 7,765,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits $ 9,051,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits   $ 8,567,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Deferred tax benefits 1,500,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsDeferredIncome 1,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsDeferredIncome      
Impact of excess tax benefit in additional paid-in capital   2,346,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation 1,102,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation    
Federal Net Operating Loss carryforwards 6,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards        
State Net Operating Loss carryforwards 16,600,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOperatingLossCarryforwardsStateAndLocal        
Federal alternative minimum tax credit 500,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCredits        
Gross research credits 765,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch 1,046,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch 370,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch    
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Undistributed Foreign Earnings 200,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesUndistributedForeignEarnings        
Cumulative changes in ownership percentage 50.00%qdel_CumulativeChangeInOwnershipPercentage        
Cumulative changes in ownership period 3 years        
Realized upon settlement 50.00%qdel_PercentageOfLikelihoodOfAmountRealizedUponSettlement        
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate 5,200,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 5,500,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 7,200,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate    
Accrued interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions 200,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 400,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued      
Interest expense, net of accrued interest reversed (200,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense (300,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense 200,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense    
Income tax reserves and related interest 1,000,000qdel_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxReservesAndInterest 3,500,000qdel_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxReservesAndInterest      
Federal research credits [Member]          
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]          
Federal research credits 2,300,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxCreditCarryforwardsResearch
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_ResearchMember		        
Federal research credits, expiration date Dec. 31, 2033        
Gross State Research Credits [Member]          
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]          
Gross research credits 7,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember		        
Federal [Member]          
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]          
Gross research credits       $ 500,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch
/ us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticCountryMember