Non-cash interest expense, deferred consideration

No definition available.

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Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Transfers of assets and liabilities between fair value levels.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	qdel_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of liabilities incurred by the acquirer as part of consideration transferred in a business combination.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 30
-Section 25
-Paragraph 5
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6911189&loc=d3e6405-128476

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 30
-Section 30
-Paragraph 7
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6911251&loc=d3e6578-128477

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 30
-Section 30
-Paragraph 8
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6911251&loc=d3e6613-128477

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of increase (decrease) in the value of a contingent consideration liability, including, but not limited to, differences arising upon settlement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (a)(1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35744584&loc=d3e7008-128479

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

For contingent consideration arrangements recognized in connection with a business combination, this element represents an estimate of the high-end of the potential range (undiscounted) of the consideration which may be paid.

+ References

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

For contingent consideration arrangements and indemnification assets recognized in connection with a business combination, this element represents an estimate of the low-end of the potential range (undiscounted) of the consideration which may be paid.

+ References

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of liability recognized arising from contingent consideration in a business combination.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35744584&loc=d3e6927-128479

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 30
-Section 35
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6911338&loc=d3e6819-128478

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 805
-SubTopic 30
-Section 25
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6911189&loc=d3e6408-128476

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. Excludes cash and cash equivalents within disposal group and discontinued operation.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.1)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- 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

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Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Aggregation of the liabilities reported on the balance sheet measured at fair value on a recurring basis by the entity.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_CommitmentsMember
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- Details

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Data Type:	na
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Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=qdel_TriageBusinessMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis=qdel_BioHelixCorpandAnDiaTecGmbHCo.KGMember
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Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_ContingentConsiderationByTypeAxis=qdel_ConsiderationAMember
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Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Oct. 06, 2017
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Balance at December 31, 2017	$ 249,236,000		$ 247,459,000
Transfer of assets and liabilities between levels	0
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, Low	256,000,000
Accretion of interest on deferred consideration	2,793,000	$ 0
Money Market Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	101,812,000		36,086,000
Commitments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Balance at December 31, 2017	23,284,000		24,301,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Balance at December 31, 2017	0		0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| Money Market Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	101,812,000		36,086,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] \| Commitments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Balance at December 31, 2017	0		0
Triage Business [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, High	280,000,000
Contingent consideration—BNP Business				$ 19,700,000
Deferred consideration—BNP Business	220,600,000		220,550,000
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Change in Amount of Contingent Consideration, Liability	19,700,000		19,700,000
BioHelix Corp and AnDiaTec GmbH & Co. KG [Member] \| Commitments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Balance at December 31, 2017	3,600,000		4,600,000
Consideration A [Member] \| Triage Business [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, Low				$ 16,000,000
Contingent consideration—BNP Business	$ 24,000,000		$ 24,000,000