QRS Diagnostic LLC
Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, QRS Diagnostic designs and develops software-based medical devices, built into computer cards and USB modules, which cost 25 percent to 50 percent less than traditional device products.
We are committed to producing the finest, most cost effective medical devices in the world through innovation and continuous improvement. We are also committed to maintaining the effectiveness of our quality system and complying with all applicable regulatory requirements.
Our medical devices are manufactured under an ISO 13485 Registered Quality Management System and are FDA approved and CE Marked in accordance with MDD 93/42/EEC.
The Problem: The Complexity and Costs of Medical Devices
Grappling with government and managed care payment constraints, primary care physicians must uphold quality while managing costs. To cover practice overhead and maintain their incomes, they strive to see more patients per day. If they could readily and effectively perform more diagnostic tests in their own offices, primary care physicians could maximize the value of office visits, improve quality, and enhance convenience for patients. They could reduce costs and increase their share of revenues by performing tests for many patients themselves, instead of always referring them to specialists. Instant access to test results also enables primary care physicians to communicate more effectively with specialists when they do refer their patients for a consultation.
Yet, many primary care physicians still do not perform diagnostic procedures such as spirometry and electrocardiography. Why? Most medical devices are not designed for primary care physicians. They are too cumbersome, too complex, and too costly.
The QRS Technology Solution: PC and PDA-based Medical Devices
QRS uses its innovative technology to design and develop medical devices that streamline and simplify the collection, interpretation and communication of precise physiological data. QRS enables healthcare professionals to cost-effectively practice high-tech medicine while delivering the accuracy that specialists and hospitals demand. The company focuses on the unmet needs of primary care physicians while offering cost-effective device alternatives for hospitals as well as specialists who practice cardiovascular medicine.
QRS holds four patents on the design of medical devices contained in Computer (PCMCIA) Cards. “We build the intelligence of physiological data acquisition and analysis into computer cards,” explains Lien. “QRS computer cards, with integrated sensors (such as electrode leads for ECGs), slide right into off-the-shelf laptops, Tablet PCs and certain PDAs. This makes them work as fully functioning medical devices, and that’s the key to the mobility and affordability of our products.”
Portability, as well as affordability, is an advantage. In the physician offices it is often infeasible or too costly to maintain dedicated procedure rooms for bulky, stand-alone diagnostic testing machines. Physician and nurses can carry QRS devices in their lab coat pockets. Because they are software-based, QRS devices are not only mobile but easily upgradeable, which reduces long-term device costs. Moreover, QRS eliminates the need to purchase and support separate, stand-alone machines for different diagnostic procedures, since a single laptop or PDA can support all QRS medical devices.
“With QRS, I was able to buy two computer card devices, for spirometry and electrocardiography, for less than the price of an EKG machine,” says Patrick O’Malley, D.O., O’Malley Family Medicine, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. “When I want to monitor a patient’s heart or test their lung function, for initial diagnosis or follow-up, it’s easy to do myself. I just plug the QRS card into my notebook PC. It’s simple and fast. And, I don’t have to wheel in a big, cumbersome machine to do the tests.”
Computer Card Medical Devices: The QRS Diagnostic Product Line
SpiroCard® from QRS Diagnostic is software-based spirometer contained in a computer card. Weighing less than two ounces, SpiroCard is the smallest and lightest spirometer on the market. Yet, SpiroCard exceeds the accuracy standards of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and independent testing has verified that SpiroCard is actually more precise than spirometers that are more expensive.
Spirometry is essential in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. According to the American Lung Association, about 12 million Americans have COPD, and asthma afflicts an estimated 20 million to 25 million people in the U.S.
OxiCard® is QRS Diagnostic’s pulse oximeter that provides instant, noninvasive measurement of pulse rates and oxygen saturation in the blood. The device is built into a Compact Flash (CF) Card and weighs only 2.4 ounces.
SpirOxCard® is a combination spirometer/pulse oximeter. It measures pulmonary function and monitors blood oxygenation with one convenient device contained entirely in a computer card.
Nick Ausaf, D.O., Lakefront Center for Family Medicine, Sebring, Fla., uses SpirOxCard in his practice. “To meet patient expectations and provide quality care, I want to utilize diagnostic tools, like spirometry, that are appropriate today for primary care, but I must also control overhead costs,” he says. “QRS offers the affordable, high-quality technology solution for diagnostic testing that I envisioned for my new practice, and their computer card devices have proven to be reliable and easy to use.”
Universal ECG™ is a lightweight, portable, 12-channel diagnostic electrocardiograph device, a critical tool in the diagnosis and treatment of heart problems. “It’s so fast and easy to perform EKGs with the QRS card that I have no need for a technician. Patients appreciate that it takes only a few minutes to put on the leads and run the test,” says Sam Sugar, M.D., Sunrise Lifestyle Centers, LLC, Northbrook, Ill. “For a small to moderate-size practice, it’s an excellent choice for office-based diagnostic electrocardiography.”
Another physician who finds Universal ECG to be the right solution for primary care is Steven Mussey, M.D., Mussey, Sarber and Associates, P.C., an internal medicine practice in Fredericksburg, Va. “We were trying to find a heart monitor we could afford, and the price of Universal ECG was far better than a stand-alone machine,” he says. “I just plug the card into my laptop, attach the leads, and get accurate results.”
QRS continues to employ its patented technology platform to expand its product line. QRS recently introduced a USB drive to accommodate its PC Card medical devices, enabling all the devices to now connect easily to the USB port on any Windows® 2000 or XP computer.
Managing Diagnostic Data: Complementary IT Solutions from QRS
Office Medic™, a patient information management system that delivers real-time diagnostic testing, complements QRS medical devices. With QRS computer card devices, Office Medic provides caregivers with the flexibility and mobility to perform accurate diagnostic tests on any standard desktop or laptop. Test data is acquired and accessible in seconds at the point of care. The software allows full on-screen viewing of real-time graphs and reports and provides easy access to automatically stored records.
Office Medic enables physicians worldwide to take advantage of QRS medical devices and patient information management software. It offers seven language choices: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese.
Office Medic Integrated Data Management System (IDMS) provides the full advantages of a network solution. It is a patient information management system that provides real-time diagnostic testing, centralized digital data storage, rapid report retrieval and data sharing, and remote connectivity. With Microsoft® SQL Server®, Office Medic IDMS turns clients on a network into full-function medical devices simply by sliding a QRS computer card device into an existing network workstation. Physicians and nurses can perform tests on any standard client and then access and analyze the results from anywhere on the network. Office Medic also interfaces with electronic medical record systems (EMRs) to offer added functionality and value for physicians.
QRS Diagnostic: The Right Technology Propels Fast Growth
With the basic soundness of the company’s business strategy and the strength of its patented medical device technology, QRS Diagnostic is moving forward. QRS ranked 26th among Minnesota’s fastest growing technology companies, according to the Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 50 program. The Fast 50 rankings are based on percentage growth in revenues from 1998 to 2003. QRS achieved 233 percent revenue growth over the past five years.
“To rank on the Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast 50, companies must have phenomenal revenue growth in the five-year period,” says Ron Hafner, Deloitte & Touche partner. “QRS Diagnostic has proven to be one of the fast-growth success stories in Minnesota, and we applaud their success and vision.”