SpiroCard® from QRS Diagnostic Makes Spirometry Affordable for Primary Care Physicians while Providing the Precision Specialists Demand

Software-based Spirometer Contained Entirely in a Computer Card Makes Precise Lung Function Testing Convenient and Affordable on Portable Computers

(PRWEB) May 19, 2003

MINNEAPOLIS and SEATTLE (PRWEB) May 19, 2003 – Can one type of spirometer make spirometry affordable and convenient for primary care physicians and provide the precision and reliability demanded by hospitals, specialists, respiratory care managers, and respiratory therapists? SpiroCard(R), from QRS Diagnostic, innovative leader in the design and development of software-based medical devices contained in computer cards, strikes the balance. QRS is demonstrating SpiroCard at ATS 2003, the 99th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), Booth #328, Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, Wash., May 18-20.

Utilizing QRS Diagnostic’s patented technology, SpiroCard inserts into the PC Card slot of standard laptop and handheld PCs and converts them into a spirometer to measure pulmonary function. It supports pre-calibrated, single-use, disposable mouthpieces to calculate the volume and velocity of airflow from the lungs. SpiroCard exceeds ATS accuracy standards – yet costs from one-third to one-half less than comparable stand-alone devices.

Spirometry is an essential diagnostic tool for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). According to the American Lung Association, 20-25 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma, and COPD (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis) afflicts about 10-12 million people in the U.S. Improving the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases in primary care settings is essential to advance quality care.

“QRS is committed to making high-tech diagnostic devices affordable and useful for primary care physicians,” says Spencer Lien, chief executive officer, QRS Diagnostic. “With SpiroCard, as well as our SpirOxCard(R), the only combination spirometer/pulse oximeter, we help primary care providers enhance their ability to diagnose and manage pulmonary disease, especially pediatric asthma.”

Does SpiroCard effectively balance the needs of primary care physicians with the rigorous demands of specialists and respiratory care professionals? Here is what some diverse SpiroCard customers have to say:

“Before we decided on a spirometer for at-home monitoring of our pediatric lung transplant patients, one of our pulmonary lab technicians tested SpiroCard side-by-side with his spirometer in our lab at Texas Children’s,” says George B. Mallory, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, and director of the lung transplant program at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. “SpiroCard was dead-on accurate.”

“SpiroCard from QRS Diagnostic was my first choice because of its accuracy, flexibility, mobility and ease-of-use, and affordability,” says Tom Mayer, C.R.T., C.P.F.T, director of the AMI Lung Health Clinic at Academic Medicine, Inc. (AMI), a seven-physician group practice in Kirksville, Mo. Mayer uses SpiroCard in AMI’s innovative COPD disease management program.

“We used to send patients to a hospital lab for spirometry and pulse oximetry tests, which was very inconvenient and time-consuming,” says John Stamm, administrator, Children’s Respiratory & Critical Care Specialists, P.A., a pediatric pulmonary medicine group with six clinics in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. metro area. “So, we purchased QRS PC Card devices, which cost half or less than the price of a piece of high-end equipment.”

“SpiroCard offers frontline physicians a useful, reasonably priced way to practice state-of-the-art medicine,” says Patrick Zook, M.D., a family practice physician with the St. Cloud Medical Group, St. Cloud, Minn.

In sum, SpiroCard fulfills the requirements of primary care providers who need an affordable spirometer that is easy to use. And, it offers the accuracy that pulmonary medicine specialists and respiratory care professionals require to comply with their technical standards.

About QRS Diagnostic

Founded in 1994, QRS Diagnostic, Plymouth, Minn., uses innovative software technology to design and develop FDA-approved medical devices that simplify and reduce the costs of diagnostic testing and patient monitoring. With our patented computer card technology platform, QRS turns PDAs, laptops and handheld PCs into modular, upgradeable and portable medical devices and streamlines the collection and communication of precise physiological data. We enable primary care physicians to cost-effectively practice high-tech medicine while delivering the accuracy that specialists and hospitals demand. The affordability, durability and mobility of QRS devices also advance wireless patient monitoring for disease management, home healthcare and personal health management. For more information on QRS, please visit http://www.QRSdiagnostic.com.

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Note to Editors: Jamaica Thatcher of QRS will be at the QRS booth, #328, to assist members of the media at ATS.