An apparatus for communicating alert notifications, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120), wherein a first field device of the plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120) is configured to control a process of a process plant, wherein the first field device comprises a digital valve controller with a discrete output channel, and wherein the digital valve controller includes: a process parameter monitor adapted to monitor a process parameter of the first field device; an alarm determiner adapted to detect an error condition associated with the process parameter, wherein the alarm determiner is further adapted to generate an alarm notification associated with the error condition of the process parameter; an alarm status assignor adapted to assign a status notification for equipment associated with the process parameter detected by the alarm determiner to be in the error condition; and a host device communicatively coupled to the plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120) via a communication bus, wherein the host device is adapted to communicate with the plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120) via a communication protocol over the communication bus, wherein the apparatus is characterized by: the host device having a discrete input channel directly coupled to the discrete output channel of the digital valve controller of the first field device to establish a dedicated communication line between the first field device and the host device, wherein the host device is configured to receive the alarm notification and the status notification from the digital valve controller of the first field device via the dedicated communication line separate from the communication bus, and wherein the host device is adapted to be communicatively coupled to a control room of the process plant. a plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120), wherein a first field device of the plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120) is configured to control a process of a process plant, wherein the first field device comprises a digital valve controller with a discrete output channel, and wherein the digital valve controller includes: a process parameter monitor adapted to monitor a process parameter of the first field device; an alarm determiner adapted to detect an error condition associated with the process parameter, wherein the alarm determiner is further adapted to generate an alarm notification associated with the error condition of the process parameter; an alarm status assignor adapted to assign a status notification for equipment associated with the process parameter detected by the alarm determiner to be in the error condition; and a process parameter monitor adapted to monitor a process parameter of the first field device; an alarm determiner adapted to detect an error condition associated with the process parameter, wherein the alarm determiner is further adapted to generate an alarm notification associated with the error condition of the process parameter; an alarm status assignor adapted to assign a status notification for equipment associated with the process parameter detected by the alarm determiner to be in the error condition; and a host device communicatively coupled to the plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120) via a communication bus, wherein the host device is adapted to communicate with the plurality of field devices (110, 112, 114, 120) via a communication protocol over the communication bus, wherein the apparatus is characterized by: the host device having a discrete input channel directly coupled to the discrete output channel of the digital valve controller of the first field device to establish a dedicated communication line between the first field device and the host device, wherein the host device is configured to receive the alarm notification and the status notification from the digital valve controller of the first field device via the dedicated communication line separate from the communication bus, and wherein the host device is adapted to be communicatively coupled to a control room of the process plant.