A computer-assisted medical device (110, 210, 420, 1101, 1111, 1121, 1131, 1141, 1151, 1161) comprising: one or more articulated arms for providing support for one or more instruments (270, 1142) for a medical procedure; a control unit configured to control motion of the one or more articulated arms and/or the one or more instruments to perform the medical procedure on a patient located on a separate surgical table (170, 280, 1100); and a display unit coupled to the control unit, the display unit having at least a surgical table status region; wherein the control unit is configured to: receive, from a surgical command unit of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100), a surgical table movement request via a communications connection with the surgical command unit; determine whether to allow the surgical table movement request; allow the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) to move in response to determining that the surgical table movement request should be allowed; receive information from the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) describing an orientation of a top (180, 284, 1102) of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) relative to a base (282, 1104) of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100), the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) being coupled to the control unit via the communications connection; generate one or more icons (1050, 1060) graphically depicting the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) and the orientation; and send the one or more icons (1050, 1060) to the display unit for display within the surgical table status region. one or more articulated arms for providing support for one or more instruments (270, 1142) for a medical procedure; a control unit configured to control motion of the one or more articulated arms and/or the one or more instruments to perform the medical procedure on a patient located on a separate surgical table (170, 280, 1100); and a display unit coupled to the control unit, the display unit having at least a surgical table status region; wherein the control unit is configured to: receive, from a surgical command unit of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100), a surgical table movement request via a communications connection with the surgical command unit; determine whether to allow the surgical table movement request; allow the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) to move in response to determining that the surgical table movement request should be allowed; receive information from the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) describing an orientation of a top (180, 284, 1102) of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) relative to a base (282, 1104) of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100), the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) being coupled to the control unit via the communications connection; generate one or more icons (1050, 1060) graphically depicting the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) and the orientation; and send the one or more icons (1050, 1060) to the display unit for display within the surgical table status region. receive, from a surgical command unit of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100), a surgical table movement request via a communications connection with the surgical command unit; determine whether to allow the surgical table movement request; allow the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) to move in response to determining that the surgical table movement request should be allowed; receive information from the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) describing an orientation of a top (180, 284, 1102) of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) relative to a base (282, 1104) of the surgical table (170, 280, 1100), the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) being coupled to the control unit via the communications connection; generate one or more icons (1050, 1060) graphically depicting the surgical table (170, 280, 1100) and the orientation; and send the one or more icons (1050, 1060) to the display unit for display within the surgical table status region.