Patent ID: 7321862

Claim:
A patient monitoring system for geographically dispersed health care locations comprising a network, a body-worn monitoring station, a monitoring station server, a remote command center, and a rules engine, wherein, the network comprises a first sub-network and a second sub-network; the body-worn monitoring station comprises monitoring equipment, and wherein the body worn monitoring station comprises instructions for: monitoring data elements from a patient assigned to a health care location; and sending monitored data elements to a monitoring station server via the first sub-network; the monitoring station server comprises instructions for: receiving the monitored data elements from the body worn monitoring station; and relaying the monitored data elements to the remote command center via the second sub-network; the remote command center comprises instructions for: receiving the monitored data elements from the monitoring station server; associating the monitored data elements with the patient assigned to the health care location; accessing patient data elements indicative of a medical condition associated with the patient; establishing a patient-specific rule associated with the patient; and the rules engine comprises instructions for: selecting data elements from the monitored data elements and the patient data elements associated with the patient; applying the patient-specific rule to the selected data elements continuously and simultaneously; determining in an automated fashion 24 hours per day 7 days per week from the remote command center whether the patient-specific rule for the patient has been contravened; and issuing an alert from the remote command center in the event the patient-specific rule for the patient has been contravened.