Patent ID: 7844341

Claim:
An implantable medical device for use in a patient management system, said implantable medical device comprising: a sensor capable of measuring a body characteristic and generating a data signal describing the measured body characteristic; a processor configured to analyze the data signal and configured to identify one or more significant events that warrant attention for the well-being of a patient; a first communications unit comprising a first wireless transmitter/receiver capable of establishing a first communications link with a host computer using an external local transmitter/receiver unit, when said first wireless transmitter/receiver unit is within a short-range telemetry communication range of said local transmitter/receiver unit, to deliver at least notification of the one or more significant events to said host computer using said first communications link; a second communications unit comprising a second wireless transmitter/receiver unit capable of establishing a second communications link with said host computer over a pervasive wireless communications network to deliver at least notification of the one or more significant events to said host computer over said second communications link; wherein said first and second communications units are housed within the implantable medical device; and a single antenna operatively connected to both the first and second communications units.