Patent ID: 7439856

Claim:
A method for responding to a communication regarding the status of a health care patient, comprising the steps of: receiving a first communication that includes information regarding the status of an associated health care patient; determining an identity of the patient and whether an event of sufficient priority has occurred in association with said patient based upon one or more characteristics of said first communication; determining an identity of each member of a set of one or more first level respondents, said first level respondents having an association with said first communication; determining whether at least one of said first level respondents is available to receive a second communication including information regarding said first communication, and if no first level respondents are available to receive said second communication, performing a set of escalation actions, or else transmitting said second communication to a respondent device associated with said at least one of said first level respondents that are available to receive said second communication; and determining if at least a first one of said first level respondents transmits a first response communication that includes an indication of an acceptance of responsibility to respond to said first communication within a pre-determined period of time, and if not true, performing said set of escalation actions, and else if true, performing a step of assignment of said respondent to said first communication.