Medical facility information management apparatus and method

A master controller for medical staff management indicators has a central data collection and display facility located at a nurse's station or equivalent facility and includes any number of satellite devices located in examining rooms or the equivalent. Each satellite can respond to master controller polling by sending one of a multiplicity of possible messages that are received and processed to generate a displayed satellite status summary at the nurse's station. Interconnection between the nurse's station and the satellites preferably uses a single twisted pair of wires in a bus configuration compatible with bus standard RS-485. Data rates and message structure are selectable according to system size, environmental noise, and data confidence requirements.