The present application discloses methods and systems for transferring primary alarm notification on patient monitoring systems from a bedside monitor to one or more secondary devices which may operate on a less than fully reliable network. The bedside monitor includes an attached physiological parameter measurement device which detects when a specific physiological parameter measures outside a predetermined range. The bedside monitor then directs the secondary device(s) to annunciate its alarm. Primary alarming responsibility reverts from the secondary device(s) back to the bedside monitor whenever communication between the two is lost or when acknowledgement of the alarm condition by the secondary device is not relayed back to the bedside monitor within a predetermined amount of time.