A wireless body network (8) for monitoring a patient (16, 32), the wireless body network (8) includes at least one wireless unit (10, 12, 14, 34, 36, 38, 40) coupled to the patient (16, 32) configured to collect and transmit data to the wireless body network related to one physiological function of the patient. The wireless unit (10, 12, 14, 34, 36, 38, 40) employs an addressing scheme (80), including a patient identification field (82) that contains a patient identification number that is unique to the wireless body network； at least one of a service type field (84) that contains a service type and a point type field (86) that indicates whether the wireless unit (10, 12, 14, 34, 36, 38, 40) provides a service or consumes a service； and a point identification field (88) that distinguishes one wireless unit (10, 12, 14, 34, 36, 38, 40) from another when the patient identification field (82), the service type field (84) and the point type field (88) are identical. A physical device (22, 24, 26, 28) is configured to communicate with the wireless unit (10, 12, 14, 34, 36, 38, 40) utilizing the addressing scheme (80).
