To implement the MBAN channel management scheme, the MBAN channel management module 114 defines MBAN channel access rules to regulate the use of the MBAN channels available to the medical institution 50. Through the backhaul communication network 88, the MBAN channel management module 114 forwards the defined channel access rules to the hub devices 60 of the MBAN systems 52 to assist the hub devices 60 in selecting their operating channels. The MBAN channel access rules can be distributed directly to the hub devices 60 or indirectly to the hub devices 60, for example, by way of the access points 92 of the backhaul communication network 88.

The MBAN channel access rules define an MBAN channel set that can be accessed by MBANs for each of a plurality of MBAN priorities. In that regard, each of the MBANs 62 of the medical institution 50 is assigned one of the MBAN priorities based on the acuity level (i.e., life criticality) of the corresponding patient 54. Multiple MBAN priorities can be defined based on the patient acuity levels of the patients 54 of the medical institution 50. The lower the patient acuity level, the lower the MBAN priority. For example, the highest MBAN priority can be assigned to an MBAN of an ICU patient who has the highest acuity level because the data transmitted on this MBAN is most important. Continuing with this example, the lowest MBAN priority can be assigned to an MBAN of a recovered patient whose health status is stable, and other MBAN priorities are in between the highest and lowest MBAN priorities depending on patient acuity level.