A method of centralized monitoring management at a centralized monitoring unit (CMU) includes receiving patient monitoring data from multiple patient monitoring devices, each providing patient monitoring data for one of multiple patients, and assigning each of the multiple patients to one of at least two monitoring technician stations. Each monitoring technician station is configured to receive and display patient monitoring data the patients assigned thereto and to present alarms for each patient to a CMU technician. A load index is calculated for each monitoring technician station based on the alarms for each patient in the group of patients assigned to that monitoring technician station. At least one patient is removed from the group of patients assigned to a first monitoring technician station of the at least two monitoring technician stations based on the load index for the first monitoring technician station. The patient removed from the first monitoring technician station is then reassigned to a different one of the at least two monitoring technician stations so as to distribute an overall alarm load for the CMU across all of the at least two monitoring technician stations.