A system and method of patient bed communication and bed-to-room association in a healthcare facility having a network with at least one wireless access point (WAP) and a nurse call system is provided. A handheld unit is moved to a position within a pairing distance of a pairing zone of a patient bed so that the handheld unit and the bed are paired using a first wireless communication technology. A second wireless communication technology is used to send bed identification data (ID) to the handheld unit after the pairing operation has been completed. The bed ID is transmitted from the handheld unit to the nurse call system via a wired connection to establish a bed-to-room association between the patient bed and a room in which the patient bed is located. A third wireless communication technology is used to send bed status data and the bed ID to the WAP of the network.