Abstract: The current document is directed to methods and systems that determine workload characteristics of computational entities from stored data and that evaluate deployment/configuration policies in order to facilitate deploying, launching, and controlling distributed applications, distributed-application components, and other computational entities within distributed computer systems. Deployment/configuration policies are powerful tools for assisting managers and administrators of distributed applications and distributed computer systems, but constructing deployment/configuration policies and, in particular, evaluating the relative effectiveness of deployment/configuration policies in increasingly complex distributed-computer-system environments may be difficult or practically infeasible for many administrators and managers and may be associated with undesirable or intolerable levels of risk.

Abstract: The invention provides a mobile application for monitoring and/or reporting laboratory data. The mobile application may be an iPhone application that may provide a user with access to renal, medical, or laboratory data. The mobile application may provide a user with access to a full-sized laboratory data management software application. In some embodiments, the mobile application may share information with the laboratory data management application. The mobile application may include alert categories such as critical results, ICD-9 errors, and reminders.

Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for monitoring and/or reporting laboratory data. One or more laboratory facility may communicate with a data management center. Medical laboratory data, which may include renal data, may be provided to the data management center. In some instances, some of the data from a laboratory facility may be compared to a reference value, or a goal to assess the performance of the laboratory facility. Data may be displayed to a user of the system in a report. Financial tools may also be provided to assess costs associated with bundling various laboratory tests.