Health Management Corporation nurse Grace Thornton offers counsel through CareCall: 24, which provides patients 24-hour telephone access to HMC nurses

Patients can play a major role in their own wellness and health care, by practicing preventative health care, disease management and incorporating regular exercise into their daily routine.

In concert with nurses and other health care providers, patients who learn to better manage their chronic illnesses and health will likely improve their overall quality of life, as well as reduce ongoing health care costs, according to researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With a growing shift toward patient advocacy and responsibility, companies like Health Management Corporation (HMC) are providing patients with important tips as well as the structure needed to build healthier lives.

"We nurses are taking steps to transform the nature of health care and bring our vision of improved health for our members to life," said nurse Dawn Chattin at the Richmond Care Center in Richmond, Va.

At HMC, nurses serve as primary care managers and provide numerous services to patients and HMC members. With an unrestricted Registered Nurse license and clinical experience, nurse care managers are specially trained to diagnose, educate and counsel patients in making behavior and health management changes to substantially improve their health and quality of life.

Nurses are available to patients 24/7 by phone and online through a program called CareCall: 24, making this type of work ideal for nurses who need a flexible schedule, or those who are planning to retire in a clinical setting -- but still want to help patients. A new work-at-home program is soon to launch, which will support split shifts and variable scheduling to meet the needs of both HMC members and their primary care manager/nurses.