As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, AccessCare was designed to improve access to medical services, maintain quality of care for its clients on a no-charge basis, as well as reducing costs of client care for the state. Established in July 1998 as a member owned not-for-profit of 23 practices, AccessCare has grown to a statewide network of over 300 primary care practices with 1,000 providers caring for over 227,000 Medicaid enrollees as of April 2011. AccessCare is the largest of fourteen local networks of primary care providers that contract with North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services to develop disease management and case management initiatives and coordinate prevention, treatment and other services. This system of networks, coordinated by Community Care of North Carolina, enhances the Carolina ACCESS Medicaid program by developing voluntary, physician-led community partnerships to improve care and reduce costs by connecting Medicaid enrollees with a medical home.