Advanced Primary Care Aids Cancer Prevention: Karen van Caulil, PhD

Advanced primary care may be one of employers' strongest tools for catching cancer earlier, and better support during and after treatment can keep survivors working and engaged in follow-up care, according to Karen van Caulil, PhD, president and CEO of the Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value.

In part 2 of an on-site interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® at the 2026 Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange & Innovation Summit, van Caulil explained that the Florida Alliance has been “doubling down” on advanced primary care. A standard annual well visit may last only 7 to 10 minutes, which she noted is not enough time to build trust with a provider, discuss the human papillomavirus vaccine, encourage a colonoscopy, or talk through warning signs of cancers that lack screening tests.

Beyond prevention and lifestyle factors, van Caulil said advanced primary care supports screening and early identification. It also already integrates mental health services, navigation, and social workers, resources that help patients who go on to receive a cancer diagnosis.

Employers also have a role during treatment, as many patients want and need to keep working. Van Caulil encouraged employers with on-site or near-site health centers to consider offering hydration and lab work there so employees do not have to leave work to visit a large health system. Remote work and other individualized accommodations can also help.

After treatment ends, surveillance becomes the priority. The Florida Alliance's data showed that many patients who completed treatment were not attending follow-up visits, a finding van Caulil called "kind of horrifying." She pointed to community oncologists as key partners in keeping survivors engaged.

Looking ahead, van Caulil said she is “intrigued and a little worried” about artificial intelligence; she sees potential for it to streamline administrative duties so practices can devote more time to the wraparound services patients and families need.

“I really do think that there's a lot of opportunity there, and it could be with prior authorizations,” van Caulil concluded. “It could be with any number of administratively burdensome duties that I'm sure the providers and their team members don't love doing as a priority.”