Technology to Increase Convenience and Speed-of-Service for Hospital Employees and Guests and Extend Journey to Fully Frictionless Foodservice Environment
[Savannah, Georgia, Jan. 11, 2024] – St. Joseph’s/Candler and its foodservice partner Morrison Healthcare today announced that Candler Hospital will be the first hospital in the U.S. to offer Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology. St. Joseph’s/Candler is also the first Just Walk Out technology-enabled store with employee badge pay, allowing employees to use their badge to make purchases.
“Our smart medicine strategy of providing high-tech solutions to our patients, visitors, and employees extends even to our food service,” said Paul P. Hinchey, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s/Candler. “With Just Walk Out technology and the new badge pay capability, Candler Hospital employees needing a quick snack or a meal during the third shift (or anytime) can get one by simply scanning their badges, and without standing in a checkout line. Visitors taking care of friends or family members can also easily purchase meals, snacks, and drinks at this store so they can quickly get back to their loved ones.”
Foodservice at Candler Hospital is undergoing an exciting evolution, and Just Walk Out technology plays a critical role. In mid-2021, an existing hospital coffee shop was turned into a retail market – SmartBytes – to provide a 24/7 food option for Candler employees. The addition of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology at SmartBytes creates a frictionless, cashless food market that’s accessible to both Candler employees and hospital visitors anytime.
“More than 70 years ago, Candler became our first hospital partner, which makes Candler becoming the first hospital to incorporate Just Walk Out technology into its food experience in the U.S an especially monumental moment for the team,” said Tim Pierce, CEO of Morrison Healthcare. “This technology brings a forward-looking approach to hospital food access to better serve both caregivers and guests. As we continue to bring advanced digital options to our partners and create a frictionless environment for healthcare dining, Candler serves as an impressive model for how this can be achieved thoughtfully and strategically.”
Candler employees and visitors can now enter the Just Walk Out technology-enabled retail store by swiping a credit card or an employee badge – a new convenience for employees. They can then select from a wide range of food offerings, including prepackaged meals, snacks, and drinks. The technology detects which items are taken from or returned to shelves and creates a virtual shopping session. As they exit the store, the customer can leave without waiting in line, and their preferred payment – either a credit card or employee payroll deduct account – is charged for the items taken. This employee badge payment option is a first-of-its-kind offering for Just Walk Out technology.
Just Walk Out technology enables the SmartBytes market to stay open all day, every day, providing a much more robust food option than vending machines that many hospital employees and visitors have relied on in the past. The market is located near the emergency department, providing a nourishing, convenient food option to those waiting on loved ones.
“We’re excited to collaborate with St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital and Morrison Healthcare to launch the first Just Walk Out technology-enabled dining establishment within a healthcare facility in the U.S.,” said Jon Jenkins, vice president of Just Walk Out technology. “This first-of-its-kind implementation enabling employee badge pay delivers a new level of convenience to hospital employees and visitors, enabling them to access refreshments and food day and night without waiting in line.”
Just Walk Out technology simplifies the shopping experience by eliminating checkout lines and helping consumers get in and out quickly and seamlessly. Just Walk Out technology is made possible by artificial intelligence like computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative AI, to accurately determine who took what. Today you can find Just Walk Out technology-enabled stores at more than 120 third-party locations from airports, stadiums, university campuses, grocery and convenience stores, theme parks, cafes, and more in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia.
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About St. Joseph’s/Candler
St. Joseph’s/Candler is a 714-bed, Magnet-designated health system for nursing excellence, with a focus on the latest technologies and research. It is anchored by St. Joseph’s Hospital, Candler Hospital plus the new Pooler and Bluffton campuses and a future medical facility in Heartwood. Its comprehensive network includes centers of excellence for oncology, cardiovascular, neurosciences, women’s and children’s services, orthopedics, pulmonary medicine and a variety of other disease specialties. SJ/C’s Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion has been selected to be part of the National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program. St. Joseph’s/Candler is a not-for-profit health system serving 33 counties in southeast Georgia and three in the South Carolina Low Country and is the largest and only faith-based institution in the region. For more information, visit www.sjchs.org.
About Morrison Healthcare
Morrison Healthcare is part of Compass Group USA, and a leading national food and nutrition services company, proudly serving more than 950 hospitals and healthcare systems. Morrison Healthcare together with Crothall Healthcare form Compass One Healthcare – providing specialized patient experiences in food, nutrition and support services in more than 1,600 locations with a combined 90 years of healthcare experience.