Amazon has expanded its Just Walk Out retail technology to include support for employee badges as a payment mechanism. This technology, powered by computer vision and sensors, allows customers to shop at stores and skip the cashier line during checkout. The retail giant has introduced “badge pay,” a new option that enables Just Walk Out technology in a hospital setting.
Key Takeaway
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology now supports employee badges as a payment method, initially introduced in a hospital setting. The system allows healthcare staff to make purchases using their employee badges, linked to their payroll deduct accounts, providing convenient and seamless transactions.
Badge Pay for Hospital Employees
The new badge pay feature allows healthcare staff such as doctors, nurses, and other employees to use their employee badges to purchase food and beverages from their hospital’s Just Walk Out store. These purchases are linked to the employee’s payroll deduct account, enabling seamless payments around the clock, even after the hospital’s cafeteria is closed. Employees can also access their receipts and check their account balance through their hospital’s badge pay web portal or mobile app.
Implementation at St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital Campus
The system is initially being introduced at St. Joseph’s/Candler at its Candler Hospital Campus in Savannah, Georgia. Amazon collaborated with healthcare automation provider CBORD to implement the technology at the hospital store. In addition to healthcare staff, visitors to the hospital can also shop at the store using their debit or credit cards or mobile wallets, with access to their receipts via justwalkout.com/receipts. The Candler Hospital’s store is operated by food and nutrition provider Morrison Healthcare, which serves over 950 hospitals and healthcare systems.
Future Expansion and Impact Evaluation
A hospital executive expressed that the introduction of the test was to determine the potential rollout of the solution to other locations. Paul P. Hinchey, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s/Candler, stated that the technology supports their smart medicine strategy by providing convenient solutions to patients, visitors, and co-workers, including food service. The impact of the technology will be evaluated post-launch to determine its potential utilization on other campuses.
