BayCare's St. Joseph's Hospital Opens Season's Café with Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology

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Apr 24, 2024, 18:30 ET

TAMPA, Fla., April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Joseph's Hospital today announced that it becomes the first health care facility to use checkout-free technology in a hospital cafeteria, demonstrating BayCare and St. Joseph's Hospital's commitment to innovation, patient care and team member experience.

St. Joseph’s Hospital becomes the first health care facility to use checkout-free technology in a hospital cafeteria.

Erica Salgado, BayCare's director of food and nutrition services for the East Region, selects a grab-and-go item from the Season's Café cooler at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa. More than 4,000 customers visit the café each day to find a variety of items from baked goods, premade sandwiches and a salad bar, to fresh pizza and hot meals that change daily. Amazon's Just Walk Out technology streamlines the shopping experience.

Located inside the hospital, Season's Café uses Amazon's Just Walk Out technology to eliminate checkout lines and allow guests access to the full range of cafeteria items 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday. The cafeteria is only closed from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Sundays. Employees will also be able to use their badge to pay through an integration between Just Walk Out technology and Quickcharge, a division of Transact Campus.

Amazon's Just Walk Out technology is designed to be an effortless shopping experience. Guests enter the cafeteria by using their credit card, mobile wallet, or team member badge at the entry gate. The technology detects what each shopper takes from or returns to the shelves and creates a virtual shopping cart. When guests have completed their shopping experience, they can leave the store without having to wait in a checkout line, and their chosen payment method will be charged for the items they took with them.

"More than 4,000 team members, physicians, volunteers and visitors per day will experience a quick and seamless shopping experience with wholesome and comforting food choices," said Erica Salgado, BayCare east region director of food and nutrition services.

Amazon's Just Walk Out technology is made possible by artificial intelligence, computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative AI, which enables the technology to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment. Amazon built synthetic datasets to mimic millions of realistic shopping scenarios — including variations in store format, lighting conditions, and even crowds of shoppers — to ensure accuracy in any environment.

"BayCare's innovation team led this effort to streamline the customer experience inside Season's Café, taking into consideration the busy schedules of our hospital staff, as well as visitors," said Craig Anderson, BayCare's vice president of innovation. "This technology will allow our store to operate longer hours, providing an array of healthy food options for third-shift employees and late-night visitors."

"We're thrilled to launch the first hospital cafeteria powered by Just Walk Out technology at St. Joseph's Hospital," said Jon Jenkins, Vice President of Just Walk Out technology, Amazon. "We look forward to building on this work with BayCare Health System and providing more hospital employees access to healthy meals at any time of day."

The cafeteria offers a variety of items, from baked goods, premade sandwiches and a salad bar, to fresh pizza and hot meals that change daily. Menu items from guest restaurants are often available.

About St. Joseph's Hospital

St. Joseph's Hospital, part of the BayCare Health System, is known for advanced medical technology and compassionate care. Its Centers of Excellence include the Heart and Vascular Institute, Cancer Institute, Stroke and Neuroscience Program, Robotic Surgery Program and Emergency/Trauma Department, which provides more emergency care than any other hospital in Tampa Bay. More than 70 specialties are represented among the medical team, including internal medicine, cardiovascular surgery and neurosurgery. The hospital was founded in 1934 by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. The 615-bed hospital is located at 3001 West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tampa, Florida.

For more information: BayCare.org/SJH.

SOURCE St. Joseph's Hospital