Because it's Pediatrics, 'Checkout is Part of the Care': Introducing an Automatic Payment Machine from Opening to Reduce the Burden on Parents | Kawasaki City, Kanagawa
Kawanishi Berkmed's automatic payment machine 'Temasak' was introduced to a pediatric clinic in Kawasaki City, reducing patient wait times and alleviating staff burdens while providing digital signage functions.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 14, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 18:22 (127h 50m after Collected)
Kawanishi Berkmed Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture; CEO: Akira Motoyama), a company developing DX-related businesses for the medical industry, announced that its clinic automatic payment machine "Temasak" has been installed at "Baby and Children's Clinic Miyaedaira" (Miyamae Ward, Kawasaki City), a pediatrics and neonatology clinic aiming to be the "ultimate childcare supporter."
From the preparation stage of opening, the clinic carefully considered "how to reduce the burden on mothers and fathers." Visiting a hospital while holding a sick child is a much heavier burden than imagined. Precisely because it is a pediatric clinic, they considered the checkout process to be "part of the care" and designed the system from the time of opening. One of the solutions was the introduction of an automatic payment machine.
■ Background and Effects of Introduction: Checkout is Part of the Care
Baby and Children's Clinic Miyaedaira | Clinic Director, Erika Takahashi
Based on the belief that "the smiles of mothers and fathers lead to the healthy growth of children," our clinic values creating a medical system that stays close to the child-rearing generation. From the preparation stage, we have wanted to create an environment that can alleviate the burden of hospital visits even a little, such as introducing web reservations and web medical questionnaires.
As part of these efforts, we introduced an automatic payment machine when we opened. We wanted to create an environment where busy families can use their everyday payment methods by supporting diverse payment options, including cashless payments.
Furthermore, by utilizing the digital signage function to broadcast in-hospital initiatives and announcements, we wanted to expand the checkout time from a mere "place of payment" to an opportunity for communication with mothers and fathers—this desire led to the current introduction.
[Effect Measurement of Checkout Operations]
| Item | Before Introduction | After Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout wait time | No info due to new opening | 1-3 min/person |
| Register closing work time | No info due to new opening | Under 5 min/day |
| Frequency of cash discrepancies | No info due to new opening | Almost never occurs |
| Overtime hours | No info due to new opening | 0-5 min/person/day |
*Reception staff: 3, Outpatients: ~50 average/day
*Evaluation by the director as of Feb 2026 (Introduced: June 2025)
[5-Point Evaluation of Challenges in Reception/Checkout Operations]
| Item | Before Introduction | After Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Staff shortage | No info due to new opening | 2: Hardly feel it |
| Long checkout wait times | No info due to new opening | 1: Don't feel it |
| Register closing, cash management | No info due to new opening | 2: Hardly feel it |
| Discrepancies, cash handing errors | No info due to new opening | 1: Don't feel it |
| Cashless payments | No info due to new opening | 1: Don't feel it |
| Reception/hospitality quality | No info due to new opening | 2: Hardly feel it |
*Evaluation criteria for challenges: 5-point scale from "1: Don't feel it" to "5: Strongly feel it"
*Evaluation by the director as of Feb 2026 (Introduced: June 2025)
■ Staff Feedback: "Anxiety over cash management has been alleviated"
Having an abundance of payment methods is very helpful. Since patients can choose the method they are used to, the interaction during checkout has become smoother.
On the other hand, handling cases where patients forget their patient cards and the barcode cannot be read can sometimes feel a bit tedious. I realized it is important to thoroughly share the flow for irregular responses in advance.
Even so, eliminating the handling of cash and the worries of giving the wrong change or counting errors is a huge advantage. The psychological burden has decreased, allowing us to focus on our tasks with peace of mind.
Abundant payment methods supported by Temasak (Clinics can select available payments)
■ Director's Feedback: "Mothers and fathers are happier than expected"
Among automatic payment machines, it felt like there are still not many models equipped with a digital signage function. I feel it is a great attraction that the checkout time is not just a "place of payment" but can be turned into an opportunity for minor guidance and information sharing. Naturally creating touchpoints with parents...
From the preparation stage of opening, the clinic carefully considered "how to reduce the burden on mothers and fathers." Visiting a hospital while holding a sick child is a much heavier burden than imagined. Precisely because it is a pediatric clinic, they considered the checkout process to be "part of the care" and designed the system from the time of opening. One of the solutions was the introduction of an automatic payment machine.
■ Background and Effects of Introduction: Checkout is Part of the Care
Baby and Children's Clinic Miyaedaira | Clinic Director, Erika Takahashi
Based on the belief that "the smiles of mothers and fathers lead to the healthy growth of children," our clinic values creating a medical system that stays close to the child-rearing generation. From the preparation stage, we have wanted to create an environment that can alleviate the burden of hospital visits even a little, such as introducing web reservations and web medical questionnaires.
As part of these efforts, we introduced an automatic payment machine when we opened. We wanted to create an environment where busy families can use their everyday payment methods by supporting diverse payment options, including cashless payments.
Furthermore, by utilizing the digital signage function to broadcast in-hospital initiatives and announcements, we wanted to expand the checkout time from a mere "place of payment" to an opportunity for communication with mothers and fathers—this desire led to the current introduction.
[Effect Measurement of Checkout Operations]
| Item | Before Introduction | After Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout wait time | No info due to new opening | 1-3 min/person |
| Register closing work time | No info due to new opening | Under 5 min/day |
| Frequency of cash discrepancies | No info due to new opening | Almost never occurs |
| Overtime hours | No info due to new opening | 0-5 min/person/day |
*Reception staff: 3, Outpatients: ~50 average/day
*Evaluation by the director as of Feb 2026 (Introduced: June 2025)
[5-Point Evaluation of Challenges in Reception/Checkout Operations]
| Item | Before Introduction | After Introduction |
|---|---|---|
| Staff shortage | No info due to new opening | 2: Hardly feel it |
| Long checkout wait times | No info due to new opening | 1: Don't feel it |
| Register closing, cash management | No info due to new opening | 2: Hardly feel it |
| Discrepancies, cash handing errors | No info due to new opening | 1: Don't feel it |
| Cashless payments | No info due to new opening | 1: Don't feel it |
| Reception/hospitality quality | No info due to new opening | 2: Hardly feel it |
*Evaluation criteria for challenges: 5-point scale from "1: Don't feel it" to "5: Strongly feel it"
*Evaluation by the director as of Feb 2026 (Introduced: June 2025)
■ Staff Feedback: "Anxiety over cash management has been alleviated"
Having an abundance of payment methods is very helpful. Since patients can choose the method they are used to, the interaction during checkout has become smoother.
On the other hand, handling cases where patients forget their patient cards and the barcode cannot be read can sometimes feel a bit tedious. I realized it is important to thoroughly share the flow for irregular responses in advance.
Even so, eliminating the handling of cash and the worries of giving the wrong change or counting errors is a huge advantage. The psychological burden has decreased, allowing us to focus on our tasks with peace of mind.
Abundant payment methods supported by Temasak (Clinics can select available payments)
■ Director's Feedback: "Mothers and fathers are happier than expected"
Among automatic payment machines, it felt like there are still not many models equipped with a digital signage function. I feel it is a great attraction that the checkout time is not just a "place of payment" but can be turned into an opportunity for minor guidance and information sharing. Naturally creating touchpoints with parents...