ZOTT and AT&T Partner to Enhance Patient Experience Through Innovative Media Platform

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbaeat) has learned from overseas sources that ZOTT and AT&T recently announced a partnership to further enhance the patient experience. By innovatively leveraging cloud computing and ultra-premium content delivery technologies, the two companies are redefining the healthcare experience for patients.

ZOTTA pioneering innovator in patient experience solutions, while AT&T isLeader in Digital Healthcare Reform.The primary focus of the partnership between ZOTT and AT&T is to enable hospital patients and their families to access DIRECTV’s commercial channel content through ZOTT’s platform. Established in 1994, DIRECTV specializes in live satellite television services and provides local channel programming coverage to 93% of households in the United States.

In the past, patients were confined to hospital beds for months or even years, unable to leave their rooms or stay connected with the outside world. Even visitors—family and friends alike—had little more than a few local TV channels available on a small television set across the room. This was the reality faced by millions of people abroad each year.

Founder Taylor Carol stated, “Many hospitals rely on outdated gaming systems and obsolete tools to keep pediatric patients intellectually engaged, enable them to play with their friends, and stay connected with the world around them. This creates an incredibly distressing situation that often appears to be linked to a family’s socioeconomic status. Some families can provide their children with a Nintendo Switch or bring an Xbox One or PS4 into the hospital room, allowing those children to maintain intellectual engagement and social connections. However, many patients do not have this opportunity.”

Headquartered in Dana Point, California, ZOTT is a cloud-based entertainment and educational content platform. Its services allow patients and family members to simultaneously consume different types of content. For example, a patient in the hospital can stream YouTube videos in real time on her smartphone, while her parents play games from ZOTT’s game library on their laptop.

Adolescents use the ZOTT platform to stay connected with friends and family during hospitalization. ZOTT is accessible via any internet-enabled device within the hospital setting. Content includes exclusive live streams from online influencers, intelligently designed educational materials, customized and private Minecraft virtual playgrounds, real-time chat messaging, and a comprehensive library of game options.

All content is accessible from any location within the hospital. Through this collaboration, these companies aim to enhance patient satisfaction. Their content streams seamlessly—without interruption—whether in patient rooms, visitor waiting areas, or cafeterias. ZOTT and AT&T are redefining the patient healthcare experience.

“ZOTT was the best thing that happened to me during my hospital stay,” said Brittany, a patient at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

“AT&T supports healthcare organizations in shifting their focus from healthcare delivery to human-centered care,” said Maria Lensing, Vice President of Global Business Healthcare Solutions at AT&T, in a press release. “Partnering with ZOTT to provide DIRECTV on any device within hospitals helps them connect more closely with people, not just patients.”

Jon Shipman, Chief Technology Officer of ZOTT, stated: “Too many hospitals have yet to adapt to this comprehensive cultural shift. The transition toward a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) design, built on seamless content access, can have a profound impact on patients with serious illnesses while reducing costs and streamlining operations.” Jon Shipman is also the former Executive Vice President of Twitch.

Founder Taylor Carol spent five years hospitalized due to cancer, later graduated from Harvard University, and became the co-founder of ZOTT. Taylor Carol stated that during his hospitalization, as a young cancer patient, he was shocked by the lack of entertainment, education, and social interaction in hospitals, as well as the potentially devastating impact of insufficient public and intellectual stimulation on children and young adults.

By enhancing patient satisfaction, AT&T and ZOTT also seek to help improve clinical outcomes and patients’ physical health. Research indicates that increased patient satisfaction is associated with shorter hospital stays, improved quality of care, reduced readmission rates, lower mortality rates, and a decreased likelihood of minor complications.

Taylor Carol and his father co-founded GameChanger, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering patients through gaming and technology. ZOTT emerged from this organization and is considered a for-profit subsidiary in which GameChanger holds a majority equity stake.

Jim Carol stated, “ZOTT aims to provide engaging content, meaningful interactions, and innovative streaming technologies for patients and their families, thereby improving the experience of long-term hospitalization and physical illness.”

Regarding future strategy and unique advantages, Brian Hodous, President of ZOTT, stated that the company’s primary target consumer base is hospitals. Currently, all of its products are exclusively served to hospitals.

“We have partnered with many different hospitals,” said Hodous. “We are selectively conducting paid pilots to better understand our services and how to generate demand.”

The ZOTT platform updates its content and user experience daily. Users can access movies, TV shows, games, interactive entertainment, the Minecraft virtual playground, real-time chat messages, music, and educational materials.

The company also has a review team responsible for monitoring content to ensure it is safe and appropriate for patients of different age groups.

“Our ZOTT content can be played on the TV in the room. It can also be played on devices that patients or their families may bring,” said Hodous. “That’s what makes ZOTT special.”