(FORTUNE) - These five companies are changing the way private-sector hospitals serve patients, following the lead of the VA's technological innovations.

Cardinal Health (Research)

The Pyxis MedStation uses electronic tracking to help hospital nurses and pharmacists accurately dispense medicine, reduce chances of adverse drug effects, and manage inventory.

MedMined

An Alabama pilot program used MedMined's data-mining service to reduce infection rates by 19 percent, saving $5 million. The service is available in six states.

Kaiser Permanente

HealthConnect is the largest private-sector electronic health record initiative, with nearly 6 million members.

United Health

The i3 Aperio drug registry monitors drugs that are new to the market, using data like reported side effects and hospitalizations to spot potential problems. The FDA now uses the data to monitor drug safety.The company is also working on a wallet-sized smart card that will let providers access medical histories with a quick swipe.

McKesson (Research)

The Horizon Expert Orders system lets doctors access patient history and hospital best practices while ordering tests or medications. Hospitals can also create order sets for specific diseases to standardize care and deliver treatment faster. Clients include Duke and Vanderbilt University hospitals.

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How the VA healed itself with technology

Get me tech, stat!