GE, athenahealth, and Sermo are among the top 10 innovative healthcare companies named by Fast Company. Kaiser Permanente is the sole healthcare provider on the list.

GE was recognized for its Healthymagination initiatives, athenahealth for its work on the physician billing, practice management and medical records front, and Sermo for its online physician community.

"This recognition is emblematic of a culture and spirit at Kaiser Permanente that enables the transformation of healthcare," said Kaiser Permanente CIO Philip Fasano. "Our electronic health record and Garfield Health Care Innovation Center are exciting examples of the innovation fostered throughout our organization and are the starting point in our journey to deliver real-time, personalized healthcare."

"Fast Company's recognition of what athenahealth would coin our 'missionary work' in bringing the gospel of cloud computing to healthcare is gratifying, and we are flattered to be acknowledged amongst Fast 50 peers that are world-renowned for rewriting the rules for positive change in their own industries," said Jonathan Bush, athenahealth's chairman and CEO.

The healthcare top 10 is one of several lists published Thursday by the magazine Fast Company. Other categories include media, advertising, music, sports, finance and retail. Other innovators recognized include Facebook (at No. 1 overall) , Amazon, Apple and Google.

To create this year's Most Innovative Companies issue, Fast Company's editorial team analyzed information on thousands of businesses across the globe, executives said.

"It was invigorating to engage with so many exciting new ideas and developments," said Fast Company editor Robert Safian. "Our goal was to offer a snapshot of the creativity at work in the global marketplace, and to inspire the Fast Company audience with illustrations of how powerful and effective business can be."

Overall, Fast Company recognized more than 250 companies, including more than 75 non-U.S. businesses.

For the full list of healthcare innovators, along with Fast Company's reasoning for each of the selections, click on next page: