Epic System's Electronic Medical Records products have become increasingly popular among healthcare practitioners looking to convert from paper to digital environments, according to InformationWeek.

"Of all the vendors in the EHR/EMR space, the one we kept hearing the most about from our many hospital and health care systems customers and prospects is Epic Systems," said David Foote, co-founder, CEO and chief research officer of Foote Partners. "Epic is by no means the largest vendor, but it seems to have a cachet in the marketplace, a strong product differentiation."

Is it worth your time to learn another Health IT tool? Tell us what you think in the comment section below. Epic's products merge administrative tools and medical information to allow physician groups, hospitals and other healthcare operations to compile all patient data into a single record. The company also offers installation, architecture and training services. The company says 250,000 physicians use its systems through 260 customers. About 35 certifications are available for Epic products. However, they don't seem to result in salary premiums. "There's a gap between Epic talent supply and demand. We thought we’d find pay tied to certifications, but we didn't," Foote says. "It's still too wild West." Plus, he notes that in healthcare, practical experience still trumps technical -- and in many cases, medical -- expertise.