Is it important that a hospital CIO have a least a Master's degree in some field of study?

It's interesting that in the interview you did with me, you asked if a CIO should be a physician. I said not neccesarily, but a clinical background was more than beneficial. On another blogsite, written by a doc out of Rhode Island, my comments were taken out of context and characterized me as an example of uninformed administrators pushing clinical systems on their organizations. He also questioned my educational background. I didn't want to get into a pissing contest with him so I didn't respond.

Yes - I have earned advanced degrees, but have never thought of myself as a "life long learner". I believe advanced degrees are important from several perspectives. First, education enhances our knowledge, as well as, our perspective on problems and issues. Second, healthcare executives are expected to have advanced degrees, which is important as healthcare CIO's move to the executive level. Third, advanced degrees make CIO's more marketable, which can be important in a volatile industry like healthcare. Advanced degrees will not replace experience, but one does enhance the other.