[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4569-S4570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL ELDER GRANGER, M.D.

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
outstanding service that MG Elder Granger has given to Arkansas and our 
great Nation through his work in the military medical services.
  Since 2005, MG Elder Granger, M.D., has served his country as the 
deputy director of the TRICARE Management Activity in the Office of the 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Prior to joining 
TRICARE, Major General Granger led the largest U.S. and multinational 
battlefield health system in our Nation's recent history as Commander 
of the Task Force 44th Medical Command and Command Surgeon for the 
Multinational Corps in Iraq.
  Major General Granger also brilliantly implemented TRICARE's $22.5 
billion Defense Health Program that benefitted over 9.2 million people 
worldwide. With his compassion and dedication, Major General Granger 
improved patient care for the entire military health system by managing 
the TRICARE benefits for an international network of 75 military 
hospitals, 461 service clinics, and a network of civilian providers and 
hospitals. An enthusiastic advocate for the military health system, 
Major General Granger directed the launch of a TRICARE Web portal which 
improved communications between beneficiaries and enhanced health 
benefits information services. This technology is projected to reach 23 
million individuals by 2009.
  Through the TRICARE's mail order pharmacy program, Major General 
Granger increased the number of users utilizing mail-order pharmacy 
prescriptions by 16 percent, as well as increasing total prescription 
volume by

[[Page S4570]]

21 percent. In addition, he established a Web/call-in center which 
handled 21,412 beneficiary requests for 47,213 prescription conversions 
as of November 2008, which amounts to an estimated cost avoidance of 
$3.2 million to date. Major General Granger also oversaw the 
establishment of the voluntary agreement for retail rebates, which has 
resulted in a pharmaceutical industry rebate of $28 million since the 
beginning of 2007. Further, he established electronic claims processing 
which has already saved $1.6 million in administrative fees in addition 
to $105 million in overhead savings.
  A native of West Memphis, AR, MG Elder Granger has played an active 
role in veterans' medical services since the beginning of his career. 
He represents the great progress that has and will continue to occur 
within the military health system. He is a mentor to his staff, a 
leader in his field, and a soldier ready for any mission.
  I am honored to recognize his service.

                          ____________________