
Major General Elder Granger, United States Army, Retired, served as the Deputy Director and Program Executive Officer of the TRICARE Management Activity, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense Health Affairs in Washington, DC until his retirement in 2009. In this role, he was the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) on DOD health plan policy and performance, where he required strong, value based relationships with major insurers to be affiliates. This required clear guidelines to assess and determine "best value." A rigorous process was implemented to ensure clear requirements and criteria to manage these relationships to measurable, accountable outcomes.
Major General Granger oversaw the acquisition, operation and integration of TRICARE/DOD’s managed care program within the Military Health System. Major General Granger led a staff of 1,800 in planning, budgeting and executing a $22.5 Billion Defense Health Program and in ensuring the effective and efficient provision of high-quality, accessible healthcare for 9.2 million Uniformed Service members, their families, retirees and others located worldwide.
Prior to joining TRICARE Management Activity, Major General Granger led the largest U.S. and multi-national battlefield health system in our recent history while serving as Commander, Task Force 44th Medical Command and Command Surgeon for the Multinational Corps Iraq. He has led at every level of the Army Medical Department, with previous assignments as Commander, 44th Medical Command, XVIII Airborne Corps Command Surgeon and Director of Health Services, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Commander, Europe Regional Medical Command, Director of TRICARE Europe, and the Command Surgeon, US Army Europe and 7th Army, Heidelberg, Germany, Acting Assistant Surgeon General for Force Projection, Commander, Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany and Commander, Ireland Army Community Hospital, Fort Knox, KY, and attended Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA.
He has received numerous awards, decorations and honors, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters. He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Board of Hematology and Oncology, certified Physician Executive by the Certifying Commission in Medical Management, certified by the American College of Healthcare Executives, and Certified in Medical Quality by the American Board of Medical Quality. CERT-certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon University.
His professional affiliations include: Member of the National Association of Health Services Executives, American Medical Association, the Interagency Institute for Federal Health Care Executives (Life Member) Governance Fellow, National Association of Corporate Directors, member and Fellow American College of Healthcare Executives, member and laureate American College of Physicians, member (life member) and fellow American Association for Physician Leadership, member and fellow American College of Medical Quality, Board of Directors, Defense Logistic Health, Cigna, and Berg Health. Board of Trustee-Rosalind Franklin University, member of Arkansas State University Chancellor Cabinet and, University of Arkansas School of Medicine Board of Visitors.
Major General Granger earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Arkansas State University in 1976 and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in 1980. MG Granger completed a residency in Internal Medicine in 1983 and a fellowship in Hematology-Oncology in 1986 at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Aurora, Colorado. MG Granger was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Meharry Medical College in 2009. Major General Granger is currently the President and CEO of THE 5Ps, LLC, a health care, education and leadership consulting organization since 2009.