Hospital Wanderer

VANCOUVER - Fifteen major hospitals across B.C. are getting a total of $22 million to fast-track patients through their emergency rooms as part of the government's strategy to tie funding to hospital performance.

Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon said Wednesday the money follows a pilot project that helped reduce congestion in emergency rooms at several hospitals in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

"With almost two million visits to B.C. emergency rooms last year alone, this investment will help ensure patients receive timely, high-quality patient care," Falcon said in a news release.

The hospitals sharing the cash include seven in the Vancouver area and others in Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon and Prince George.