The number of patients waiting longer than they should for diagnostic services like MRI scans and ultrasounds has trebled in the last two years.
New figures also show patients in Wales face significantly longer waits than those in England for similar tests.
The Welsh government said health boards were working to address backlog issues.
The number of people waiting more than nine months for hospital treatment in Wales has also reached its highest level in two years.
When a patient is referred for diagnostic services such as a CT scan or an endoscopy they are meant to be seen within eight weeks - the so-called "operational standard".
But according to the figures for November 2013, more than 23,500 were left waiting longer - up from just under 8,000 two years ago.
New highBBC Wales analysis on statistics also show 32% of patients in Wales waited longer than eight weeks for an ultrasound scan compared with 0.1% in England whose figures were released on Tuesday.
And for CT scans, 7.5% of patients in Wales were waiting more than eight weeks whereas the figure for England is 0.07%.
Waiting for diagnostic services |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Health board | Patients waiting 8wks+ | Percentage | Total waiting |
|
Source: Stats Wales for November 2013 |
|||
|
Betsi Cadwaladr |
2,295 |
21% |
10,907 |
|
Hywel Dda |
2,885 |
28.6% |
10,082 |
|
Powys Teaching |
95 |
18.9% |
503 |
|
Abertawe Bro Morg |
2,204 |
18.1% |
12,158 |
|
Cwm Taf |
3,277 |
33.3% |
9,853 |
|
Aneurin Bevan |
8,619 |
42% |
20,507 |
|
Cardiff and Vale |
4,152 |
30.5% |
13,599 |
|
Wales |
23,527 |
30.3% |
77,609 |
Cathy O'Sullivan, acting director of the board of Community Health Councils in Wales which represents patients, told BBC Radio Wales: "The system is not working in the best interest of patients.
"Start Quote
End Quote Cathy O'Sullivan Community Health Councils in WalesThe system is not working in the best interest of patients"
"It needs a very fundamental shake around how patients are treated in the 21st Century."
Shadow Conservative health spokesman Darren Millar AM called for the Welsh government to invest more in NHS frontline services.
"It looks as though the National Health Service is turning into something of a national waiting service," he said.
On Thursday, statistics on referral to treatment times showed that the number of patients waiting longer than nine months for hospital treatment in Wales had hit a new high.
'Under pressure'Numbers rose to 13,269 people at the end of November - an increase of about 1,000 on the previous month and nearly 8,000 since March 2013.
The Welsh government's target is to treat all patients within nine months.
Official figures also highlighted 88% of people waited less than 26 weeks to start treatment. The target is 95%.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said the Welsh NHS was "under pressure" but stressed it was not "in crisis".
He told BBC Wales: "There are fewer people waiting overall in the Welsh NHS than before.
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"The number of people waiting over 26 weeks has come down but I am disappointed to see the rise in people waiting over 36 weeks.
"I've made it clear to local health boards, even in the difficult period over the winter, I expect them to concentrate on those longer waiters and I do expect to see those figures coming down."
Thursday's figures drew criticism from opposition parties in Wales with the Conservatives describing the situation as an "increasingly worsening crisis".
The Liberal Democrats called the figures "disgraceful" and Plaid Cymru said they were a "predictable result of health boards not scheduling surgery over the winter months".
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