Cumberland Nephrology Associates was established in 1998 by Kevin Barber, DO, FACOI.  Over the years, our practice has grown to three Nephrologists who have over 40 years of experience in caring for patients with kidney disease.  Our goal is to provide the highest level of quality care possible in all areas of Nephrology including hypertension, proteinuria, and acute and chronic dialysis.  All of our physicians are board certified in Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Clinical Hypertension. 
 
Our practice utilizes electronic technology, including electronic medical records and e-prescribing which allows us to safely and efficiently manage your health care needs. 
 

What Is a Nephrologist?

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A nephrologist is a medical doctor who specializes in kidney care and treating diseases of the kidneys.  The term nephrologist comes from the Greek word “nephros”, which means kidney or renal and “ologist” refers to someone who studies.  Nephrologists are also called kidney doctors. Nephrologists are educated in internal medicine and then undergo more training to specialize in treating patients with kidney diseases.  We are committed to serving our patients with exceptional nephrological care across South Jersey.

 

Our inpatient and outpatient consultative nephrology services include:

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• Hypertension

• Proteinuria

• Glomerulonephritis

• Interstitial Nephritis

• ​Diabetes Mellitus​

• Kidney Stones

• Fluid and Electrolyte Abnormalities

• Lupus

• Hematuria

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The Common Kidney Conditions We Treat:

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Diabetes mellitus, also called simply diabetes, is the most common cause of kidney failure in America. Your pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that moves glucose from your blood into your cells. In diabetics, the body doesn't use insulin properly causing high blood sugar which is dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Every patient diagnosed with diabetes needs nephrological care to preserve kidney function, control blood pressure and decrease proteinuria.

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Hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, is a common medical condition. When left uncontrolled, hypertension is the most important factor in accelerating the progression of kidney failure.

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Hematuria, is the medical term for blood in the urine. Common causes are urinary tract infections, kidney stones, glomerulonephritis, tumors in the urinary tract and renal arteriovenous malformations. Hematuria needs to be defined; it is either bad or a nuisance.

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Proteinuria, is the presence of greater than normal amounts of protein in the urine. It is the hallmark of kidney disease. The more protein in the urine, the worse it is for your kidney and it predicts future deterioration. As proteinuria increases the kidney function declines.

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Creatinine, is normal waste product that the body produces every day. The level of creatinine in blood urine is based on a person's age, sex, health history, and muscle mass. Healthy kidneys remove approximately 95% of creatinine from the blood by filtration, 5% by secretion. As creatinine rises, kidney function declines. If we know your creatinine, we can predict your kidney function with roughly 95% accuracy.

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Glomerulonephritis, an Interstitial Nephritis, is an inflammatory condition of the filtration mechanism of the kidney. These diseases like Glomerulonephritis compromise your body's kidney function and often lead to kidney failure.

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