eCornerstone General Information

Cornerstone to eCornerstone. Implemented in 1997, Cornerstone is a statewide data management information system developed to facilitate the integration of community maternal and child health services provided to Illinois residents by the Illinois Department of Human Services, and to effectively measure health outcomes.

Since its inception, the system has continued to evolve, as many additional programs and functions have been added to Cornerstone. The concept of a single integrated system capable of supporting multiple programs has clearly been validated. The real world benefits of this concept have been numerous, including the ability to analyze data on clients who are enrolled in multiple maternal and child health programs.

Although the system has continued to evolve programmatically and functionally, it has not yet taken advantage of the efficiencies available via web-based technology. Therefore, the Department of Human Services and its partners have been focusing on bringing Cornerstone into the 21st century by converting the locally distributed portion of the system to web-based technology... called “eCornerstone”.

eCornerstone’s architecture allows access from the Internet. Using a browser, the process builds on the effective business logic and database structure underlying the current Cornerstone system. Due to the web-based nature of eCornerstone, confidentiality is of the essence. All data is protected so that only the people with authorization to view that information have access. Clients’ confidentiality is protected via policy, and many technologies including firewall technology. The security in place is likened to security found in online banking and online shopping applications. The development team continues to work with consultants who have experience in web-based technology and security so that users will be able to utilize eCornerstone without fearing breach of confidentiality. The eCornerstone system requires the use of a log-in name and password, which enables an encrypting mechanism. Therefore, all information that travels from the provider to the Central Office in Springfield is encrypted, rendering it unreadable to a third party.

Converting all of Cornerstone to the web-based technology will require several years and substantial resources. Therefore, a multi-phase development approach is being used to capitalize on technological innovations. The Bureau of Youth Services and Delinquency Prevention was incorporated into eCornerstone during the first phase, followed by the Teen REACH program. The existing Cornerstone programs are now being developed for inclusion in future phases.

Benefits of eCornerstone. eCornerstone holds many benefits for all its users. Besides centralized enrollment and activity scheduling, eCornerstone provides standard information on recipients and service delivery that can be used for collaboration with local partners, RFPs, program evaluation, and program planning. Most paper and pencil forms are no longer needed. Redundant data collection efforts disappeared, allowing staff to utilize their time more effectively and avoid duplication of enrollments and work efforts. Additionally, the eCornerstone system is easily accessible from on-site computers. Finally, the eCornerstone system adapts readily to change. Input will always be sought from users on ways the system can be further enhanced to benefit users. Because eCornerstone is web-based, system modifications are easy to implement and cause minimal interruption for users.

Modernizing Cornerstone is benefiting service recipients, system users, and program administrators. Immediately, the new architecture is providing long desired capabilities such as real-time data access and agency-wide information sharing and reporting. System security has been immeasurably strengthened with the introduction of digital signatures. In the long run, a revitalized Cornerstone will continue to foster integrated service delivery which has demonstrably reduced infant and early childhood morbidity and mortality for DHS customers.