Yes, low tech things like properly washing hands can save lives, but what's even more important is public awareness and public disclosure: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/public_di...

"Rates of mortality from coronary artery bypass surgery varied widely among hospitals before the state began requiring public reporting of death rates from the procedure. Four years into mandatory reporting requirements, average hospital death rates from the operation fell by 41 percent."