Structured Outputs Are the Contract Your AI Agent Is Missing

Free-text agent responses look great in s. They fall apart the moment you try to automate anything downstream. Here's the pattern that fixes it. Your AI agent just summarized a payer's response to a benefits verification request. The output reads beautifully: "The patient's coverage appears to be active under the Gold Plus plan. Prior authorization is likely required based on the payer's language, though this isn't entirely clear. The copay seems to be around $50-75, and there may be a quantity limit of 30 tablets per month." Now try writing code that processes that.