(1) The registration and other records of treatment facilities shall remain confidential and are privileged to the patient.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the department may make available in accordance with Title 50, chapter 16, part 5, or other applicable law information from patients' records for purposes of research into the causes and treatment of chemical dependency. Information under this subsection may not be published in a way that discloses patients' names or other identifying information.