An employee requires a kidney transplant. She notifies her supervisor, who sends an email to others within the company, asking if anyone can provide any guidance on the best doctors/hospitals for the transplant.

The questions are not being asked in the context of the health plan, and no members of the benefits department are involved in the emails.

Is this in any way related to HIPAA, or not, because the questions and information being shared is not related to the health plan?

If the supervisor is not involved with the health plan, there are no HIPAA implications.

That doesn't mean that there aren't state law privacy issues, however.